Thanks to Shawna for the photo from Highland Park Way and West Marginal Way SW this morning. Nikkita Oliver is one of two West Seattleites (with Mary Martin) in the field of 21 mayoral candidates on your primary-election ballot, which is due by tonight. (We went out to look for other signwaving this morning – didn’t find anyone else. Anyone planning to sign-wave in West Seattle later today, please let us know!) You’re also choosing from among eight candidates for citywide City Council Position 8 (no incumbent) and seven for citywide Council Position 9 (including West Seattle-residing incumbent Lorena González) – and you have three Port Commission races to vote in, King County Executive (with West Seattle-residing incumbent Dow Constantine going for a third term). In each of those races, the top two vote-getters advance to November. You’re also deciding the fate of one ballot measure, King County Prop 1, a one-tenth-of-one-percent sales-tax increase for more access to “expand access to arts, science, and heritage programming.”

Here’s how to return your ballot – dropboxes until 8 pm (don’t be late!); postal mail, be certain it’ll be postmarked today. First returns are due shortly after 8 pm.

Thirteen of the 15 people running for the two at-large City Council positions on next week’s ballot were at Highland Park Improvement Club tonight for the last West Seattle forum of the primary-election campaign, presented by the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, and moderated by its chair, Mat McBride.

Rather than a Q&A format, the forum began with each candidate getting 5 minutes to make a statement, followed by time for mingling and one-on-one conversation. Here’s our video of the presentations, in two parts:

In the first part above, McBride’s introduction is followed by Position 9 candidate Eric Smiley, allowed to go first so he wouldn’t miss curfew at the shelter where he lives, and then Position 8 candidates in their ballot order – Charlene Strong, Rudy Pantoja, Sheley Secrest, Jon Grant, Teresa Mosqueda, Hisam Goueli, Mac McGregor. The next video includes the other five participating Position 9 candidates:

In order, the candidates in that video are Ty Pethe, Ian Affleck-Asch, David Preston, Lorena González, Pat Murakami. Ahead, we have photos and summaries of key points made by each candidate:

Read More

West Seattleite Greg Nickels (mayor from 2002-2010) is one of four former Seattle mayors – Norm Rice (1990-1998), Charles Royer (1978-1990), Wes Uhlman (1970-1978) – say it’s enough that Ed Murray is not running for re-election. Despite the most recent revelation that an Oregon caseworker believed Murray had molested his foster child, they don’t think he should resign. Here’s the “open letter” sent to media this morning:

Murray has said he doesn’t intend to quit. The signatories to the letter represent four of the six mayors who served before Murray; his immediate predecessor Mike McGinn – now running to get the job back – has called for Murray to resign. (Paul Schell, who held the job for one term between Rice and Nickels, died in 2014.)

The City Council could take action to remove Murray, and West Seattle-residing citywide Councilmember Lorena González said last week that he should consider stepping down. In a new statement today, she says the City Council should “independently address issues related to either a voluntary or involuntary transition of Executive leadership.”

When the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s mayoral-candidates forum got going on Thursday night, only two of the original six RSVP’d candidates were on the stage at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – Cary Moon and Mike McGinn. Three had canceled earlier – Jenny Durkan and Jessyn Farrell had doublebooked and were at campaign events, Nikkita Oliver told the Chamber a personal situation had come up. But a third joined in: Bob Hasegawa, a state senator who had been kept late with legislative duty, bounded onto the stage about 17 minutes into the forum.

Pete Spalding, who chairs the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, moderated. You can see the entire hour-and-a-half forum in our unedited video above; what we have written below are key points of the questions and answers, but by no means complete transcriptions.

The forum began with opening statements:

CARY MOON – She started by saying she would snark about the candidates who didn’t show up except that she had bailed on the Sustainable West Seattle forum @ Summer Fest last Saturday (as had Durkan). She said that she is running to do something about the city becoming a place of haves and have-nots. It’s time to make a plan, “discuss it, own it,” she said, to solve problems “with bold solutions,” such as housing affordability.

