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Monday, December 31st, 2007
Posted by David Wickert @ 05:19:00 pm
Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg will decide in two to four weeks whether to run for state attorney general. Ladenburg met Monday with state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz and other party leaders to discuss the attorney general’s race, according to Ron Klein, the county’s communications director. Klein said he spoke as “a friend of John’s who happens to know what’s going on,” not as a county employee. Klein said Ladenburg and the party leaders decided to form an exploratory committee and to examine funding possibilities and may conduct a survey. He said the group will “make up their minds collectively” about Ladenburg’s candidacy in two to four weeks. “At this point, there’s been one meeting and he’s seriously considering running for attorney general,” Klein said. Incumbent Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, launched his re-election campaign in November.
Posted by Joe Turner @ 10:08:53 am
Here are the names and the order in which they will appear on our state ballot: Democrats: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson. Republicans: Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. Ballots for the Feb. 19 election will be mailed to military and overseas citizens no later than Jan. 20, 2008. The rest will be mailed by Feb. 1.
Categories: Campaign news, President
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 02:05:11 pm
Former state Rep. Toby Nixon, an East King County Republican, sent out this news release minutes ago:
Categories: Campaign news
Friday, December 21st, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 02:24:15 pm
Chang Mook Sohn, the state's official economist, will be the guest speaker at the 25th Legislative District Democrats' "January Session Kickoff Dinner." Sohn is executive director of the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. He delivers the revenue forecast that the Legislature uses to write the state budget. He was known as "Dr. Doom" during the 1980s, when he delivered generally conservative forecasts.  The dinner will be held Jan. 3 at the Puyallup Library. Hospitality and a silent auction begin at 6:30 p.m., and dinner starts at 7 p.m. Pre-pay checks should be mailed to 25th LDD, PO Box 73594, Puyallup, WA 98373. For more information, call Ray Green at 848-0289.
Categories: Legislature
Posted by Joe Turner @ 09:44:40 am
When state Rep. Fred Jarrett announced last week he was going to switch parties next year and run for the state Senate as a Democrat, we weren't sure exactly when the switch would take effect.  Jarrett cleared that up today: When he comes to Olympia for the session that starts Jan. 14, he'll be sitting on the Democrats' side of the aisle. New seat. New caucus. New friends. That will give Speaker Chopp, a Seattle Democrat, a 63-35 majority heading into the fall election. His goal is to have a House made up entirely of Democrats. Chopp told reporters in April that he had his eye on six more Republican seats in the upcoming election cycle and he's already picked up one of them without spending a penny of Democrat money. Meanwhile, our Tri-City Herald colleague Chris Mulick reports that two people already have lined up to replace Jarrett in the 41st Legislative District. Mercer Island City Councilman Steve Litzow will run as a Republican. Former Renton School Board member Marcie Maxwell will run as a Democrat.
Categories: Legislature, Campaign news
Thursday, December 20th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 10:59:11 am
Gov. Chris Gregoire is rearranging her staff as she goes into the final year of her first term in office and gets ready for a reelection campaign. Pearse Edwards not only will be her communications director, but also will oversee external relations. That second job puts Edwards in charge what sometimes is called "constituent relations." Those are the people you get when you say you want to talk to the governor about something. With one guy in charge of talking to reporters and talking to constituents, the message is more likely to be consistent. Here's the rest of the news release:
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 09:33:41 am
The race for president starts earlier than ever when Iowans caucus on Jan. 3. Days later, on Jan. 8, New Hampshire holds the nation’s first primary. We've collected profiles of the top contenders. We're publishing one a day in the print edition, but online readers don't have to wait. We've put them all here. And there is a method to our madness. The profiles will be published alphabetically and alternating by party. Here's the list: Dec. 19: Rudy Giuliani
Categories: Campaign news, President
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 12:31:53 pm
This came in from our DC correspondent, Les Blumenthal: Though the scenario seems a little far-fetched, the Capitol Hill newspaper Politico reported today Sen. Patty Murray may be named “acting chairman” of the Senate Appropriations Committee replacing an aging West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd. Byrd would become “chairman emeritus” of the committee which controls close to $1 trillion in spending annually. Murray, not surprisingly, denies the report. “There is absolutely nothing to it,” Murray, D-Wash., said in an interview. “I am doing my job on leadership and the appropriations team and that is what I am focused on.” Of course, senators don’t talk about such things publicly, and the Politico story is based on quotes from unidentified senators and Senate aides. But it is no secret that Byrd at age 90 has slowed down and Murray has, at times, subbed for him on the Senate floor, handling such bills as an Iraq supplemental earlier this year. Politico said there was “broad discontent” among appropriations committee members with Byrd’s performance as chairman this year. One aide was quoted as saying replacing Byrd has been discussed for the past several weeks. Murray would replace Byrd (that's him on the far right of the picture) until the current session of Congress ends at the end of next year.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who would have a huge say, opposes replacing Byrd, the story said. And a Byrd spokesman said the senator has “every intention” of continuing to serve as chairman. Six others senators on the committee have more seniority than Murray, but the article said they might not want to give up their current chairmanships, or the Democratic caucus may find them unacceptable. They include Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl. But Politico quoted Democratic insiders as saying Murray could become the “odds-on” favorite to replace Byrd at least as acting chairman.
