News
Campaign Double-Take
The campaign mailers have been piling up in our box for the past few weeks. In between the standard-issue "gesticulating while walking" and "talking intently on phone" shots of candidates, we noticed something striking about a couple of mailers: In the race for Position 1, two candidates who've run before---Bobby Forch, who ran for the seat now held by Mike O'Brien two years ago, and Jean Godden, whom Forch is challenging this time, used the same photos this year as they did during their last runs. In Forch's case, exactly the same photos----his curious constituents are all the same, he's standing in the same spot in front of the Space Needle, and his wife and kid haven't aged a day.
The only difference? Forch is now pitching himself as "the progressive choice" in the race. Last time, he was the business candidate---the guy who was going to "get this economy moving" by getting rid of red tape and creating jobs.
This year's Forch is someone who will invest in new transit in "15 underserved corridors" throughout the city, "reduce excessive force issues in our police department," and create new jobs. The new Forch flyer also prominently features his endorsement by Nick Licata, the city council's resident lefty.
Bobby Forch, then and now.
Two years ago, in contrast, Forch was all about promoting small businesses, eliminating the employee hours tax (which paid for bike and pedestrian improvements, until the council got rid of it), "protecting our industrial base," and reducing "costly Metro overhead" in the county's transit system. That year, his mailer was headlined "Bobby Forch: A straightforward plan to create jobs and improve our economy" and promised Forch would create a new small business division, get rid of the head tax "that encourages city businesses to locate elsewhere," and rework---not expand---city bus service to make it work more efficiently.
Obviously, reusing the same photos isn't a capital offense: Forch's consultant this time, John Wyble, also worked with him two years ago and is involved in several other campaigns, including the Families and Education Levy. And some of the elements of Forch's platform remain the same, like working with small businesses. Still, it's striking to see two mailers that look so much alike, but bear such strikingly different messages.
Godden's repeat photo shows her rowing in a kayak. It's the same photo Godden used four years ago in a mailer promoting her commitment to the environment. Godden's age has become an issue; she turns 80 in October.
The only difference? Forch is now pitching himself as "the progressive choice" in the race. Last time, he was the business candidate---the guy who was going to "get this economy moving" by getting rid of red tape and creating jobs.
This year's Forch is someone who will invest in new transit in "15 underserved corridors" throughout the city, "reduce excessive force issues in our police department," and create new jobs. The new Forch flyer also prominently features his endorsement by Nick Licata, the city council's resident lefty.
Bobby Forch, then and now.
Two years ago, in contrast, Forch was all about promoting small businesses, eliminating the employee hours tax (which paid for bike and pedestrian improvements, until the council got rid of it), "protecting our industrial base," and reducing "costly Metro overhead" in the county's transit system. That year, his mailer was headlined "Bobby Forch: A straightforward plan to create jobs and improve our economy" and promised Forch would create a new small business division, get rid of the head tax "that encourages city businesses to locate elsewhere," and rework---not expand---city bus service to make it work more efficiently.
Obviously, reusing the same photos isn't a capital offense: Forch's consultant this time, John Wyble, also worked with him two years ago and is involved in several other campaigns, including the Families and Education Levy. And some of the elements of Forch's platform remain the same, like working with small businesses. Still, it's striking to see two mailers that look so much alike, but bear such strikingly different messages.
Godden's repeat photo shows her rowing in a kayak. It's the same photo Godden used four years ago in a mailer promoting her commitment to the environment. Godden's age has become an issue; she turns 80 in October.
