Last Friday we reported on the conclusion of King County’s election-filing week, with one matter left unsettled: City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) candidate Amanda Kay Helmick had been determined to get on the ballot via 1,200 petition signatures rather than a $1,200 filing fee, and was told that despite a 100-plus-signature pad, she was still short of the required number of qualified signatures. After several days of doublechecking and other research, Helmick has just announced the official end of her campaign:

Exactly 7 months after announcing her candidacy for Seattle City Council in District 1, Amanda Kay Helmick has ended her grassroots campaign. Her steadfast choice to gather signatures in lieu of the filing fee was successful in getting 1318 people to sign for her, but fell 9 signatures short.

“I am disappointed in the process and outcome. The last several days of comparing the King County Elections list to the petitions, and speaking to individual signers, has been alarming. Invalid voters on the list had no idea their right to vote is in question. There is room for obvious improvements, and I hope King County Elections is working diligently to rectify the situation. I want to thank everyone who signed and helped me in my bid for inclusion on the ballot. Ultimately, the support I needed was not there.”

Amanda will continue to fight for District 1. She is co-chair of the Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights Community Council, co-chair of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, Delridge Rep to the City Neighborhood Council, and Budget Committee Chair of the City Neighborhood Council. She looks forward to working with the newly elected District 1 Councilmember.

This means the nine candidates who are on the King County list comprise the official, final field for the August 4th primary – this is the order in which they will appear on the ballot, per the county’s drawing:

Lisa Herbold
Jody Rushmer
Chas Redmond
Shannon Braddock
Karl Wirsing
Brianna Thomas
Phillip Tavel
Pavel Goberman
Arturo Robles

They all appeared at a candidates’ forum in Fauntleroy on Monday night (WSB coverage with video is here) and at least two more forums are coming up – May 27th in South Park and June 8th in Pigeon Point.

(WSB photo, from left – Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, Jody Rushmer, Brianna Thomas, Karl Wirsing, Chas Redmond, Arturo Robles, Pavel Goberman, Lisa Herbold)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In the first-ever City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) race, there’s been at least one candidates’ forum each month since February. The race has been fluid, and the participant lineup hasn’t been the same twice.

Tonight brought the first forum featuring all nine of the candidates that are in the running (as of the end of the official filing period last Friday).

About 60 people filled the seats in the Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy UCC Church for the forum that the League of Women Voters of Seattle/King County co-presented with the Westside Interfaith Network; LWV’s Lucy Gaskill-Gaddis moderated, after an introduction by Boots Winterstein.

As we’ve done with all the previous forums, we recorded this one on video, and will add that here when it’s ready. (UPDATE – Here it is:)

Ahead, we did our best to summarize as it went:

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Two notes this morning in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race:

CANDIDATES’ FORUM TONIGHT: Be at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) tonight for the District 1 forum presented by Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters-Seattle/King County. They describe the format as moderated with some opportunity for audience questions. Doors open at 6 pm, forum at 6:30 pm.

HELMICK SIGNATURES UPDATE: As reported here Friday night, seven months of campaigning might have come to a dead end for Amanda Kay Helmick, who was determined to get onto the ballot via gathering signatures. 1,200 valid signatures are required to make the ballot in lieu of that same number of dollars; Helmick was the only District 1 hopeful going that route. Hours after we covered her taking petitions to the King County Elections office in Renton at noontime Friday, she was notified she’d fallen short by 26. Helmick has since obtained a list of the 147 names that KC Elections had ruled invalid and as of late last night said she had “already found 10 people on the list that are completely unaware and shocked about their status. I have posted the list on my website in case others want to see their status and have it rectified. If someone’s name is on THIS LIST, King County Voter Services has challenged their right to vote. The names were found to be non-registered voters in District 1.” She has posted on her website’s home page what anyone who finds her/himself on that list is asked to do.

WHO’S IN: If anyone has withdrawn or anything else major has changed since filing closed on Friday afternoon, King County Elections will be updating this page at some time later today. But in the meantime, the District 1 race has nine candidates (listed this time in surname-reverse-alphabetical order): Karl Wirsing, Brianna Thomas, Phillip Tavel, Jody Rushmer, Arturo Robles, Chas Redmond, Lisa Herbold, Pavel Goberman, Shannon Braddock.

The official filing period for this year’s elections is over. And for one of the first candidates to jump into the City Council District 1 race, it’s taken a turn at the end:

Amanda Kay Helmick, who’s been running since October, was the only District 1 candidate to declare she would get onto the ballot by collecting signatures instead of paying the $1,199.76 fee. We wanted to photograph that unique moment of the first-ever District 1 campaign, so we covered her visit to the County Elections Department offices in Renton at midday today as she turned in her stack of petitions.

