Morning Fizz
"Haven't Found the Formula Yet."
1. Earlier this year, we wrote about the mysterious "Pete von Reichbauer PAC"---a political-action committee set up by Republican King County Council member Pete von Reichbauer, whose chief of staff, Joe Fain, is challenging state Sen. Claudia Kauffman (D-47). When we first reported on the PAC, we speculated that it might be intended for Fain's campaign.
So far, it looks like we were wrong: The Pete von Reichbauer PAC has donated $4,500 (out of $24,000 raised) to a group called Citizens Against New Taxes. That group, which is also funded by Eastside Republican developer George Rowley, has in turn given money to a number of Eastside Republicans, including Gregg Bennett (challenging Sen. Rodney Tom, D-48), Andy Hill (challenging Sen. Eric Oemig, D-45), and Steve Litzow (challenging Sen. Randy Gordon, D-41). That still leaves nearly $20,000 in Von Reichbauer's fund, of course, with nearly a week to go before the election.
2. Earlier this week, city council president Richard Conlin told PubliCola that if Mayor Mike McGinn wouldn't tell the council where he wanted them to cut his budget, they would assume he wanted them to cut his new revenues first---i.e., his "Walk Bike Ride" projects.
On Tuesday, Friends of Seattle founder Gary Manca sent Conlin a letter expressing his "disappointment" that "you suggested that Walk Bike Ride is not a priority. ... I can only hope that your comment to PubliCola reflected a simple moment of frustration, and that you remain as committed as you have always been to the projects that compose Walk Bike Ride."
Yesterday, Conlin responded to Manca with a ten-point email, which said, in short, that Conlin supports Walk Bike Ride but thinks McGinn is "stonewalling" on the budget; that the council has no intention of cutting investments in walking, biking, and transit; that the council can't make cuts on a programmatic level; and that this is "the wrong time" to raise taxes.
"I and the Mayor have shared our frustration about the way in which friction has dominated too much of the relationship, and we are trying to find ways to reduce it," Conlin's letter concludes. "Haven't found the formula yet, but I remain hopeful that we will eventually work out a modus vivendi."
3. Here's a little more on the Dan Evans robocall for Dino Rossi. We asked the Rossi campaign how big the call was and if it included King County targets (it strikes Fizz that the best use of an Evans call for Rossi would be to win over independent voters in King County—and even "Dinocrats," as Rossi calls Dems who may go his way.)
The answer, over email, was that the call "went out wide" and "si"—there was targeted turf, including King County voters.
4. CityClub and the UW's computer science department have put together the Living Voters' Guide, where voters can present the arguments for and against this year's initiatives, including liquor privatization, candy-tax repeal, and the high-earners' income tax. You can also vote in informal polls on all nine issues on the statewide ballot.
5. Speaking of voters' guides—check out our complete list of nearly 70 (!) PubliCola picks for Nov. 2 here; without doubt the most comprehensive batch of endorsements in the state.
Looking for even more guidance? Chris Kissel decided to throw a voting party.
Bring your ballots to the Comet on Capitol Hill tonight at 7:30. Sit down with a beer, debate the issues with your friends. And vote.
So far, it looks like we were wrong: The Pete von Reichbauer PAC has donated $4,500 (out of $24,000 raised) to a group called Citizens Against New Taxes. That group, which is also funded by Eastside Republican developer George Rowley, has in turn given money to a number of Eastside Republicans, including Gregg Bennett (challenging Sen. Rodney Tom, D-48), Andy Hill (challenging Sen. Eric Oemig, D-45), and Steve Litzow (challenging Sen. Randy Gordon, D-41). That still leaves nearly $20,000 in Von Reichbauer's fund, of course, with nearly a week to go before the election.
2. Earlier this week, city council president Richard Conlin told PubliCola that if Mayor Mike McGinn wouldn't tell the council where he wanted them to cut his budget, they would assume he wanted them to cut his new revenues first---i.e., his "Walk Bike Ride" projects.
On Tuesday, Friends of Seattle founder Gary Manca sent Conlin a letter expressing his "disappointment" that "you suggested that Walk Bike Ride is not a priority. ... I can only hope that your comment to PubliCola reflected a simple moment of frustration, and that you remain as committed as you have always been to the projects that compose Walk Bike Ride."
Yesterday, Conlin responded to Manca with a ten-point email, which said, in short, that Conlin supports Walk Bike Ride but thinks McGinn is "stonewalling" on the budget; that the council has no intention of cutting investments in walking, biking, and transit; that the council can't make cuts on a programmatic level; and that this is "the wrong time" to raise taxes.
"I and the Mayor have shared our frustration about the way in which friction has dominated too much of the relationship, and we are trying to find ways to reduce it," Conlin's letter concludes. "Haven't found the formula yet, but I remain hopeful that we will eventually work out a modus vivendi."
3. Here's a little more on the Dan Evans robocall for Dino Rossi. We asked the Rossi campaign how big the call was and if it included King County targets (it strikes Fizz that the best use of an Evans call for Rossi would be to win over independent voters in King County—and even "Dinocrats," as Rossi calls Dems who may go his way.)
The answer, over email, was that the call "went out wide" and "si"—there was targeted turf, including King County voters.
4. CityClub and the UW's computer science department have put together the Living Voters' Guide, where voters can present the arguments for and against this year's initiatives, including liquor privatization, candy-tax repeal, and the high-earners' income tax. You can also vote in informal polls on all nine issues on the statewide ballot.
5. Speaking of voters' guides—check out our complete list of nearly 70 (!) PubliCola picks for Nov. 2 here; without doubt the most comprehensive batch of endorsements in the state.
Looking for even more guidance? Chris Kissel decided to throw a voting party.
Bring your ballots to the Comet on Capitol Hill tonight at 7:30. Sit down with a beer, debate the issues with your friends. And vote.
