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 print edition.
Brandstetter for Lakewood City Council
With three open seats up for election, change is coming to the Lakewood City Council in a big way. Helen McGovern, Pad Finnigan and Ron Cronk are stepping down, so there will be three new faces on the seven-person council come Jan. 1.
Only the race for Position 2 will be on the Aug. 18 primary ballot, because it’s the only race in which more than two candidates are running. The top two vote-getters will progress to the Nov. 3 general election, which will also decide Positions 1 and 3. All council positions are at-large.
For Position 2, Lakewood voters must choose between Clover Park School Board veteran Connie Coleman-Lacadie; Bates Technical College’s dean of academic programs, Mike Brandstetter; and computer consultant Levi Wilhelmsen.
Any of the three would be acceptable, but we favor Brandstetter. He seems most likely to ask tough questions and challenge decisions that seem overly focused on short-term economic development at the expense of long-term quality-of-life issues. He recognizes the negative effects of gambling and supports a process to wean the city’s operating budget from casino revenues.
Although there are three open seats up for election this year on the Lakewood City Council, just one of them will be on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. Because only two candidates filed to run for the other two positions, they will automatically advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Wednesday we offer our choice among three candidates running for Position 2. The editorial will be posted here at 8 tonight.