The staff explained they would start verifying the signatures immediately, and offered her the chance to leave a standby check for the filing fee in case she fell short, since the filing deadline was just hours away. She declined, explaining to us in a short interview afterward that she believes a candidate should be put on the ballot by the people, not by money.

Then, late in the day, Helmick told us the Elections Department notified her she had fallen short and did not qualify for the ballot – she turned in 1,318 signatures but fell 26 short. She is asking for a “judicial review,” but for now, she’s not on the list: “I am supremely disappointed,” she told WSB, “but determined to at least see this all the way through.”

The nine candidates who are on the list, according to the unofficial list on the KC Elections website, are:

Pavel Goberman
Chas Redmond
Arturo Robles
Phillip Tavel
Shannon Braddock
Lisa Herbold
Jody Rushmer
Karl Wirsing
Brianna Thomas

Robles, Rushmer, and Wirsing just surfaced in the past week and a half; the other six have been in for a while, starting with Redmond, who declared his candidacy almost a year and a half ago.

Also of local note: County Councilmember Joe McDermott is running unopposed; two more candidates have joined the local School Board (Position 6) race since last night’s candidate forum, and the field is now Suzanne L. Sutton, Nick Esparza, Marty McLaren, and Leslie Harris. (Of the four school-board positions on the ballot this fall, McLaren is the only incumbent running for re-election.) Though the filing period has closed, this all remains “unofficial” until KC Elections finalizes it early next week. The primary election is on August 4th.

One day remains in the official 2015 candidate-filing season – so by this time tomorrow, the field will be more or less set for this fall’s elections. Here’s the list of who’s filed for what so far; in offices of West Seattle note, District 8 County Councilmember Joe McDermott has filed for re-election and has no opponent at this point; in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race, six candidates have filed so far – Pavel Goberman, Chas Redmond, Arturo Robles, Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, and Lisa Herbold; we know Amanda Kay Helmick, who’s been collecting signatures in lieu of the four-digit filing fee, plans to file tomorrow, so that means a field of at least 7 in this race. We’ll update tomorrow. (Side note: As we write this, we’re at South Seattle College‘s Georgetown Campus to cover the forum for at-large Council Positions 8 and 9 and School Board Position 6 – the WS/SP seat in which Marty McLaren and Leslie Harris are the two filers so far – coverage including video, coming up later.)

Today is the second-to-last-day of filing week for this fall’s candidates, so by the end of tomorrow, we’ll have the official list of who’s in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race. Some have already filed, and one person has just announced he’s out: George Capestany. The statement he sent:

Today, George Capestany, active community volunteer, “goat guy,” and longtime West Seattle neighbor, is withdrawing from the race for Seattle City Council, District 1.

“After much thought, have decided to not pursue the seat for City of Seattle, District 1,” said Capestany. “When I began this quest I truly felt that I could win. Tom Rasmussen was a opponent I could really separate from and define a distinct difference in political and economic views. While I still believe West Seattle residents have been left out of virtually everything that goes on at City Hall, I have been impressed by the many good candidates who have filed. And, once the districts take effect, I believe West Seattle will be well served.”

Campaign Treasurer, Ron Sullivan stated, “While many citizens of this community think George would have made an excellent representative in City politics, we respect his decision to end his campaign.”

“I sincerely want to thank all of my supporters for their help and support,” added Capestany.

Capestany had entered the race last November; Councilmember Rasmussen announced his decision not to run in January. Meantime, if you’re interested in tracking who’s filed so far, the countywide list – updated at least twice a day – is here. The voting begins in mid-summer, with the primary election on August 4th.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:30 PM: This year’s much-contested, much-discussed City Council races are intensifying – here are three reasons why:

FILING WEEK: By Friday, we’ll know who’s in and who’s out – it’s filing week, and candidates have to either pay a fee or submit signatures, to finalize their candidacy.

AT-LARGE CANDIDATES’ FORUM THURSDAY: We’ve been paying most election attention so far to the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race – but you’ll also be voting on two at-large seats, Positions 8 and 9. So far, per the city website, six people are running for #8, including West Seattle resident David Trotter, and three for #9, including West Seattleites Alon Bassok and Lorena González. This Thursday (May 14th), three south-end groups including the 34th District Democrats are presenting a forum for the two at-large seats at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor; 6737 Corson Avenue S.), 7 pm (with pre-forum mingling at 6:30).

TWO DISTRICT 1 FORUMS AHEAD: The District 1 field is back to 10 candidates listed on the city website; as previously reported here, two forums are scheduled before the month’s out, 6:30 pm Monday, May 18th, at Fauntleroy UCC Church, presented by the Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters, and 7 pm Wednesday, May 27th, in South Park.

P.S. We had to look this up so thought we’d share – the rules for campaign-sign placement.

5:48 PM UPDATE: Another candidate – potentially the 11th, if everyone else on the list makes it official by end of day Friday – for District 1: Arturo Robles.

(WSB photo from May 6th levy-revision announcement)
What’s in it for West Seattle? The next discussion of the revised city transportation levy is set for this Wednesday at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting, 11:30 am at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, seen in our photo (above) speaking at last week’s announcement, will be there with at least one SDOT rep, updating the proposal announced last week. Today’s your last chance to register at the earlybird price, $25 members/$35 nonmembers – sign up here.

One week from the start of the official filing week for the District 1 (West Seattle and South Park) City Council race, another candidate has appeared on the city’s list of who’s running – Jody Rushmer. No contact info listed yet, and we haven’t found a website or Facebook page, but for everyone who’s keeping track, Rushmer becomes current candidate #9. Next candidates’ forum is two weeks from tonight, as noted here over the weekend.

Earlier this week, we mentioned the May 27 candidates’ forum in South Park for those running for the new District 1 City Council seat serving SP and West Seattle. We’ve since learned of another forum happening before that one. The Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County invite you to the forum they’re presenting at 6:30 pm Monday, May 18th – a little over two weeks away – at Fauntleroy UCC Church (9140 California SW). It’ll be a moderated forum “with the opportunity for questions from the audience,” according to WIN, which is a coalition of local churches.

SIDE NOTE: WSB coverage links from the three forums held so far, all in West Seattle (all of which we recorded on video):

–April 8th, presented by the 34th District Democrats @ The Hall at Fauntleroy
–March 14th, presented by VIEWS @ Senior Center of West Seattle
–February 5th, presented by WSB @ Highland Park Improvement Club

8:41 PM: The first and only election-night results are out, and the one measure that was on ballots in our area, King County Proposition 1 to raise money to replace emergency responders’ radio system, is passing in a big way – 65 percent for, 35 percent against. It only required a simple majority for passage. Here are the numbers.

9:24 PM: County Executive Dow Constantine has sent this statement thanking voters: “A reliable emergency radio network is the lifeline that keeps all of our communities safe, used thousands of times a day by police, firefighters and medics in every corner of our county. I want to thank the voters of King County for acknowledging the need to replace a dangerously outdated system and ensuring that our first responders have the tools they need to communicate during life-threatening emergencies.”

(City of Seattle photo: Councilmember John Okamoto’s swearing-in today)
The newest member of the Seattle City Council is 61-year-old John Okamoto of Seward Park, chosen today by his new colleagues to fill the unexpired term left when Sally Clark resigned to take a job at the University of Washington. Okamoto is a former city employee, including a recent sting as interim Human Services Director. Here’s the official city announcement; here’s Okamoto’s application material. Okamoto has pledged not to run for election this fall, as the Council had requested of applicants, so he will serve until the election is certified in late November.

Taking a late-night look at the official city webpage listing who’s campaigning and who’s not … we see another candidate has left the District 1 City Council race: David Ishii. No public statement that we’ve seen, so we don’t know why. Ishii, a West Seattle resident, filed last fall for an intended District 1 run, then moved to an at-large race, then moved over to District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) in March, but didn’t participate in either of the two candidate forums held since then.

Three weeks remain for anyone interested in filing to be on the August primary ballot – May 15th is the deadline. With the departures of Ishii on Friday and Tom Koch on Thursday, the current slate of candidates:

CURRENT D-1 CANDIDATES: Pavel Goberman (declared 3/5/2015), , Lisa Herbold (declared 2/11/15), Shannon Braddock (declared 2/11/15), Brianna Thomas (declared 2/11/15), Phillip Tavel (declared 2/4/15), George Capestany (declared 11/11/14), Amanda Kay Helmick (declared 10/20/14), Chas Redmond (declared 12/20/13). Filing deadline is May 15th; primary election is August 4th. Along with voting on the D-1 position, West Seattle/South Park also will vote on the two “at-large” spots, Positions 8 and 9.

In case you forgot about your ballot after it arrived a few weeks ago, now’s the time to vote on its lone measure: The levy to raise money to replace the area’s aged emergency-radio system. It’s a nine-year levy starting with 7 cents for every thousand dollars of property valuation. You can mail your ballot by Tuesday night as long as you use a stamp; if you want to turn it in for free, ballot drop-off vans will be at West Seattle Stadium and White Center’s Greenbridge Library, 10 am-5 pm tomorrow and Monday, 10 am-8 pm on Tuesday.

And now, the District 1 City Council race is down to nine candidates, three weeks from the filing deadline – Tom Koch has just sent word he’s withdrawing:

My decision is based on a number of factors including some personal considerations.

However, I am pleased to be able to look back at the past two months and see some good things that have come from this undertaking. First, I was lucky enough to meet a number of terrific people both via community organizations as well as during my doorbelling. Second, the thrust of my campaign has been pretty clear and I’ve been gratified to see many of the other candidates echo the feeling that impact fees must be adopted in order to more fairly fund public infrastructure.

Impact fees were Koch’s big issue during the two months he’s been campaigning since his February 19th candidacy announcement. So here’s who remains:

CURRENT D-1 CANDIDATES: David Ishii (back as of 3/9/2015), Pavel Goberman (declared 3/5/2015), , Lisa Herbold (declared 2/11/15), Shannon Braddock (declared 2/11/15), Brianna Thomas (declared 2/11/15), Phillip Tavel (declared 2/4/15), George Capestany (declared 11/11/14), Amanda Kay Helmick (declared 10/20/14), Chas Redmond (declared 12/20/13). Filing deadline is May 15th; primary election is August 4th. Along with voting on the D-1 position, West Seattle/South Park also will vote on the two “at-large” spots, Positions 8 and 9.

Mayor Murray‘s visiting The Junction tomorrow for the second time in three weeks. This time, he’ll be at the Senior Center of West Seattle, circulating during lunchtime in the upstairs Junction Diner café, noon-12:30 pm. You’re invited, but if you want to have lunch, the Senior Center asks that you call ASAP for a reservation — 206-932-4044, extension 1 – so they know how much food to make – 60 or older, suggested donation of $3; if you’re under 60, $6. The menu: Jambalaya, mustard greens, corn bread, fresh fruit.

P.S. Looking ahead to the following Thursday (April 23rd) – City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and (departing) Sally Clark will be at the Senior Center for a forum on senior housing issues including affordability, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm – details on this flyer.

The city has just gone public with the list of 44 people who have applied to fill the rest of Sally Clark’s City Council term. We’re seeing at least two familiar West Seattle names – Delridge District Council chair Mat McBride and 34th District Democrats board member Chris Porter. (We’re still reading the list – let us know if we’re missing other West Seattleites.)

Other applicants include Mark Solomon, known here as Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Southwest and South Precincts; also, three former city councilmembers – Jan Drago, Heidi Wills, and Peter Steinbrueck.

The council is to announce finalists next Monday (April 20th) and to make an appointment one week later. Stand by for details on how to tell them what you think of the applicants.

(Photos/video by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog co-publisher

“I think we’re very lucky … to have people like this running to represent us,” 34th District Democrats chair Marcee Stone-Vekich observed after her group’s City Council District 1 candidates’ forum last night.

As we reported right after the meeting, which had standing-room-only turnout at The Hall at Fauntleroy, the 34th DDs took an informal straw poll afterward (see the results here). Their formal endorsement meeting is set for May 20th – five days after filings close, but still two and a half months before the primary that will narrow the field to two.

This was the third major forum of the campaign season (after ours in February and the VIEWS forum in March). Six of the 10 current District 1 candidates were there – Brianna Thomas, Chas Redmond, Lisa Herbold, Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, Tom Koch. The organization extended invitations to all 10. One of the four who did not participate, Amanda Kay Helmick, has said that she chose not to because the 34th DDs asked participants if they were Democrats, but she is running for the non-partisan position as an independent. The other three – David Ishii, George Capestany, Pavel Goberman – have not said why they weren’t there.

Here’s our video of the entire hourlong forum:

Ahead, our notes on most of the Q/A, plus other toplines from the meeting:

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The 34th District Democrats‘ meeting is wrapping up, with more than half the time devoted to a candidates’ forum in the City Council District 1 race. Six of the 10 current candidates participated. We recorded it all on video and will add it along with notes later. But first: It was followed by a secret-ballot straw poll, won by Shannon Braddock with 31 cards, followed by Lisa Herbold with 17, Chas Redmond with 10, Tom Koch with 9, Brianna Thomas with 8, Phillip Tavel with 3. That is just an unofficial temperature-taking, though – the 34th DDs’ official endorsement meeting is May 20th, after filing closes.