MIKE McGINN – He started by complimenting the organizers on making the countdown timer more visible than in any forum he’d been to previously. He said that when he took office as mayor in 2009, the economy was in bad shape, but now, while it’s in good shape, he wants to “hold the line on regressive taxes” that he says the current city government seems to see as the solution to everything.

1st question: With all the taxes, and an increasing city budget, how do people know the money is going for what they intended it to go? Moon promised transparency and metrics. “Without that, how can we have public trust?” McGinn talked about “line-item’ing (levies) out to the greatest extent possible” – what are the timelines, what’s been spent, “what’s been produced to date.”

2nd question: What will you do to help small businesses grow and prosper?

Read More

The King County Council voted today to send the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services property-tax levy to the November 7th ballot, after reducing the rate from 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to 10 cents, which is double the rate of the levy this one will replace. Here’s what the official county announcement says the money would go for:

Veterans: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families.

Seniors and caregivers: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for seniors and their caregivers or to promote healthy aging in King County.

Vulnerable Populations: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for vulnerable populations.

You can read the documents related to the legislation – co-sponsored by our area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who is also the council’s chair – by going here; the actual bill finalized today is here.

With two weeks left to vote, the mayoral candidates seem to be everywhere (and will be back in West Seattle this Thursday). But that’s not the only choice you’ll be making. At-large (citywide) City Council Positions 8 and 9 have long lists of contenders too – and one week from tonight, 7-9 pm, you’ll be able to see many of the candidates at a forum presented by the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council. The announcement from DNDC chair Mat McBride:

This forum is intended to engage and inform the residents of the West Seattle Peninsula, who comprise roughly 1/7th of Seattle’s total voting population. This event is open to the public and the media.

The format is intentionally very simple – each candidate will be given 5 minutes and a microphone to present their platform. There will be no audience or panel questions during presentations, and once all presentations have finished candidates will be able to mingle with the audience. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase, and an area will be set aside for adults who are accompanied by children.

Who: Seattle City Council Position 8 and 9 candidates
What: Candidate forum – 5 minute presentation followed by mingling with prospective constituents
Where: Highland Park Improvement Club – 1116 SW Holden
Why: Because voters shouldn’t look at a ballot and say “I have no idea who this is”

Within a day or so, we should have a list of who’s RSVP’d so far, and we’ll add it here.

Ballots are arriving in the mail, so primary-election voting has begun. Five notes:

(2016 photo, shared by High Point Library)

BALLOT DROPBOX OPEN: As of today, the dropboxes around King County are open, 24 hours a day until 8 pm Tuesday, August 1st, the primary-election voting deadline, no postage required. Here’s the location list; in our area, the nearest ones at the High Point (35th SW/SW Raymond) and White Center (1409 SW 107th) libraries. (If you’re in unincorporated North Highline south of WC, one’s been added at the Boulevard Park library.)

SWSHS ON ‘ACCESS FOR ALL’: There’s only one ballot measure in our area – King County Proposition 1, “Sales Tax for Access to Cultural Programs.” This would raise the county sales tax one-tenth of one percent for seven years to “expand access to arts, science, and heritage programming …” The Southwest Seattle Historical Society announced this week that its board recently voted to officially endorse it – and explains why here.

COVERAGE OF LAST NIGHT’S ENDORSEMENT: Speaking of endorsements, we covered the exhaustive process last night that put this area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, on the record as supporting two candidates for mayor. (Our report includes many other notes, including an update from our area’s school-board director Leslie Harris.)

(Yes, really, 21 candidates. This is a photo of our just-received ballot)

CANDIDATES AT SUMMER FEST ON SATURDAY: Another reminder – 2 pm Saturday (July 15th) in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska), see up to 16 (as RSVP’d so far) of the 21 mayoral candidates in the Sustainable West Seattle-presented forum that we’re moderating. We’re going to do our best to keep it moving, so drop in even if you only have a few minutes.

