1. We've got some more details on the poll that tested state Sen. Ed Murray's (D-43) strength as a mayoral candidate against T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan and neighborhood green Mike McGinn.

Murray got as high as 28 percent while McGinn got as low as 16 in the three-way showdown.

We've also got some gossip: Greg Nickels star fundraiser Colby Underwood reportedly called Team Mallahan  the day after Nickels' primary loss looking to go for work on the Mallhan campaign.

But not so fast. More gossip: Underwood is supposedly on hold now, waiting for Murray's decision. If Murray jumps in, the theory goes, the Nickels consultant campaign machinery that's been  built up over the years (including Underwood and his fundraising lists) will  flock to Murray in a last ditch attempt to protect the status quo from Mallahan and McGinn, two wild card candidates who've got the Seattle establishment "fucking scared"—to quote a gossipy insider.

The Underwood metaphor also highlights another issue: Who does a Murray write-in campaign hurt more, Mallahan or McGinn?

Well, as McGinn's lowly 16 number in the Murray poll shows, Murray's rise takes votes away from McGinn —presumably in the young, liberal, gay 43rd District, Murray's district.

But the poll doesn't guage Murray's impact on the money race. Theory: Like Underwood, the establishment dollars likely go to Murray—and away from Mallahan.

2. Unsuccessful mayoral candidate Jan Drago got a mention yesterday on—of all places—ESPN.com. We'll leave it to die-hard Rocky fans (which PubliCola is not) to decipher the joke .

3. King County Executive Kurt Triplett's announcement that 39 county parks could be closed was timed for the day before last week's election—probably not coincidentally, given that the North Highline annexation measure was on the ballot August 18. (It passed).

King County wants cities to annex its unincorporated urban areas, and the threat of park closures by the county is a good way to get people to vote for annexation—which would put the parks under city control rather than under county control.

4. But the panic over parks could have an unintended consequence. In 2007, voters passed a county parks levy, which pays for parks operation and acquisition. Because of the way the measure was worded, the parks acquisition money (which makes up half the levy) can't be spent taking care of existing parks. To change that, voters would have to repeal the parks acquisition levy and replace it with a new levy to maintain existing parks—a move that King County Council Member and K.C. Executive candidate Dow Constantine is reportedly considering.

5. As they have all summer, a batch of protesters showed up at a health care town hall yesterday. But this time, the dissidents flanked from the left, clamoring for reform and a public option.





Photos by Will Canine and Russ Caditz-Peck

Thanks to a PubliCola freelancer based in Eastern Washington, we'll have a full report later today about U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' (R-WA, 5) health care town hall at Walla Walla Community College.

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