According to always-reliable tipper John Doe, the CEO of Holland America sent a memo to all of the cruise line's employees today urging them to vote for conservative candidates. The email is unsubstantiated—I've called Holland America but the media voicemail just goes to a dial tone—but here's what the letter says:

TO: All Seattle Based Employees
FROM: Stein Kruse
DATE: October 22, 2009
RE: November Elections

This year’s mayoral and port commission races are very important to Holland America Line’s presence and operations in Seattle. As the city’s chief executive, the mayor sets the tone for important decisions concerning infrastructure and economic growth. The Commission for the Port of Seattle establishes the mission and strategy for the Port. The Commission decides how the Port’s waterfront and airport facilities will be used and sets the policies that govern those uses. As you are probably aware, three of the five seats on the Commission will be on the ballot for this fall’s election.

I am writing to urge you to pay close attention to this election, and to bear in mind as you make your choices that the outcome of this election has direct consequences for all of us at Holland America Line. The importance of this election thus cannot be overstated given our operations here in Seattle, both here at 300 Elliott and at the cruise ship terminals. While the elections are non-partisan (that is, none of the candidates is associated with a political party), the candidates have very different views on the benefit of the cruise industry to the local economy. Not all of them are friendly to us.

Holland America Line supports Joe Mallahan in the mayoral race. In the Commission elections, we support John Creighton for Position #1, David Doud for Position #3, and Tom Albro for Position #4. Each of these three candidates is committed to supporting the growth of the cruise industry in Seattle, for the benefit of us and our community. I sincerely hope you will join me in supporting these candidates. Whether or not you agree with me, however, I urge you each to take the time to understand the importance of this election to our business as you consider your vote.

"If it is true, it does not surprise me that Holland America is pushing employees to vote this way," says Heather Weiner, spokeswoman for Reform the Port, a political action committee that supports progressive port commission candidates Rob Holland and Max Vekich. The company has "has opposed mandatory pollution protections at the Port of Seattle," she says. For instance, Holland America has opposed a proposal that would require all cruise ships docking in Seattle to be capable of plugging into electrical outlets instead of idling their massive diesel engines, and "Holland America has been a major contributor against the Clean Cruise Ship Act," Weiner says. The federal legislation would prohibit the discharge of waste water into near-coastal waters, which is something Holland America has plead guilty to before.