News & Profiles

On Other Blogs Today: Suburban Scandal, Sacramento Sale, and More

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:31:00 -0700

OOBT

1. Forget about Seattle, where onetime mayoral candidate Tim Burgess announced today (after firing his campaign spokesman and failing to file for the office at King County Elections) that he's dropping out of the race: The real news is, as always, in the suburbs. Specifically, Snohomish County, where county executive Aaron Reardon's alleged mistress was arrested this week on domestic-violence charges involving her ex-husband.

According to KOMO, Snohomish County police showed up at the woman's house after she called 911, saying she and her ex had had a verbal and physical altercation. After talking to both, deputies decided that the woman was the primary aggressor and arrested her. She has been released from jail on the condition that she stays with her mother.

Image: Shutterstock

2. The AP reports that the owners of the Sacramento Kings—the team San Francisco hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen had hoped to buy and bring to Seattle as part of the proposed arena deal—have signed an agreement selling a 65 percent ownership interest in the franchise to new owners who will keep them in Sacramento. The group of buyers is led by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive; the NBA is expected to approve the deal next week.

3. The Spokesman-Review's editorial board thinks I-522, the GMO labeling initiative, could be a great opportunity to educate consumers about genetic engineering. Noting that big ag companies like Monsanto have managed to bully their way into favorable U.S. laws and Supreme Court rulings (most recently, the Court ruled against a farmer who tried to get around Monsanto's patent on Roundup-Ready soybeans that resist the company's potent pesticide), the paper writes, "The debate over I-522 could be an opportunity to educate voters and consumers about the new era of plant science. Just watch out for the manure."

4. The (Grays Harbor) Daily World reports that Washington state Lieutenant Gov. Brad Owen has questioned whether state Sen. Jim Hargrove (D-TK) should be able to continue casting proxy votes for his Republican colleague Mike Carrell (R-TK), who has a blood disease and has been out of the legislature for much of the 2013 session, in light of the tense ongoing budget negotiations in the closely divided senate.

The senate is controlled by the "Majority Coalition Caucus," which consists of 23 Republicans and two conservative Democrats. Without Hargrove's proxy vote for Carrell, the senate could conceivably be split 24-24, allowing Owen to cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the Democrats' budget.

Burgess News: Who Does It Help? Who Does It Hurt?

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:41:00 -0700

City Council member Tim Burgess' bomb shell announcement today that he's withdrawing from the mayor's race changes everything.

Here's how it helps and hurts the remaining field.

1. Mayor Mike McGinn

Josh says: It totally helps McGinn. It shows that McGinn is far more formidable than people thought, adding to a sense out there that after a rocky start, McGinn has regained his footing, and in fact is a serious contender.

Additionally, I'd say this puts the business folks in Murray's camp, which helps McGinn as well. Being the business candidate is a liability in this town. If it comes down to McGinn vs. Murray, McGinn will easily be able to frame it as McGinn vs. the establishment all over again. (And when tunnel problems start creeping back up—tolling revenues anyone?—that doesn't help state Sen. Murray much either.)

Erica says: Burgess' decision wasn't about McGinn; it was about reducing the number of credible McGinn opponents to the point where they don't all eat each other alive. The fewer opponents McGinn has, the greater the likelihood that one will defeat him. If anything, Burgess' supporters will go to Murray and his council colleague Bruce Harrell, who will split the business community two ways (as opposed to three with Burgess in the race). That makes McGinn more vulnerable.

2. Ed Murray

Josh says: Even though I just said this hurts Murray because he becomes the de facto downtown business candidate, it also helps him. In a sense, the issue in this race is that Seattle wants a grownup in the room. Burgess and Murray were splitting the grownup vote. No longer. They go to Murray now.

The two biggest political stories in the last year involved mom and dad—in the form of the DOJ on police accountability and the state Supreme Court on education funding—coming in to save the day. It's a theme that voters like. Murray can capitalize on it.

Erica says: Not so sure this helps Murray as much as it does Bruce Harrell, the remaining City Council member in the race. Burgess and Harrell were the only ones, besides McGinn, who have run citywide recently, and won big. Simple math there, Burgess picks up more votes than Murray, who only represents a fraction of the city.

3. Bruce Harrell

Josh says: This helps Harrell because it takes care of the confusion that two City Council members were running, highlighting Harrell as the anti-McGinn dissident—especially if his council colleague Burgess—whose statement made it clear he doesn't like McGinn ("our city needs new leadership")—endorses him. It also positions Harrell as the only candidate who's up-to-the-minute on city issues and helps his fundraising opportunities.

