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Campaign Fizz: City Council, Voter Confidence, and a "High-Priced Consultant" Reality Check
Your one-stop shop for today's campaign news, gossip, and analysis.
• Former city council candidate Michael Taylor-Judd endorsed Bobby Forch against incumbent Jean Godden today, saying Forch "will stand up for everyone in our community and represent our progressive values," including "social justice and environmental issues."
Forch beat his opponents, including Taylor-Judd, in the August 16 primary, coming in second to Godden, after positioning himself as "the progressive choice" in the race and trumpeting his endorsement from lefty council member Nick Licata.
As we've reported , Forch ran two years ago (for the open seat that was ultimately won by Mike O'Brien) as the business candidate, and repositioned himself as the progressive choice against Godden this year.
• More details from this week's Elway Poll : Andrew Garber of the Seattle Times reports that seven in 10 of those who responded said they think economic improvement in the state is more than a year away, and four in 10 predict it's at least two years away. Additionally, just 55 percent of respondents thought the state could be effective at job creation, compared to 60 percent two years ago.
• During the tunnel campaign, tunnel opponents pushed the narrative that the pro-tunnel campaign relied heavily on "high-priced consultants" for their 59-41 win in the August 16 primary.
Reality check: According to reports filed at the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, the "high-paid consultant" for the pro-tunnel camp, Alex Fryer, made exactly as much per month---$5,000, hardly fat-cat wages---as "grassroots" anti-tunnel campaign manager Esther Handy. (The pro-tunnel camp's manager, Dan Nolte, made just under $4,000 a month).
Yes, Let's Move Forward (the pro-tunnel campaign) had more to spend, and spent more, than Protect Seattle Now, the anti-tunnel camp. But both campaigns spent a pretty standard amount on their campaign staffers---belying the popular notion that "high-priced consultants" won the election for the tunnel.
• Former city council candidate Michael Taylor-Judd endorsed Bobby Forch against incumbent Jean Godden today, saying Forch "will stand up for everyone in our community and represent our progressive values," including "social justice and environmental issues."
Forch beat his opponents, including Taylor-Judd, in the August 16 primary, coming in second to Godden, after positioning himself as "the progressive choice" in the race and trumpeting his endorsement from lefty council member Nick Licata.
As we've reported , Forch ran two years ago (for the open seat that was ultimately won by Mike O'Brien) as the business candidate, and repositioned himself as the progressive choice against Godden this year.
• More details from this week's Elway Poll : Andrew Garber of the Seattle Times reports that seven in 10 of those who responded said they think economic improvement in the state is more than a year away, and four in 10 predict it's at least two years away. Additionally, just 55 percent of respondents thought the state could be effective at job creation, compared to 60 percent two years ago.
• During the tunnel campaign, tunnel opponents pushed the narrative that the pro-tunnel campaign relied heavily on "high-priced consultants" for their 59-41 win in the August 16 primary.
Reality check: According to reports filed at the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, the "high-paid consultant" for the pro-tunnel camp, Alex Fryer, made exactly as much per month---$5,000, hardly fat-cat wages---as "grassroots" anti-tunnel campaign manager Esther Handy. (The pro-tunnel camp's manager, Dan Nolte, made just under $4,000 a month).
Yes, Let's Move Forward (the pro-tunnel campaign) had more to spend, and spent more, than Protect Seattle Now, the anti-tunnel camp. But both campaigns spent a pretty standard amount on their campaign staffers---belying the popular notion that "high-priced consultants" won the election for the tunnel.
