2007 Election

The post-partisan electorate

Posted Wed, Aug 20, 7 a.m. 2008

by Knute Berger

Reform of King County county government is popular but is almost always painted as a Republican plot. Nevertheless, the generally liberal electorate has embraced change. Last night, they gave the nod to I-26, which would allow a vote in November on whether or not to make county elected positions non-partisan. It will join another measure passed last year as I-25, which will ask whether or not to make the superintendent of county elections an elected post.

The budget mavens take hold at Seattle Schools

Posted Tue, Apr 1, 10:24 a.m. 2008

by David Brewster

Read this interesting story about the Seattle School Board. You'll find the new language of big-company management being spoken by the new boardmembers, all of whom promised to bring that perspective to the troubled district. The four new members, Peter Maier (a consumer lawyer), Steve Sundquist (formerly with Russell Investment Group), Sherry Carr (finance manager at Boeing), and Harium Martin-Morris (also a Boeing executive), all ran on the same basic platform: it takes experience with big business to handle a huge budget like the School District's. This experienced team was cast in the role by an informal coalition of school activists, with some helpful guidance from the Mayor's office.

Is Tim Eyman ripe for the Oklahoma treatment?

Posted Wed, Nov 21, 2:03 p.m. 2007

by David Brewster

Given the rivalry with Oklahoma City over the Sonics, we're not too likely to emulate politics from Oklahoma, but here's one political ploy that may be worth borrowing, particularly now that Tim Eyman, the initiative king, is riding high again. Attention John Ladenburg, Pierce County Executive who is gearing up to challenge Rob McKenna for Attorney General in 2008. Here's an Oklahoma six-shooter.

The unseemly scramble for freed-up taxes, post-Proposition 1

Posted Wed, Nov 14, 11 a.m. 2007

by David Brewster

Defeat Proposition 1, as happened last week, and you leave a lot of taxing authority on the table. Not surprisingly, local governments are pouncing. Their greediness perhaps got out of hand this week, with the Metropolitan King County Council launching a county ferry system, jacking up bus fares, and wading into programs to rebuild levees and help mental health. In what's called "Tax Hike Tuesday," the Port of Seattle also got into the frenzy, approving a $78 million property tax levy, in a kind of premature celebration of the likely departure of its one anti-tax commissioner, Alec Fisken, who appears to have been defeated. Grab it now, was the mantra.

Gov to Seattle: You dithered away your chance

Posted Tue, Nov 13, 10:25 a.m. 2007

by David Brewster

That was fast. Just a week after the voters nixed Proposition 1 for roads and transit, Gov. Chris Gregoire announces she's taking control of 520 bridge planning. Seattle is about to pay a price for its dithering -- loss of local control. A similar theme was sounded in Bill Virgin's column in today's P-I, suggesting a divestiture of authority for Sound Transit, handing over the controls for Sounder Commuter Rail to Amtrak and bringing on some private transit services. Is the corpse about to be carved up?

Where those crazy election parties are tonight

Posted Tue, Nov 6, 7 p.m. 2007

by Lucy Mohl

A tip of the organizational hat to Slog for giving us the long list of all the political parties happening around town tonight. We decided to annotate the list a little so you have some idea what to expect if you're there.

Yes on Proposition 1
Westin Hotel, 1900 5th Ave.
Big spenders. Two olives.

No on Proposition 1
Piecora's Pizza, 1401 E. Madison St.
Little spenders. Plain cheese.

Let's hear it for election 'malaise'

Posted Thu, Nov 8, 4:51 p.m. 2007

by Knute Berger

Not everyone is glum about the outcome of Tuesday's election, but you would hardly know that from some of the analysis. John Arthur Wilson is right, I believe, that there is no sign of a large populist uprising out there, but I wouldn't, as he says, say the election reflected "disillusionment." You know, it is possible that a "no" vote on a bad ballot measure, like Prop. 1, is a positive thing.

How to fund transportation without raising taxes

Posted Thu, Nov 8, 1 p.m. 2007

by Knute Berger

David Brewster makes a good catch on the "private entities" reference in Gov. Christine Gregoire's comments on life after Prop 1. In talking with both House Speaker Frank Chopp and King County Executive Ron Sims, they have both assured that they are opposed to privatization of road projects – and Chopp was the hero of anti-privatizers on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge project. But many regional transportation wonks aren't convinced Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a bad idea.

Ballot measures update: I-960 and R-4204

Posted Wed, Nov 7, 6:16 p.m. 2007

by Austin Jenkins

After a day on post-election clean-up, I can provide a couple of updates on two of Washington's statewide ballot measures.

The last election day

Posted Wed, Nov 7, 2:59 p.m. 2007

by Daniel Jack Chasan

When I walked out of my old polling place Tuesday morning, Nov. 6, I felt depressed. Not just because there were so many complex ballot issues (all those constitutional amendments with virtually no public discussion) or because, for the first time that I could remember, I didn't see Bonnie Shride, a longtime poll worker who died earlier this year. No, as I walked out I realized that I had just participated in my last real election day. I started going to the polls with my mother when I was a little kid. I've always valued the ritual. I know people say we don't have time for these little rituals any more. Give me a break. This is a society that has elevated Super Bowl Sunday to a national event, a society in which adolescents rent limos for high school dances. We have plenty of rituals. Voting just happens to be one on which we no longer want to waste our time.