Erica says: Agreed. Which is why I think it hurts Murray.

4. Peter Steinbrueck

Josh says: Steinbrueck's biggest advantage is his iconic name. The more candidates in the race, the better for Steinbrueck because it lowerers the percentage he needs to to make it through the primary—a percentage that had been well within reach thanks to his famous surname. His odds just went down with one less candidate in the mix, though, because the percentage he needs just went up.

Erica says: Agreed that Steinbrueck's path to victory is largely a numbers game, but I disagree with Josh on how the numbers work out. The fewer opponents, the better for Steinbrueck.

Biggest Winner Overall:

Josh says: A huge win for McGinn. He looks stronger when candidates who are trying to take him out just give up.

Erica says: A win for Harrell. He's now the only candidate from the city council; he has credibility among the business and police-accountability interests who had been split between him and Burgess; and Burgess' decision is a tangible sign of Harrell's strength and viability.

Oh, and ...

Biggest Loser: Burgess.

Not only did he crash as a mayoral candidate (probably the quickest flameout per dollar raised in local mayor's race history), but the swagger he's had as "The-Council-Member-Most-Likely-To" for the last three years, is all gone now.

And odd note: Why bother firing your campaign spokesman, as Burgess did yesterday, a day before dropping out of the race? It's just another sign that Burgess didn't have a handle on the situation.

Cola photos by Carryn Vande Griend

PubliCalendar: Food Trucks, 5Ks, and Service Projects

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:22:00 -0700

Today's picks for civic nerds.

Image: udistrictfoodbank.org

For Sunday

Food Trucks for the University Food Bank

The University District Food Bank, which is trying to replace its current, 800-square-foot basement distribution facility with a new, $2.75 million food bank, is throwing a food-truck party. For $25, you get eight food tickets and four drink tickets for local food trucks, wineries, and breweries, including Molly Moon's, Contigo, Veraci Pizza, as well as Sozo Wines and Fremont Brewing Co.

The U -District food bank serves more than 1,000 individuals and families every week.

Food Truck Round Up, Sun, May 19, 3-7pm, Phinney Neighbhorhood Center, $25 (21 and older).

Summer Sun and a 5K Run

Don’t miss the party on Alki Ave this Sunday. The streets will be closed from 11am to 5pm for summer festivities, including food and live music, skateboard workshops, a T-shirt dying station and a costumed bike parade. The West Seattle 5K, benefiting West Seattle High School, will also be passing through. The run begins at 9:20am.

West Seattle 5K and Alki Seattle Summer Streets, Sun, May 19, 11am-5pm, along Alki Ave SW, free.

Seattle Works Day

Grab a team and get ready to serve during Seattle Works Day—the nonprofit networking group's biggest annual day of service. Volunteer groups will be working throughout the Seattle area on projects ranging from trail maintenance to creating newsletters for local nonprofits. You'll even score a sweet t-shirt for participating. More details on how to sign up can be found on the Seattle Works Day website.

Seattle Works Day, Sat, May 19, service projects 12pm-3:30pm, various locations, after party 3:30-5:30pm, Seattle Center Fischer Pavillion, 305 Harrison St, $30 to register.

For Tomorrow

Transportation Choices Turns Twenty

Celebrate Transportation Choices Coalition's twentieth year promoting balanced state and local transportation policies at this '20s-themed fête, which includes dinner, dancing, and appearances by state transportation secretary Lynn Peterson and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). Don your best '20s attire to celebrate TCC's past accomplisments and find out about their plans for the next 20 years.

Roaring into Our Twenties, Sat, May 18, 6:30-9:30pm, Westin Downtown Seattle, 1900 5th Ave, $135.

Dinner with Democrats

Join the Democrats from the 11th, 30th, 33rd, 34th, and 47th state legislative districts for their third annual South King County dinner. This year's spaghetti dinner includes a sauce-off competition with prizes, live and silent auctions, and a keynote on creating a responsible U.S. military by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA,9).

South King County Democrats Third Annual Dinner, Sat, May 18, 5:30pm, International Aerospace Machinists Hall, 9125 15th Pl S, $20.

And For Today

Bike to Work Day

Wherever your morning commute leads you, celebrate it with fellow bicyclists during the F5 Bike to Work Day. Begin your morning with Mayor Mike McGinn in his ride from KEXP studios to City Hall for a brief rally at 8am to support local bike advocacy in Seattle.

If the rally doesn't fit into your commute, you won't miss out—there are dozens of commuter stations in the Seattle area offering treats, prizes, and bike swag. The day continues with a cyclist happy hour at the Peddler Brewing Company and an official Cascade Bicycle Club afterparty at Velo Bike Shop downtown. A full list of the day's events can be found on Cascade's website.

