HA co-blogger Will speculates about former state rep Toby Nixon and his political aspirations:
Maybe Nixon’s stoking the fires for a run at his old seat (won by Roger Goodman when Nixon ran for Senate). I’ve got a better idea…
Lieutenant Governor! Think about it, Toby… I don’t know anyone who’s “high” on Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. He’s got that ridiculous rock band which he takes across the state, trying to keep kids off drugs (If he had come to my high school, I would have STARTED smoking pot, just to spite him). He endorses right wing judicial candidates and wants to spend tax dollars on a NASCAR track. What a waste!
To which I say… do your homework Will. I’m guessing our friend Toby might be planning to run for King County Auditor, an obvious stepping stone to the Secretary of State’s office.
What’s that you say? I’ve got my head up my ass? Toby can’t possibly run for Auditor because it is an appointed position? Well, not if Toby has his way. Just last week Toby filed a C1 with the Public Disclosure Commission creating “Citizens for Accountable Elections,” a new PAC supporting a King County initiative to make the Auditor an elected position. Given Toby’s deep interest in election reform, and his admitted eye on the SOS office, this would seem to be an elected office tailor made for (and by) Toby Nixon.
Toby and I disagree on a lot of stuff, but he’s a standup guy and a great sport. I’m off this weekend, but Toby has agreed to come on my show on 710-KIRO the following weekend, when I’ll have the opportunity to ask him the tough questions, and he’ll have every opportunity to respond.
UPDATE:
Via email, Toby elaborates on his initiative and his plans:
The proposal is not for an elected “auditor”, but an elected “elections director” – it wouldn’t include the full range of auditor responsibilities, but just the election functions. There have been folks trying to encourage me to seek the office if it were to become elected, and I haven’t told them flatly No. I haven’t told them Yes, either, but I haven’t ruled it out. I do believe an important part – maybe the most important part – of the responsibility of the office would be to exercise leadership to create a culture of excellence, accountability, integrity, accuracy, and transparency in elections, and anyone who knows my legislative record knows that I am strongly committed to those things. But you also know that my interests cover a wide range of topics, and I’d have to think hard about whether I’d want to forgo other opportunities to serve where I could have an influence in those broader areas in order to focus specifically on the elections office.
Toby will join me on 710-KIRO in the 8PM hour, on Sunday Feb. 25.
We don’t need no frickin’ wingnut in the SoS office! This country has seen the last of Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell; now we have to get rid of the rest of the GOP SoS’s, then we’ll have honest elections and no more stolen presidencies.
Considering his involvement in the growing movement of “green Republicans”, it might not be a bad thing to see Toby in charge of something like the DNR or Ecology.
Do homework? NEVER!
@1 you’re killing me….HAR HAR HAR HAR.
Stolen presidencies…..HAR HAR HAR HAR.
Toby Nixon is a nice guy. And smart.
And EXTREME in many positions (which his why he joined the extreme minority of sitting politicians to lose a re-election bid). One example: despite his constiuents sending him a clear message, he adamantly opposed “one person one vote” on school elections. He maintained the status quo (no votes count much more than yes votes since 60% majority is required for passage) was fair and balanced.
Any talk of his getting re-elected to any local or statewide position would mean that the majority of voters woudl have to accept many of his extreme positions.
Since his own district rejected such extremism, why does anyone think he can serve citizens on a broader scale?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....41132.html
MORE REPUBLICAN RIP-OFFS OF STUDENTS SDV
“Sallie Mae is the largest company that makes student loans. They were founded as a Government Sponsored Entity (GSE) like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, but in 2004 they became the first ever of the GSEs to go totally private. Their stock has returned over 1900% since 1995, while they continue receiving billions of dollars in federal subsidies every year .”
headless lucy,
Haven’t seen many posts from you lately. How are you doing?
“exercise leadership to create a culture of excellence, accountability, integrity, accuracy, and transparency in elections”
Whether a public official is elected or appointed does not correlate with whether they are better or worse at leadership, or more or less blessed with integrity.
Can we just leave the elections position be?
@4 Please don’t let me keep you from dropping dead at your earliest convenience.*
* Not really. Ann Coulter humor, ya know? hahahaha
You all like arch homophobe Toby Nixon – who voted against gay folks his entire political career?
Shit, really progressive, there Goldy. He is a right wing hack, despite any smiles or drool.
Voted out once, will never return to the confidence of the voters. Get a job Toby.
“Arch homophobe”? “Voted against gay folks his entire political career”? “Right wing hack”? You just don’t know what you’re talking about, Lordsman. Do your research and get your facts straight before making baseless accusations. Start here and here.
@9 HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAT HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR.
So witty!
@11…
Noteworthy that you didn’t challenge my assertions @5 …
Thomas, you asserted @5 that my opposition to allowing the constitutional 1% limit on property taxes to be overridden by a simple majority vote is an “extreme” position. It is not. There are good reasons why supermajority votes are required to amend or override the constitution. There’s also a fundamental reason why property taxes have a higher bar than other types of taxes: if you can’t afford them, you lose your home. You can’t choose to not pay them. Proponents of simple majority often compare excess property tax levy votes for schools to votes to fund sports stadiums. But if you look at the funding package for the stadiums — hotel-motel taxes, car rental taxes, ticket taxes, sales taxes on restaurant meals, scratch tickets, etc. — you can easily choose to not pay them if you don’t want to or can’t afford it. Not so with property taxes.
You also asserted that my constituents “sent me a clear message” that they wanted to undo this constitutional protection. There was no such message. Our polling data showed that the people of the 45th district support the supermajority requirement. In every one of my campaigns I clearly supported the retention of the supermajority requirement, and was elected twice.
I will make a prediction right now: if the legislature gets the 2/3rd majorities it needs to put this proposed constitutional amendment before the voters, a majority of the people of the 45th district will vote No. I will also predict that a majority of people statewide will vote No.
One final thought: whether I ran for Lt. Governor or Secretary of State or KC Elections Director, none of this would be relevant because none of those officers have any say whatsoever if the things I’m guess you’d call “extreme”.