CITY COUNCIL FORUM COMING UP: The ballot also asks you to pick two City Councilmembers – citywide Positions 8 and 9. No incumbent for Position 8 – there are eight contenders; the seven Position 9 candidates include incumbent Lorena González. If you want to wait to see some of them in person first, set aside the evening of July 25th, when the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council is planning a forum – more details soon.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It took more than an hour and four rounds of voting tonight for the 34th District Democrats to decide who they are supporting for mayor.

The result: A dual endorsement for Bob Hasegawa and Jessyn Farrell. Hasegawa got the most votes in each round, but never the required supermajority.

At the start of the endorsement consideration, four candidates were nominated for consideration – besides Hasegawa and Farrell, members stood up to nominate Jenny Durkan and Cary Moon. The four nominees were in turn from a total of 8 eligible (declared Democrats, though the position is nonpartisan) – the other four, not nominated by anyone, were Michael Harris, Mike McGinn, James Norton, and Jason Roberts.

Here’s how it unfolded (followed by what else happened at tonight’s meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy): Read More

Most of tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting was focused on the Seattle mayor’s race, with four candidates speaking and taking questions. We recorded them on video, above – first, Gary Brose; second, Casey Carlisle; third, Greg Hamilton; fourth, Larry Oberto. Each was given up to five minutes to make a statement, and then questions continued for close to an hour. (Sorry about the lighting, or lack of it – ANA meets in a low-lit room at The Sanctuary at Admiral – the clip works best if you just listen to it in the background.)

WHAT’S AHEAD: King County Elections mails ballots tomorrow, so primary-election voting is about to start (deadline is August 1st, and that’s when vote-counting will begin). 21 candidates in all are running for mayor; see them all here. You have at least two more chances to see multiple mayoral candidates in West Seattle – 16 of the 21 candidates have RSVP’d for the Sustainable West Seattle-presented forum that we’re moderating at Summer Fest this Saturday, 2 pm, in Junction Plaza Park; six candidates will be at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s transportation/business-issues forum at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center on July 20th (mingling 6:15 pm, forum 6:45 pm).

By week’s end, your primary-election ballot should arrive – King County Elections plans to mail ballots on Wednesday. Three election-related events are coming up this week in West Seattle:

MAYORAL CANDIDATES AT ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Tuesday night at 7 pm, ANA’s meeting will include three of the 21 mayoral hopefuls, as just announced by president Larry Wymer:

Gary Brose
Casey Carlisle
Harley Lever

All are welcome at the meeting, at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd SW/SW Lander).

TUESDAY UPDATE: Greg Hamilton and Larry Oberto also have RSVP’d, so now that’s five.

34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ MAYORAL ENDORSEMENT: Last month, our area’s biggest political organization had a mayoral forum with nine candidates (here’s our coverage, with video). But the 34th Dems did not take an official endorsement vote. We’re told they’re planning on one at this month’s meeting, 7 pm Wednesday at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).

MAYORAL FORUM AT SUMMER FEST GREENLIFE: And another reminder, Sustainable West Seattle is hosting a forum with mayoral candidates (we don’t have the final list yet) at 2 pm Saturday, during the SWS-presented GreenLife section of West Seattle Summer Fest. Got a question you’d like to see us (we’re moderating) ask? Post it here. All welcome at Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska).