F5 Bike to Work Day, Fri, May 17, 7:30am-9pm, various locations, free.

Want to see your nerdy event featured on the PubliCalendar?
Send the details to Carryn at publicalendar@seattlemet.com.

Friday Jolt: Burgess Withdraws from Mayor's Race

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:23:00 -0700

Afternoon Jolt

Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess made it official this afternoon: He isn't running for mayor.

As we reported earlier today (in a Cola "Isn't it Weird That"), Burgess was the only declared candidate who did not file to run at King County Elections. The filing deadline is this afternoon at 4:30 pm.

Yesterday, as we also were first to report, Burgess abruptly fired his campaign spokesman, Alex Fryer.

In a statement, Burgess said, "Our city needs new and visionary leadership in the Mayor's office that truly brings people together to accomplish great things for all of Seattle. I had hoped to provide that leadership as Mayor. ... However, with so many qualified candidates in the field, my continued candidacy may dilute the chance of achieving hte positive change Seattle needs."

Nope.

As a mayoral candidate, Burgess started off strong but struggled to come up with a strong message. And one of his main campaign pledges—to fire police chief John Diaz in the wake of police accountability problems that resulted in a DOJ consent decree—was thwarted when Diaz announced his retirement last month.

Still unclear: What Burgess will do with what's left of the $231,979 he raised for his mayoral race, and what impact the decision to abandon the mayor's race will have on his future in Seattle politics. (His announcement says he will return as many as contributions as possible.) And it's unclear who Burgess—who has not returned calls for comment—will endorse for mayor, although our bets are on his council colleague Bruce Harrell or state Sen. Ed Murray.

Isn't It Weird That

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:20:00 -0700

Isn't it weird that ... Mayoral candidate Tim Burgess hasn't yet officially filed to have his name on the mayoral ballot at King County Elections—despite the fact that the filing deadline is this afternoon?

Seven candidates have officially filed to run for Seattle mayor with King County and paid the $1,500 filing fee. The only notable exception is Burgess, who has until 4:30 today to file.

As we reported yesterday afternoon, Burgess, a high-profile City Council member, recently fired his campaign spokesman, Alex Fryer, as part of a campaign shakeup that apparently also included changes to Burgess' campaign steering committee.

Although Burgess has raised more money than his competitors ($231,979), including more than incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn ($181,133), his campaign has been somewhat lackluster so far; observers say he's struggled to come up with a strong message, and one of his main campaign pledges—to fire police chief John Diaz in the wake of police accountability problems that resulted in a DOJ consent decree—was thwarted when Diaz announced his retirement last month.

Burgess, who was once regarded as a mayor-in-waiting, spent $85,300 of his own money on his first campaign for council in 2007.

Has he decided it isn't worth the effort (and considerable personal expenditures) it will likely cost him to make it through an eight-way primary?

Neither Burgess nor his campaign office has returned calls seeking to find out.

Extra Fizz: More Details on Last Night's Mayoral Endorsement in the 46th

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:17:00 -0700

Here are some more details on last night's mayoral endorsement vote at the 46th District Democrats meeting where the North Seattle group ended up making a dual endorsement, going with state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Capitol Hill) and former City Council member Peter Steinbrueck.

A candidate needed 60 percent for the sole endorsement. After the first round of voting, the score was:

1) Ed Murray: 26.44 percent

2) Peter Steinbrueck: 25.29 percent

3) Michael McGinn: 21.54 percent

4) Tim Burgess: 16.09 percent

5) Bruce Harrell: 6.89 percent

*There had been a a last-minute move to nominate Kate Martin, the Greenwood activist and longshot candidate, but the woman making the motion withdrew it when she realized Martin (who has filed some seriously nuanced questionnaires, by the way) had already left because her name wasn't initially put up for consideration.

If no one got to 60 percent, the rules dictated that the top vote getters whose numbers added up to 50 percent make it to the second round. That left Murray and Steinbrueck in a head-to-head to see if either could reach the magical 60.

Survey saaays:

Peter Steinbrueck: 57.69 percent
Ed Murray: 41.03 percent.

*There was one invalid ballot so the total did not add to 100 percent.

McGinn's voters reportedly moved to Steinbrueck (the theory being that they wanted to block Murray, who they consider a more formidable opponent, from getting the momentum of a sole endorsement).

Since neither candidate got 60 percent there were two options: A dual endorsement or "No" endorsement. Both Murray and Steinbrueck asked for the dual endorsement and that motion passed.

