This blog is designed to give readers a glimpse of our editorial-page operation and how we make our decisions. We’ll let you know who we’re meeting with, what they’re telling us, what events and issues we’re looking at. We’ll also pass on information and observations that may not make our print editions. In addition to the editorial board members who post on this blog, the board includes Publisher David Zeeck, Executive Editor Karen Peterson and Managing Editor Dale Phelps.
Editorial board bloggers
Editorial page editor Patrick O’Callahan oversees the online and printed opinion sections of The News Tribune. He came to The News Tribune in 1987 and has worked at Washington newspapers since 1979. E-mail him at patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com
Editorial writer Cheryl Tucker, in addition to writing commentary, manages the daily production of the editorial and op-ed pages and edits letters to the editor. She began her journalism career in 1974 at a Virginia newspaper and came to The News Tribune in 1978. E-mail her at cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com.
Editorial writer Kim Bradford manages the online opinion section of The News Tribune and writes commentary. She joined The News Tribune in 2005 after working 11 years at newspapers in Washington and Maryland. E-mail her at kim.bradford@thenewstribune.com.
Guest bloggers
Editor emeritus David Seago retired from The News Tribune in 2008 after 41 years at The News Tribune. E-mail him at sds99@harbornet.com.
Richard Davis’ column on state politics frequently runs in the print edition of The News Tribune. He was president of the Washington Research Council, a statewide think tank, from 1986 through 2006. Currently, as a principal with The Simeon Partnership, Inc. he coordinates the activities of the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, a business coalition founded by the Research Council, the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Roundtable.
Karen Irwin of University Place, a mother of four, has been a frequent contributor to The News Tribune's print editions. She has also written for Seattle's Child, Puget Sound Parent, the Tacoma Weekly, the Fayetteville Observer Times and the political blog Right Meets Left. She graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in English literature and is currently working toward a history degree.
Michael Allen, professor of history at the University of Washington Tacoma, was born and raised in Ellensburg. He served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam from 1969-70. He has written five books, including the prize-winning "Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus' Great Discovery to the War on Terror," "Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination" and "Western Rivermen, 1763-1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse." Allen lives in Tacoma and Ellensburg and has three children.
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Owen, McCraw for lieutenant governor
Washington's lieutenant governor essentially has two duties: fill in for the governor when he or she is incapacitated or out of the state, and preside over the state Senate and its Rules Committee.
Of the five candidates for the position, Democratic incumbent Brad Owen is qualified to fulfill both responsibilities. But Republican attorney Marcia McCraw shows enough intelligence and promise that she rates a co-endorsement in the Aug. 19 primary. The top two vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.
Owen, who is seeking his fourth term, was a Senate leader from Shelton during his 14 years representing the 35th Legislative District. He runs a tight ship in presiding over the Senate, requiring that senators conduct themselves with decorum and respect for each other and the institution. When the Legislature is not in session, he leads trade missions, hosts visiting dignitaries and visits schools promoting substance abuse prevention.
McCraw, a business and real estate attorney in Seattle, has worked as a policy analyst for King County Councilwoman Jane Hague on Eastside rail corridor issues. A Mandarin speaker, she would use the office's "bully pulpit" to cultivate more trade with Asia. And as a longtime community activist, she would promote more volunteerism.
Endorsements we'll shortly be running in print:
Tomorrow: We go for Democrat Brad Owen and Republican Marcia McCraw for lieutenant governor. Also, Brian Sonntag for state auditor, Mike Kreidler for insurance commissioner, Sam Reed for secretary of state.
Thursday: We endorse state Supreme Court Justices Mary Fairhurst and Charles Johnson for re-election.
Also: Sergio Armijo for re-election to the Pierce County Superior Court.
Also: We endorse Dave Reichert as the Republican candidate and Darcy Burner as the Democratic candidate for a November runoff.
It was a deal the Lakewood City Council couldn't refuse. Like thousand-dollar bills lying on the sidewalk, begging to be picked up. Something for nothing.
Money's always tight in city government. So here's the plan: Bring in enterprises – casinos – that promise instant riches but whose only purpose is to separate Lakewood's citizens from their money. Then step in to scoop up a big share of the profits – $2.8 million a year, at last count.
That money comes at a price, but it's beautifully concealed. The little secret is that the casinos' come-on tends to con the desperate, the poor, the less educated (it cons others, too, just not as easily). Some players inevitably lose control and become problem gamblers.
Gambling does to personal finances what meth does to teeth. Gaming addicts typically run up catastrophic debts. They frequently turn to embezzlement or other kinds of theft. They frequently run their families into bankruptcy. They often lose their wives or husbands. A few commit suicide.
Score one for the public interest. The Spokesman-Review has released a database of 10,000 people who bought fake degrees from a single Spokane-based diploma mill.
The Justice Department, which prosecuted the owner of the mill, had refused to release the names, citing internal policy. We didn't think much of a government policy that would allow phony degree holders to continue to cheat the public and employers, and said so earlier this month.
Somehow, the Spokesman-Review got a hold of the list (it's getting wider distribution these days as investigators forward it to all 50 state attorneys general and various other state agencies).
A preliminary analysis by the paper shows 135 individuals with ties to the military, 39 with links to educational institutions and 17 employed by government agencies. You'll no doubt hear more about this in the coming days as the names get broader review.
1. Primary endorsements for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and insurance commissioner.
2. The City of Tacoma’s goal of to bring city salaries a notch above market might be worth achieving, but it will have to be weighed against the cost once a huge compensation study is completed.
About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.
