And here they are:



Michael McGinn for mayor, Mike O'Brien for Position 8, Jessie Israel for Position 6, and "Yes" on the green bag fee. No endorsement in Positions 2 and 6.

Friends of Seattle, an environmental group that's been around since early 2007, supports candidates that back their "progressive urbanist" values. (Last month, the group sponsored a mayoral debate at Spitfire , which I emceed).

Given their commitment to transit, density, and environmental values, it's not surprising that Friends of Seattle would endorse O'Brien and McGinn—few candidates out there more directly embody their urbanist, environmental values. What is somewhat surprising is their outspoken support for Israel  over longtime incumbent Nick Licata, who has the support of the local Sierra Club and most of Seattle' District Democrat organizations.

In their analysis of the Licata race, Friends of Seattle wrote:

Although Councilmember Licata is very good at questioning the cost-effectiveness of large capital projects, such as two-way Mercer Street or streetcar expansion, we think it’s time for a councilmember who has innovative and constructive ideas for diversifying our transportation network, lightening our environmental footprint, and building more walkable communities. Further, we are uneasy about an issue that we have long disagreed with Councilmember Licata on---the Alaskan Way Viaduct . Councilmember Licata is not ready to oppose the tunnel unless its financing plan collapses.

Israel supports the tunnel as well. However, FoS president Gary Manca says the group was alarmed that Licata was unwilling to explicitly disavow his previous support for rebuilding the Alaskan Way Viaduct. "Nick serves a valuable role in questioning whether something is too expensive. ... We're just not sure that Nick has given up on an elevated viaduct—he hemmed and hawed about it in our interview. ... There needs to be a unified opposition to rebuilding the viaduct" on the council, Manca says.

In contrast, Manca says, Israel "made it clear that she's willing to take poliitcal lumps and show political courage" on issues such as transportation (she supports expanding the streetcar system and removing parking to create bike lanes), transit-oriented development (she wants more sidewalks and density around transit stops), and investments in energy efficiency (she supports public-private partnerships to fund efficiency improvements in Seattle buildings). "I don't want you to get the impression that we don't like Nick—we definitely do—but Jessie was just an incredible candidate," Manca says.

[caption id="attachment_10562" align="alignnone" width="338" caption="Jessie Israel"] [/caption]

In an interview this morning, Licata expressed disappointment at his lack of environmental endorsements, saying, "I think I stepped on too many toes, particularly with the Mercer corridor." Licata opposes spending $200 million to make Mercer two-way in South Lake Union; Israel and fellow Licata challenger Martin Kaplan support it.

Friends of Seattle decided not to support any candidate in the race for Position 4, which is being vacated by Jan Drago. The candidates who appear to have impressed them the most are Sally Bagshaw and David Bloom. However, the endorsement committee was disturbed by the fact that Bagshaw "offered no insights into her rationale for supporting" a repeal of the $25-per-employee "head tax," which pays for transportation projects, and by her "unqualified advocacy" for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel. And they were "uneasy with Mr. Bloom's lingering affection... for a Viaduct retrofit" and "concerned" about his earlier opposition to light rail expansion.

Full FoS endorsements, including videotapes of candidate interviews, available here .