News
Campaign Fizz: "We Reject These Cynical Tactics."
Your one-stop shop for today's local campaign news, gossip, and analysis.
1) A group of current and former Bellevue elected representatives have written an "open letter" to Bellevue residents supporting Bellevue City Council candidate John Stokes, who was recently targeted by a negative mailer accusing him of lacking "integrity" and bringing up a disciplinary action the Texas bar took against him more than 20 years ago. Stokes is running for the council seat being vacated by Grant Degginger, who's stepping down because of the ugly political environment in Bellevue.
Freeman, who opposes light rail and is also funding Tim Eyman's anti-rail I-1125, has contributed thousands of dollars to a slate of Bellevue council candidates opposed to Sound Transit's preferred light rail route through South Bellevue. A majority of the current council voted in favor of a South Bellevue rail route that would have cost hundreds of millions more and served fewer workers and residents, required the construction of a new parking garage, and crossed the Mercer Slough wetland. Sound Transit rejected that option. Freeman wants to expand the anti-light-rail council majority.
Degginger is one of seven current and former Eastside officials who signed the letter, which reads in part, "John is a man with the experience, commitment and integrity we need to help unify Bellevue around shared goals of transportation mobility and a strong, diverse economy. Unfortunately, a narrow group of wealthy individuals have decided that they want to control how the Bellevue City Council approaches these issues, and are spending record amounts of money on negative campaign mailers and advertising attacking John and another council member.
"We reject these cynical tactics, and hope you will as well."
The letter is signed by Degginger, former Bellevue mayor Terry Luekens, State Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48), Bellevue school board president Chris Marks, former Bellevue City Council member Margot Blacker, Bellevue developer John Su, and former Bellevue parks board chair Merle Keeney.
2) In a statement this morning, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon called charges that he improperly spent public funds for travel "nameless" and "baseless." Snohomish County prosescutor Mark Roe asked the state patrol to investigate Reardon in response to a source who remains anonymous.[pullquote]"I am more than confident that voters in Snohomish County will see through this appalling charade and not be duped."—Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon [/pullquote]
"I am more than confident that voters in Snohomish County will see through this appalling charade and not be duped," Reardon said in a statement. “All funding appropriations and expenditures are reviewed by multiple departments as they are made as well as by the state auditor’s office on an annual basis. There are numerous checks and balances in place to prevent the misuse of public funds and to identify any discrepancies.
3) As a "four of four" voter (someone who voted in all four of the past four local elections, including special elections and primaries), I tend to get a pretty representative sample of targeted campaign mail. To give you a sense of which campaigns are spending on mail, and which campaigns are spending more or less in Seattle, here's a brief tally, in ascending order by number of mailers per campaign, of what I've received as of last night.
One mailer from Streets for All, the pro-$60 car tab (Prop. 1) campaign, which folds out into an elaborate poster describing the measure's benefits;
One 6.5" by 10" postcard from Citizens Against Raising Car Tabs, the anti-Prop. 1 campaign (punchline: "NO to a BLANK CHECK for THE MAYOR & CITY HALL");
One large fold-out mailer from city council member Tim Burgess, who does not have a serious opponent;
One large postcard from city council member Tom Rasmussen (ditto);
One large postcard from city council member Jean Godden, who's being challenged by SDOT manager Bobby Forch;
Two mailers (a fold-out mailer and a postcard) from council member Bruce Harrell, who's being opposed by former reporter and Municipal League head Brad Meacham;
A fold-out mailer and a postcard touting the Families and Education Levy;
Three elaborate mailers in favor of Costco's Initiative 1183, which would privatize liquor sales, one of which claims the proposal would generate "an additional $61,381,000 for King County schools, public safety, & other public services";
Three large postcard mailers for Forch---who, as I reported this week, has gone $61,000 in debt, largely due to a massive mail push;
And six---six!---mailers against 1183, most of them focusing on the fact that Costco has spent $22 million "to make unregulated profits on hard liquor."
4) Today in noteworthy contributions: Streets for All, the pro-Prop. 1 campaign, has received $1,000 from the Gates Foundation; $500 from the local firefighters' PAC; and $5,000 each from developer Richard Hedreen and the national Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers. On the Eastside, where a series of negative mailers funded by megadeveloper Kemper Freeman have attacked incumbent Claudia Balducci and candidate John Stokes, the King County Republican Party just contributed $5,000 to Balducci's opponent Patti Mann and to Stokes' opponent, Aaron Laing.
