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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This editorial will appear in Wednesday's printed edition.
Democratic lawmakers bought themselves a way out of a difficult spot by crying foul over a relatively innocuous e-mail.
The ill-named Worker Privacy Act is exactly where it should be: on the cutting room floor of this legislative session.
How it got there, though, is another matter.
Last week, legislative leaders and the governor created quite a stir when they abruptly issued a joint announcement that they were killing the bill after learning about an e-mail that raised “serious legal and ethical questions.”
“The matter has been referred to the Washington State Patrol for investigation,” they ominously announced, prompting all sorts of speculation about who sent the message and what it said.
Nothing stays a secret for too long in Olympia. Soon, the e-mail itself was making the rounds – and prompting shrugs from some veteran observers of the Legislature.
This editorial will appear in Wednesday's print edition.
Pierce County doesn’t seek money it’s due
State reimbursement is available for the sheriff’s department and superior court – but they haven’t bothered to put in for it.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor says his department is cutting back on investigating crimes at state-owned institutions in Pierce County due to lack of resources.
As it turns out, some resources have long been available in the form of compensation from the state – which would have offset many of the law enforcement costs county taxpayers have shouldered. But the sheriff’s department hasn’t been submitting the paperwork needed to obtain the state reimbursements.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor says his department is cutting back on investigating crimes at state-owned institutions in Pierce County due to lack of resources. As it turns out, some resources have long been available in the form of compensation from the state – which would have offset many of the law enforcement costs county taxpayers have shouldered. But the sheriff's department hasn't been submitting the paperwork needed to obtain the state reimbursements.
The State Patrol says an e-mail linking future campaign contributions to support for the ill-named Worker Privacy Act was not illegal. No matter. There were good reasons to kill the bill that had nothing to do with a relatively innocuous e-mail.
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to kim.bradford@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.
Tacoma City Councilwoman Marilyn Strickland tells me today's the day she announces her plans to run for mayor this fall.
I've been pestering Strickland for weeks for confirmation, because the story that former mayor Brian Ebersole has been encouraging her to run has been all over town for a couple months now.
Strickland held what allies called an "exploratory fundraiser" last week. One of her supporters told me "she's in, and she'll be tough to beat."
Strickland will take on architect Jim Merritt, the only other mayoral candidate to file with the PDC so far. Councilman Jake Fey, who floated a trial balloon for a while, confirmed that he's not going to seek the job.
Strickland's bid is audacious in that she's only in her second year on the council. But Strickland, with strong backing from Ebersole and friends, handily defeated Tacoma Rescue Mission Director David Curry in her first bid for elected office. She currently works as fund development officer for Bates Technical College. She previously held a similar position at the Tacoma Public Library.
In other news from Gossip Central:
