I suppose I should have posted my endorsements before most people voted… but then I’ve never claimed to be as responsible, forward thinking and independent conservative as say… the Seattle Times editorial board. (Tip to future candidates: the secret to gaining the Times’ endorsement is to rail against the estate tax and shoot a few dogs.)
Anyway… for what it’s worth, here are my choices in a handful of contested races. Ignore them if you choose… just get out there and vote.
King County Council District 1: Carolyn Edmunds
I know I probably should like Bob Ferguson, what with all his grassroots, door-belling, bus riding, status quo stomping, gosh darn hard-workin’-guy style of politics… but I don’t. Where others see a refreshing independent voice, I see a calculating, ambitious politician, carefully cultivating his contrarian reputation.
Carolyn Edmunds, on the other hand, is a Democrat, with an established record and strong connections to community groups throughout her district. The way I look at it, outside of District 1 there’s going to be four Democrats and four Republicans on the council. Elect Edmunds and you give the D’s a reliable 5-4 majority. Elect Ferguson and he becomes an unpredictable swing vote.
For my peace of mind, vote for Edmunds.
King County Council District 9: Steve Hammond
Devout Democrat as I am, if I lived in District 9 I’d be grabbing a Republican ballot and casting my vote for Steve Hammond. Not that I like Hammond’s politics… he’s an arch-Conservative Christian preacher with an overbearing, holier-than-thou demeanor and a complete and utter lack of political nuance. But he is what he is, and pretty honestly represents his district.
On the other hand, who the hell knows who Raymond Shaw Reagan Dunn really is? He’s been running like an arch-Conservative Christian preacher with an overbearing, holier-than-thou demeanor and a complete and utter lack of political nuance… but it just comes across as so much grandstanding. I think he made a miscalculation running towards the right, as first impressions count. Republicans need to run towards the middle to win broadly in King County and WA state, and while he likely has the money, the consultants, and the name to overcome these early missteps, I think we’ll all be better off if this GOP golden boy learns a few lessons from stumbling early.
Clearly, a mere council seat is beneath a man of such lofty political pedigree, so we might as well give it to a candidate who genuinely sees the council as an opportunity to serve his community (however misguided his politics), rather than just as a springboard to higher office. Vote for Steve Hammond.
Seattle City Council, Position 2: Richard Conlin
I dunno… I’m just not feeling that “throw the bum out” spirit this year. Conlin’s not given me any reason to dump him, and his opponents haven’t given me any reason to give them a try… and then the Times sealed the deal by endorsing Paige Miller. Vote for Richard Conlin.
Seattle City Council, Position 4: Linda Averill
Fuck The Stranger! I mean really… fuck them! I was so absolutely sure that I would be the only person to the right of Trotsky’s ghost endorsing Linda Averill… and then those cirrhotic fuckers at The Stranger steal my thunder. Well fuck them.
Why Averill? Well mostly I just wanted to piss off my righty trolls by endorsing the only Freedom Socialist Party candidate on the ballot. And… well… The Stranger actually makes some good points in her defense. (But fuck them anyway.) But if you really can’t bring yourself to vote for Averill, I’d just like to remind you that Casey Corr was once an editorial writer for the Times. Need I say more?
Seattle City Council, Position 8: Dwight Pelz
I know I said I don’t have that “throw the bum out” spirit, and I really don’t want to throw out Richard McIver… but damn it, the Council needs an asshole like Dwight Pelz to get in Greg Nickels’ face from time to time. (And Dwight… I mean “asshole” in the best sense of the word.) Truth is, I really haven’t made up my mind on this race yet, and just want to see Pelz and McIver face off in the general election. So whatever you do, don’t vote for Robert Rosencrantz.
Port of Seattle: Molloy, Hara and Pope
No surprise on my first endorsement. Lawrence Molloy is every liberal’s favorite incumbent in this year’s Port Commission elections. The Weekly endorsed him. The Stranger endorsed him. The P-I endorsed him. The Times didn’t. Need I say more? (Plus, I met him last night at the Red Cross fundraiser, and not only is he articulate and knowledgeable, he came across as a nice guy.) Vote for Molloy for Position 1.
Position 3 was a tough one for me. I really, really wanted to endorse Peter Coates, a reform candidate with strong Labor backing… but the pragmatic, good-government Dukakis-Democrat in me thought, gee, I dunno… maybe the Port could use a former City Treasurer and County Auditor like Lloyd Hara. And then the Times ruins everything for me, by endorsing Hara too. Well… screw the Times… I’m voting for Hara anyway.
For Position 4, I’m standing by my man: perennial candidate and HA regular Richard Pope. Sure, Richard’s a little nutty, and he’s probably unqualified for the job, but he’s got a couple good points to make about the Port being a drain on taxpayers, and what the hell… he doesn’t stand a chance of winning anyway. If you really don’t want to throw away your vote, Jack Jolley’s your man… but I’m voting for Richard.
Seattle Popular Monorail Authority: Stockmeyer and Goldberg
The Monorail looks so dead right now, it’s really hard to get too excited over these races, but whoever wins, I think their first act should be to remove the word “Popular” from the authority’s name.
Cleve Stockmeyer is an easy choice for Position 9. Yeah… he wants to build the Monorail, but he’s a pragmatist, a principled good-government activist, and an all around good guy. In the proudest tradition of representative democracy, I trust Cleve to make an informed decision on my behalf.
I’m not so enthusiastic about Beth Goldberg, who is clearly running to kill the Monorail, whatever the circumstances or final proposal. Yet she grudgingly earns my reluctant endorsement because, as her opponent Cindi Laws knows, all us Jews stick together… so I really don’t have a choice. Mazel tov on my endorsement, Beth.