Morning Fizz: 46th District Endorses Murray, Steinbrueck

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:41:00 -0700

Caffeinated News & Gossip

1. Update from the state budget negotiations: Word is the senate Republicans have delivered a list of 33 bills they want on the table in this month's special session. Reportedly, some of the bills didn't even pass the senate in the first place.

Fizz has messages in to the Republicans. One budget negotiator told us last night: "No comment."

2. The 46th District Democrats (N. Seattle) endorsed state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Capitol Hill) and former City Council member Peter Steinbrueck for mayor last night.

Running as the neighborhood candidate, Steinbrueck, until recently, lived in the 46th. And Murray, a Democratic leader in Olympia, is popular with Seattle's Democratic party organizations.

It took a 60 percent vote, and a dual Murray/Steinbrueck endorsement was the only option that had enough support.

Image: Brandon Hill

Peter Steinbrueck, photographed in studio on January 30, 2013

Earlier this month, the endorsement committee for the 36th District Democrats—Ballard, Queen Anne, Greenwood, Fremont, Magnolia—recommended endorsing both Murray and 36th resident Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess. The full membership of the 36th is expected to affirm that pick at its meeting next week.

The 46th District Democrats endorsed Ed Murray and Peter Steinbrueck for mayor last night.

Also last night, the 46th did not make an endorsement in City Council member Richard Conlin's reelection bid nor in City Council member Mike O'Brien's reelection bid, de facto victories for the relatively unknown, but focused, challengers: Brian Carver and Albert Shen respectively.

Carver, a longtime Amazon employee, has raised $26,000 (Conlin has raised $96,000) and Shen, an engineering consultant with cred in Seattle's Asian American community, has raised $72,000 (O'Brien has raised $41,000).

3. Meanwhile, Erica had the news late yesterday that, in signs of a campaign overhaul, mayoral candidate Tim Burgess fired his spokesman, former Seattle Times reporter and former mayor Nickels spokesman, Alex Fryer.

4. Seattle City Council members are poised to propose a ballot measure that would create a public campaign financing system in Seattle. The proposal will largely track the recommendations made by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission earlier this year. Candidates would be required to raise at least 600 contributions of between $10 and $50; those contributions, in turn, would be matched six-to-one by city dollars. The maximum amount of matching funds, under the current proposal, would be $180,000, for a potential maximum of $210,000 in contributions (if all 600 of the initial contributions were $50).

Still in question: Should the limit on total contributions be increased, given that city races often cost well over $210,000?

Still in question: Should the limit on total contributions be increased, given that city races often cost well over $210,000? If so, how would that work—would the match be increased, as some public financing proponents have suggested (say, eight to 1)? Or would the total cap go up?

The council will discuss the proposals on May 28, and could vote on whether to put a measure on the ballot as soon as June 10; as we reported earlier this week, the pro-public finance campaign, Fair Elections Seattle, is currently about $22,000 in the red thanks largely to an $18,000 expenditure on polling.

5. In recent weeks, four key staffers at Cascade Bicycle Club have followed retiring executive director Chuck Ayers out the door—most recently, Cascade lobbyist Craig Benjamin, who's leaving for a job doing environmental advocacy in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Fizz's theory: Without Ayers, the once-mighty Cascade is suffering a bit of a crisis of leadership, and is struggling to get its feet after 16 years with the same steady hand at the wheel.

Campaign Fizz: Burgess Fires Consultant

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:19:00 -0700

Mayoral candidate Tim Burgess fired his campaign spokesman Alex Fryer today.

We have a call in to Burgess (who was in meetings late this afternoon), as well as his campaign manager Emily Walters, but Fryer confirmed the news to PubliCola this afternoon. "I'm no longer employed by the campaign in any manner," Fryer said.

Fryer, who was doing press for Burgess, got paid $2,000 last month according to Burgess' latest campaign finance report, and had gotten about $10,000 total since Burgess started his campaign late last year.

Fryer worked on the successful 2008 light rail campaign and the successful 2011 pro-tunnel campaign; previously, he was a spokesman for then-mayor Greg Nickels and a reporter for the Seattle Times.

Early on in the race, Burgess, a second-term City Council member, was considered a major contender and he's raised the most money to date, but after a few forums, he hasn't emerged as the powerhouse many were expecting.

Shaking up his campaign by getting rid of Fryer is a dramatic move, and is a clear sign that Burgess felt he needed to retool his campaign apparatus.

