News
Campaign Fizz: Council Edition
Your one-stop shop for today's campaign news, gossip, and analysis.
• Brad Meacham, who's running against council incumbent Bruce Harrell, outlined a list of proposals today aimed at highlighting his commitment to sustainability compared to his opponent's. They include: Adopting smart grid technology at City Light; moving more widely to twice-weekly garbage pickup; and accelerating the city's Climate Action Plan. Meacham also opposes the deep-bore tunnel, which Harrell supports.
• More notable contributions continue to roll in in the final days leading up to the August 16 primary.
—Former state legislative candidate Mike Heavey, who lost to Joe Fitzgibbon in the 37th District last year, has given $97 to Jean Godden opponent Bobby Forch;
–Onetime mayoral candidate and tunnel opponent Dorli Rainey has given Meacham a total of $250;
–Anti-tunnel campaign contributor (and WSDOT engineer) Jack Bolton has given Meacham $100;
– Onetime mayoral candidate James Donaldson has given incumbent (and potential 2013 mayoral candidate) Tim Burgess $250;
–Former Greg Nickels communications director Casey Corr has given Burgess another $250 total (and Godden, a fellow former Seattle Times columnist, $300);
–And bar owner Linda Derschang has given Godden $150.
• Meanwhile, down the ballot, the Seattle Times reports that the county Veterans and Human Services Levy, which pays for veterans' and low-income housing and services, is so popular that no one on the county council---not even its four conservative Republicans---would vote against it, and no one stepped up to write a voters' guide statement in opposition.
• In a letter to the Times yesterday, King County Council member Kathy Lambert, a Republican, took issue with the paper's endorsement of Richard Mitchell, a Democratic attorney from Mercer Island who used to serve as council for Gov. Chris Gregoire, for the county council position now held by her Republican colleague Jane Hague.
In the letter---an unusual move for a sitting council member---Lambert all but accuses the paper of endorsing Mitchell because of Hague's 2007 arrest for drunk driving. "Hague has paid a high price personally and professionally for incidents back in 2007," Lambert wrote. "She has learned from her mistakes and has continued to work hard. I hope that Hague’s long record of accomplishments are the focus rather than mistakes that were made years ago."
Although the Times' endorsement does mention Hague's arrest, it also makes it clear that Mitchell is the sort of Democrat the Times tends to support---middle-of-the-road, "socially progressive and fiscally conservative," and opposed to increasing benefits for county employees.
• Brad Meacham, who's running against council incumbent Bruce Harrell, outlined a list of proposals today aimed at highlighting his commitment to sustainability compared to his opponent's. They include: Adopting smart grid technology at City Light; moving more widely to twice-weekly garbage pickup; and accelerating the city's Climate Action Plan. Meacham also opposes the deep-bore tunnel, which Harrell supports.
• More notable contributions continue to roll in in the final days leading up to the August 16 primary.
—Former state legislative candidate Mike Heavey, who lost to Joe Fitzgibbon in the 37th District last year, has given $97 to Jean Godden opponent Bobby Forch;
–Onetime mayoral candidate and tunnel opponent Dorli Rainey has given Meacham a total of $250;
–Anti-tunnel campaign contributor (and WSDOT engineer) Jack Bolton has given Meacham $100;
– Onetime mayoral candidate James Donaldson has given incumbent (and potential 2013 mayoral candidate) Tim Burgess $250;
–Former Greg Nickels communications director Casey Corr has given Burgess another $250 total (and Godden, a fellow former Seattle Times columnist, $300);
–And bar owner Linda Derschang has given Godden $150.
• Meanwhile, down the ballot, the Seattle Times reports that the county Veterans and Human Services Levy, which pays for veterans' and low-income housing and services, is so popular that no one on the county council---not even its four conservative Republicans---would vote against it, and no one stepped up to write a voters' guide statement in opposition.
• In a letter to the Times yesterday, King County Council member Kathy Lambert, a Republican, took issue with the paper's endorsement of Richard Mitchell, a Democratic attorney from Mercer Island who used to serve as council for Gov. Chris Gregoire, for the county council position now held by her Republican colleague Jane Hague.
In the letter---an unusual move for a sitting council member---Lambert all but accuses the paper of endorsing Mitchell because of Hague's 2007 arrest for drunk driving. "Hague has paid a high price personally and professionally for incidents back in 2007," Lambert wrote. "She has learned from her mistakes and has continued to work hard. I hope that Hague’s long record of accomplishments are the focus rather than mistakes that were made years ago."
Although the Times' endorsement does mention Hague's arrest, it also makes it clear that Mitchell is the sort of Democrat the Times tends to support---middle-of-the-road, "socially progressive and fiscally conservative," and opposed to increasing benefits for county employees.