1) A group of current and former Bellevue elected representatives have written an "open letter" to Bellevue residents supporting Bellevue City Council candidate John Stokes, who was recently targeted by a negative mailer accusing him of lacking "integrity" and bringing up a disciplinary action the Texas bar took against him more than 20 years ago. Stokes is running for the council seat being vacated by Grant Degginger, who's stepping down because of the ugly political environment in Bellevue.
Freeman, who opposes light rail and is also funding Tim Eyman's anti-rail I-1125, has contributed thousands of dollars to a slate of Bellevue council candidates opposed to Sound Transit's preferred light rail route through South Bellevue. A majority of the current council voted in favor of a South Bellevue rail route that would have cost hundreds of millions more and served fewer workers and residents, required the construction of a new parking garage, and crossed the Mercer Slough wetland. Sound Transit rejected that option. Freeman wants to expand the anti-light-rail council majority.
Degginger is one of seven current and former Eastside officials who signed the letter, which reads in part, "John is a man with the experience, commitment and integrity we need to help unify Bellevue around shared goals of transportation mobility and a strong, diverse economy. Unfortunately, a narrow group of wealthy individuals have decided that they want to control how the Bellevue City Council approaches these issues, and are spending record amounts of money on negative campaign mailers and advertising attacking John and another council member.
"We reject these cynical tactics, and hope you will as well."
The letter is signed by Degginger, former Bellevue mayor Terry Luekens, State Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48), Bellevue school board president Chris Marks, former Bellevue City Council member Margot Blacker, Bellevue developer John Su, and former Bellevue parks board chair Merle Keeney.
2) In a statement this morning, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon called charges that he improperly spent public funds for travel "nameless" and "baseless." Snohomish County prosescutor Mark Roe asked the state patrol to investigate Reardon in response to a source who remains anonymous.[pullquote]"I am more than confident that voters in Snohomish County will see through this appalling charade and not be duped."—Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon [/pullquote]
"I am more than confident that voters in Snohomish County will see through this appalling charade and not be duped," Reardon said in a statement. “All funding appropriations and expenditures are reviewed by multiple departments as they are made as well as by the state auditor’s office on an annual basis. There are numerous checks and balances in place to prevent the misuse of public funds and to identify any discrepancies.
3) As a "four of four" voter (someone who voted in all four of the past four local elections, including special elections and primaries), I tend to get a pretty representative sample of targeted campaign mail. To give you a sense of which campaigns are spending on mail, and which campaigns are spending more or less in Seattle, here's a brief tally, in ascending order by number of mailers per campaign, of what I've received as of last night.
One mailer from Streets for All, the pro-$60 car tab (Prop. 1) campaign, which folds out into an elaborate poster describing the measure's benefits;
One 6.5" by 10" postcard from Citizens Against Raising Car Tabs, the anti-Prop. 1 campaign (punchline: "NO to a BLANK CHECK for THE MAYOR & CITY HALL");
One large fold-out mailer from city council member Tim Burgess, who does not have a serious opponent;
One large postcard from city council member Tom Rasmussen (ditto);
One large postcard from city council member Jean Godden, who's being challenged by SDOT manager Bobby Forch;
Two mailers (a fold-out mailer and a postcard) from council member Bruce Harrell, who's being opposed by former reporter and Municipal League head Brad Meacham;
A fold-out mailer and a postcard touting the Families and Education Levy;
Three elaborate mailers in favor of Costco's Initiative 1183, which would privatize liquor sales, one of which claims the proposal would generate "an additional $61,381,000 for King County schools, public safety, & other public services";
Three large postcard mailers for Forch---who, as I reported this week, has gone $61,000 in debt, largely due to a massive mail push;
And six---six!---mailers against 1183, most of them focusing on the fact that Costco has spent $22 million "to make unregulated profits on hard liquor."
4) Today in noteworthy contributions: Streets for All, the pro-Prop. 1 campaign, has received $1,000 from the Gates Foundation; $500 from the local firefighters' PAC; and $5,000 each from developer Richard Hedreen and the national Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers. On the Eastside, where a series of negative mailers funded by megadeveloper Kemper Freeman have attacked incumbent Claudia Balducci and candidate John Stokes, the King County Republican Party just contributed $5,000 to Balducci's opponent Patti Mann and to Stokes' opponent, Aaron Laing.