Next week, the ballots go out, and the longest list of options you’ll see on yours is the 21-candidate field for Seattle Mayor – this is the order in which they appear on the King County Elections website:

Cary Moon
Harley Lever
Michael Harris
Keith J. Whiteman
Jessyn Farrell
Dave Kane
Thom Gunn
Gary E. Brose
Mike McGinn
Jenny Durkan
Jason Roberts
Tiniell Cato
Alex Tsimerman
James W. Norton, Jr.
Larry Oberto
Casey Carlisle
Lewis A. Jones
Nikkita Oliver
Mary J. Martin
Greg Hamilton
Bob Hasegawa

If you’re still deciding which one will get your primary-election vote – be at West Seattle Summer Fest‘s GreenLife stage on Saturday, July 15th, at 2 pm, for the next local mayoral-candidate forum. Sustainable West Seattle is organizing the forum; your editor here is moderating it; and the questions will come from your suggestions – starting now, in the comment section below this announcement. As Stu Hennessey of SWS says, “Not all questions can be used, but all questions are important.” GreenLife will be in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska) for this year’s festival, so that’s where we’ll see you for the forum a week from Saturday!

That’s the archived video of this morning’s meeting of the City Council’s Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods, & Finance Committee, which voted unanimously for CB 119002, the “income tax on high-income residents.” The five councilmembers present and voting were committee chair Tim Burgess, the bill’s sponsors Lisa Herbold and Kshama Sawant, Sally Bagshaw, and Mike O’Brien. That sets up a final vote by the full Council next Monday morning (July 10th). You can see the full bill here; its key points: “a tax on individual residents with total income above $250,000 per year ($500,000 for joint filers) …” The tax would be levied only on the income beyond that amount, not on the first $250K (individual) or $500K (joint). The income beyond those amounts would be taxed by the city at 2.25 percent. Here’s what the bill says the money would go toward:

All receipts from the tax levied in this Chapter 5.65 shall be restricted in use and shall be used only for the following purposes: (1) lowering the property tax burden and the impact of other regressive taxes; (2) addressing the homelessness crisis; (3) providing affordable housing, education, and transit; (4) replacing federal funding potentially lost through federal budget cuts, including funding for mental health and public health services; (5) creating green jobs and meeting carbon reduction goals; and (6) administering and implementing the tax levied by this Chapter 5.65.

The big question remains, what happens after the full council vote, considering that an income tax is against state law? City leaders say they’re ready to fight anyone who sues, thinking that it could lead to a ruling changing state law.

21 candidates for Seattle Mayor (and no, there won’t be a 22nd), eight for City Council Position 8, seven for City Council Position 7, two for City Attorney, plus King County and Port of Seattle races, and the “Access for All” sales-tax increase. Want to help decide them all? If you’re not already set to vote in the August 1st primary (voting actually starts in about two weeks, when ballots arrive), Monday (July 3) is your deadline. Here’s how.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

With less than three weeks remaining until King County Elections mails your primary ballot, do you know which of the 21 mayoral candidates you’re voting for?

We’re covering all the West Seattle forums, including the latest one presented today by the West Seattle Democratic Women, during their monthly meeting in the WS Golf Course banquet room.

First, if you’d like to watch/listen, here’s our unedited video of the entire hour-and-a-third forum featuring six candidates:

Ahead, text highlights of what they were asked and how they replied, as voting time approaches:

Read More

Missed last night’s mayoral candidates’ forum at the 34th District Democrats (WSB coverage here)? The next one in West Seattle is just a week away – next Thursday, June 22nd, 11:45 am, at the general meeting of the West Seattle Democratic Women. WSDW chair Rachel Glass says they’re expecting at least five of the 21 candidates – RSVPs are still coming in: “This is a chance to get up close and personal with the people who are seeking to be the next Executive leader of our city.” The group meets at 11:45 am at the West Seattle Golf Course, following, she adds, “an optional pre-meeting group discussion led by Theresa McCormick at 10:30 am. You may order lunch ($13.50 for members; $15 for non-members, or if you don’t want lunch, a room charge of $5.00 includes coffee/tea and dessert). The length of the event would be about 90 minutes.” If you want to reserve a spot, RSVP to Rachel ASAP at werdachel@aol.com and let her know if you plan to have lunch, since they need to order in advance.

(WSB photos and video by Patrick Sand. **Recognize the candidates? IDs at end of story)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Nine candidates showed up for the 34th District Democrats‘ mayoral showdown.