On Other Blogs Today: Obamacare, Crosswalks, Discrimination, and Pot

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:00 -0700

OOBT

1. For people buying health insurance on the new health care exchanges formed under Obamacare, the Spokesman-Review reports that insurance in Washington state will cost less and cover more; the huge rate increases opponents predicted, in other words, did not materialize. Under the exchange, insurance companies will compete for customers' business, and lower-income households (those making up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level) will receive federal subsidies.

2. After residents and businesses failed to convince the city of Tacoma to paint a crosswalk in a busy downtown intersection where pedestrians have been hit by cars, someone took matters into their own hands, painting a (fairly professional-looking) crosswalk in the intersection. This week, KING 5 reports, the city showed up and sanded the crosswalk away, at a cost of about $1,000. A city spokesman told the KING 5 reporter that the city would take another look at traffic safety at the intersection.

3. The Tri-City Herald reports that the Richland florist who is facing lawsuits from the state and the ACLU over her refusal to serve a gay couple has countersued the state, charging that the state's lawsuit violates her constitutional right to practice her religion. State law prohibits discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation.

4. The state liquor control board issued draft rules governing the sale of recreational marijuana yesterday. The AP reports that while the liquor board will regulate the number of legal pot stores allowed in each county, they won't set limits on the number of licensed pot growers or distributors. Still undecided: How the state will collect taxes on pot, which is illegal under federal law, and what will happen to the remains of marijuana plants after their buds are harvested.

A full list of the initial draft regulations is available on the liquor control board's web site.

The Real Takeaway From Yesterday's GiveBIG Campaign

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:37:00 -0700

The share economy—a pop-business theory and buzz word that attempts to explain phenomena such as car sharing, where market models prioritize access over ownership by either letting customers share one company's assets (Car2Go) or where one company creates a platform so people can share and profit from their own assets (AirBnB)—is reinventing capitalism for frugal and anxious 21st century consumers.

I've taken to calling it "Open Capitalism"—a populist monopoly over the means of participation.

Wired magazine explained the "shared consumption" model in its latest issue perfectly:

Making new things for every person on the planet is impractical, our dwindling natural resources remind us, and maybe ownership is not so important either. But collaborative consumption is hardly a rebuke of capitalism. If anything, it's a sharpening of the instinct. A broom not in use is no longer a broom but an instance of idling capacity. The true genius of the share economy might ultimately be its endless ability to wring extra value from itself.

Yesterday, these innovative yet simple share economy principles came to the non-profit world via the Seattle Foundation's third annual GiveBIG campaign— a mass opportunity for donors to contribute to any of 1,300 local nonprofits, with matching funds guaranteed by big spenders in advance. The campaign, raised a total $11.1 million.

This year's GiveBIG topped last year's $7.4 million and 2011's $3.6 million.

I'm not just being cute here and saying, cool, everybody was in a sharing mood yesterday. Seattle Foundation is picking up on an important innovation that is already remaking the for-profit world.

What if that $11.1 million went into one big trust fund?

By acting as a shared development director for more than a thousand non-profit groups yesterday, not only did the Seattle Foundation do a big service for local nonprofits—including PubliCola favorites Transportation Choices Coalition ($4,500), the Northwest Film Forum ($5,000), and Legal Voice ($50,000)—they also hinted at a restructuring that I've always believed is necessary in the local nonprofit landscape.

Sharing resources—everything from phone lines to staffers to, well, development directors—would build efficiency (the real philosophy that's driving the share economy as the left takes the concept over from the business school right) that would sharpen their success.

There are 1,300 non-profits? Why, for example, do green groups like Futurewise, Transportation Choices Coalition, and Sightline all compete for donors, members, staff, and headlines. If they were all under one umbrella—one platform—not only would they storm legislators' offices with more clout, but they'd save, through economies of scale, on rent and copy machines, not to mention electricity—making good on their shared environmental goals for one thing. (This setup already exists informally at the downtown Vance Buliding, where separate lefty groups have converged as renters.)

By acting as shared development director for more than a thousand non-profit groups yesterday, not only did the Seattle Foundation do a big service for local nonprofits, they also hinted at a necessary restructuring.It'd be the same equation for the ACLU, Legal Voice, and Columbia Legal Services.

I get that each group has a different focus—Legal Voice, for example, advocates specifically for women's rights. But that wouldn't prevent a combo nonprofit from upgrading the fight for women's rights by finding natural synergy with the ACLU.

If the mantra of the share economy's private-sector reboot is that access trumps ownership, let me suggest that a remake of the sprawling non-profit model should be: Teamwork trumps turf.

While donors were all picking their favorites yesterday, what if that $11.1 million went into one big trust fund?