This Washington
34th District State House Candidates Square Off
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqnVuU-KCeE[/youtube]
The four candidates running for the seat being vacated by all-star state Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-34, W. Seattle, Maury, Vashon, Burien, White Center) sat down with PubliCola for an endorsement interview earlier this week.
The candidates are: Democrat Joe Fitzgibbon, a former Nelson aide and current Burien planning commissioner; Democrat Mike Heavey, a former field organizer for now-King County Executive Dow Constantine and current aide to King County Council member Jan Drago; Independent Geoff "Mac" McElroy, a Burien tavern owner; and Democrat Marcee Stone, a campaign finance reform activist.
We've run feature stories on the three Democrats: Fitzgibbon, Heavey , and Stone.
Fitzgibbon, 23, has racked up endorsements from progressive groups including Fuse, Washington Bus, the Sierra Club, and lefty union SEIU, who all like his urban green perspective, his wonky command of the issues, and his youth. Heavey is leading the money race, has the best name recognition (his dad is King County Superior Court judge and former 34th District state Sen. Mike Heavey), and doesn't tow the Democratic Party line. Stone, a traditional union lefty, got the nod from the 34th District Democrats, the King County Democrats, and the King County Labor Council. And McElroy is an advocate for small-business interests.
While we interviewed the group for an hour and a half and covered a lot of ground, this PubliColaTV clip focuses on two issues PubliCola is hot on: the education reform debate and cost overruns on the deep-bore tunnel.
Education reform is important, in part, because it tracks a divide in the Democratic party. There's the union position, which focuses on teachers' rights, and there's the "new" Democrat (or Obama) position, which pushes for standardized teacher evaluations.
The tunnel issue is, obviously, a lightning rod, and can reveal everything from a candidate's command of transportation, labor, environmental, and neighborhood issues to his or her legislative style, and commitment to Seattle.
The four candidates running for the seat being vacated by all-star state Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-34, W. Seattle, Maury, Vashon, Burien, White Center) sat down with PubliCola for an endorsement interview earlier this week.
The candidates are: Democrat Joe Fitzgibbon, a former Nelson aide and current Burien planning commissioner; Democrat Mike Heavey, a former field organizer for now-King County Executive Dow Constantine and current aide to King County Council member Jan Drago; Independent Geoff "Mac" McElroy, a Burien tavern owner; and Democrat Marcee Stone, a campaign finance reform activist.
We've run feature stories on the three Democrats: Fitzgibbon, Heavey , and Stone.
Fitzgibbon, 23, has racked up endorsements from progressive groups including Fuse, Washington Bus, the Sierra Club, and lefty union SEIU, who all like his urban green perspective, his wonky command of the issues, and his youth. Heavey is leading the money race, has the best name recognition (his dad is King County Superior Court judge and former 34th District state Sen. Mike Heavey), and doesn't tow the Democratic Party line. Stone, a traditional union lefty, got the nod from the 34th District Democrats, the King County Democrats, and the King County Labor Council. And McElroy is an advocate for small-business interests.
While we interviewed the group for an hour and a half and covered a lot of ground, this PubliColaTV clip focuses on two issues PubliCola is hot on: the education reform debate and cost overruns on the deep-bore tunnel.
Education reform is important, in part, because it tracks a divide in the Democratic party. There's the union position, which focuses on teachers' rights, and there's the "new" Democrat (or Obama) position, which pushes for standardized teacher evaluations.
The tunnel issue is, obviously, a lightning rod, and can reveal everything from a candidate's command of transportation, labor, environmental, and neighborhood issues to his or her legislative style, and commitment to Seattle.
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