By night’s end, there was a showdown winner – but not an endorsee, as the group decided not to take a formal vote (yet, anyway).

Like most epic events, it began with the national anthem:

That’s tenor José Iñiguez. (The meeting usually starts with the Pledge of Allegiance.)

Some other business ensued before the mayoral forum that began with nine and was whittled to one – the candidates had to get here from another forum across town. But we’ll get to those other items later.

MAYORAL FORUM: 34th Dems chair David Ginsberg prefaced it with, “When we planned the agenda for the spring, we didn’t expect the mayor’s race to be hotly contested” – no one could have foreseen Mayor Ed Murray dropping out; they thought City Council Position 8 would be the real battle. Ginsberg reiterated that all 21 candidates were welcome to participate at least at the start of the event. .

The 34th’s Chris Porter moderated. First, each of the nine got to give an introduction:

Read More

ORIGINAL REPORT, 3:47 PM SUNDAY: The primary election is approaching quickly – King County Elections will mail ballots on July 12th, just one month from tomorrow. This Wednesday night, a mayoral-candidates forum is in the spotlight at the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting, and the group says all 21 candidates will participate as it begins – brief introductions, answers to a question drawn at random, and then the crowd will decide which candidates they want to hear more from, as the process moves toward an endorsement by night’s end. 7 pm Wednesday (June 14th), The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).

MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE: 34th DDs chair David Ginsberg tells WSB that “incorrect information was posted to our Facebook page (it has since been updated). While all candidates are welcome to participate, we will not likely see all 21 candidates for Mayor in attendance on Wednesday. At this point I would expect the number in attendance to be closer to 7.” So far, he says, these candidates have confirmed they’ll be there:

Jenny Durkan (D)
Jessyn Farrell (D)
Senator Bob Hasegawa (D)
Mike McGinn (D)
Cary Moon (D)
Jason Roberts (D)
Keith Whiteman (no party information available)

(Seattle Channel video of this afternoon’s meeting, with public comment starting 14 minutes in, bill consideration 58 minutes in)

West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold was the only “no” vote this afternoon as the council passed the so-called “sugary beverages” tax – officially known as an ordinance “imposing a tax on engaging in the business of distributing sweetened beverages.” Herbold said she isn’t opposed to the concept of the tax but today she tried again to lower it and expand its scope – and again, like last Friday, she couldn’t get a majority of the rest of the council to go along with her. The tax was originally proposed by Mayor Ed Murray, who plans to sign it at a ceremony tomorrow morning. It won final approval 7-1 (Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who voted against it in committee last week along with Herbold, was absent).

THE DETAILS: According to council staff via Twitter, the bill would tax distributors at one and three-quarters cents per beverage ounce for those with $5 million+ income, one cent per beverage ounce for $2 million-$5 million income, those with income under $2 million exempt. But spokesperson Dana Robinson Slote says the full text of the bill “won’t be official until tomorrow morning, when all amendments are integrated by staff.”

One of tomorrow’s big stories will be whatever happens when the full City Council takes up the proposed “sweetened-beverage tax” at its 2 pm meeting. Our area’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold tried last week to cut it from one and three-quarters cents per ounce to one cent per ounce, and include “diet” beverages, saying that combination would still raise more money than the higher tax without “diet” beverages. But her proposals didn’t get committee approval, and she voted “no” on the tax as currently proposed. Herbold still tried to make her case one more time in her weekly newsletter/blog post. Will any of her colleagues change their mind? We’ll likely find out tomorrow. Meantime, the Seattle City Council Insight website breaks down why the bill is being pushed toward a final vote tomorrow, days after its non-unanimous committee passage – saying it’s related to the timing of a an expected referendum if the tax passes. Here’s the agenda for tomorrow’s 2 pm meeting at City Hall, which will have a public-comment period, and will be live on Seattle Channel.