Last night the 43rd District Democrats elected Brady Walkinshaw, a relatively progressive Cuban American and certified homosexual, to represent the central-Seattle district in the legislature's house starting next month. When I sat down with him a couple weeks ago, Walkinshaw seemed like a nice fellow who wants a modicum of power to make the world a better place. Currently employed by the Gates Foundation and a board member at Intiman, and formerly a labor organizer when he attended Princeton, he had dewey-eyed ambitions of advancing the state DREAM Act, preserving voting rights for people of color in racist Eastern Washington, and repairing our regressive tax scheme in a manner that makes Washington State fair for the working-class while finally giving schools the money they need. Instead, Walkinshaw will be a state legislator. As a lawmaker, Walkinshaw will crawl through the partisan gridlock of Olympia, where virtually nothing of import has happened in years and in which all work in the house is stymied by the GOP-controlled senate, all while continuing the 43 District legacy of choosing young gay politicians who grow up to be old gay politicians.

The King County Council is expected to rubber-stamp his appointment.

Walkinshaw will replace Democratic Representative Jamie Pedersen, renowned as the Dick Clark of gay elves. Pedersen was selected by the district to serve in the Sisyphean death chamber that is our state senate, filling a seat that was formerly occupied by Ed Murray, who created a vacancy after he fled said chamber and was elected mayor. Murray must now work full time with the Seattle City Council.

Condolences to all.