Categories: Congress
Posted by David Wickert @ 11:31:52 am
County Councilwoman Barbra Gelman last week attributed her confusion over an ethics code vote to a “senior moment.” Since then the phrase has popped up in News Tribune stories and an editorial in today’s paper. Gelman says she’s heard from several people who sympathize, having endured senior moments of their own. But in the future she hopes we’ll adopt a different description. “It’s not going to be `senior moment’ anymore,” Gelman said Tuesday. “It’s going to be `junior moment.’”
Categories: Pierce County
Posted by David Wickert @ 10:22:57 am
County Councilman Terry Lee’s decision to reconsider running for assessor-treasurer next year begs the question: is anyone running for this office? The only other candidate to publicly express interest in the job is Councilwoman Barbara Gelman, who served as assessor-treasurer from 1992-2000. But Gelman has not made her candidacy official with the state Public Disclosure Commission. No one else has filed, either. The current assessor-treasurer, Ken Madsen, is eligible for a third four-year term under an amendment to the county charter approved by voters last month. But Madsen said his first choice is to retire. Madsen said he was hoping his friend Lee would run to replace him. Now that Lee has bowed out, Madsen said he may seek another term, depending on who else decides to run. For example, Madsen said he’d run again to prevent someone like gadfly and perennial candidate for public office Will Baker from getting elected. And he wouldn’t rule out running against Gelman if she decides to seek the office. As to the current lack of official candidates, Madsen said tax assessor is not a job for people who want to be liked. “It is a good question, is running worth the headaches you get if you win,” he said. UPDATE: Councilwoman Barbara Gelman said Tuesday morning she'll make a decision about whether to run for assessor-treasurer after the holidays. "By then, maybe somebody else will come forward. Who knows?" Gelman said. One consideration for Gelman: whether Madsen decides to seek re-election.
Posted by David Wickert @ 09:40:53 am
County Council Chairman Terry Lee has decided he will not run for assessor-treasurer next year. Lee, a Gig Harbor Republican, cited a desire to resolve several important issues in his council district during a term that will expire in 2010. Among the issues: new shoreline regulations and opening Gig Harbor-area satellite offices for District Court and land-use permitting. “If I’m not there, an appointed councilman will be representing the community at a really critical time,” Lee said. The councilman also admitted he doesn’t much care for the fund-raising and reaching out to special interests that would be required to launch a successful assessor campaign. But Lee hasn’t ruled out a future run for public office. He said in the future he may consider running for a 26th District state House of Representatives seat. Those seats are currently held by Democrats Pat Lantz and Larry Seaquist. Lee previously had announced he was a candidate for county executive, but pulled out of that race in September to run for assessor-treasurer instead.
Categories: Pierce County, Campaign news
Monday, December 17th, 2007
Posted by David Wickert @ 02:20:52 pm
County Executive John Ladenburg has numerous concerns with the 2008 budget approved by the County Council last month. In a letter to the council dated Friday, the executive cites an overall reduction of 16.5 staff positions requested by executive departments, including some that would have brought Pierce County into compliance with federal water pollution rules. And he objected to several strings the council put on spending in certain departments. Among them: a provision that prohibits County Auditor Pat McCarthy from using her name, image or likeness on voter education broadcast advertisements. Ladenburg called the provision “a transparent attempt at political maneuvering.” Councilmen Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, and Calvin Goings, D-Puyallup, are running for county executive against McCarthy. “Most department heads contend this year was the most difficult budget process they have experienced,” Ladenburg wrote to the council. “They feel, and rightly so, that their recommendations and ideas were completely ignored by the council without debate or the consideration of appropriate alternatives.” The executive did not veto the budget, but returned it to the council unsigned. That means the budget as passed by the council will take effect. But Ladenburg wrote that some of the council’s budget decisions must be revisited in early 2008 to comply with state and federal laws. Read the full text of his letter below.
Categories: Pierce County
Posted by David Wickert @ 09:27:11 am
County Councilman Roger Bush, R-Graham, takes exception to suggestions the council violated the state Open Meetings Act by discussing pending ordinances during two recent meeting recesses. The recesses came after two close votes involving a sewer rate increase and an ethics code overhaul. In the first case, the council initially defeated the sewer-rate increase on a 3-4 vote. After a recess, the council reconsidered, and the rate increase passed 4-3. Last week a proposal to table the ethics code overhaul initially failed on a 3-4 vote. After a recess, it passed 5-2. Councilwoman Barbara Gelman, D-Tacoma, changed her vote on both occasions. Councilman Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, changed his mind on the ethics code postponement. Both said they did not speak with other council members during the recesses. “I simply reject the idea or notion that if somebody changes their mind or adjusts their position that it means something corrupt has happened,” Bush said. “Who, in daily life, doesn’t change their mind?” Bush said it’s not uncommon for the council to give members a chance to change their mind if they make mistakes in voting (Gelman said she was confused about what the council was voting on when the ethics motion came to a vote). He said that’s an example of good government. “Whenever you make sausage, it looks strange,” Bush said. “But the end result can be a delicious thing.”
Categories: Pierce County
Friday, December 14th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 12:55:13 pm
State Rep. Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, is sending back campaign contributions and that makes it look as if she might not run again in 2008. Sommers has been in the House since 1973, which makes her the longest-serving incumbent and institutional memory for the Legislature. And being chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee gives her stature and some clout. Read what our colleague, Austin Jenkins, posted on CrossCut.
Categories: Campaign news
• 1 comment
Posted by David Wickert @ 12:52:54 pm
This article will run in the next few days in the newspaper. It's the usual Friday crunch, so editors are still figuring out what will run when. But here's a sneak preview: By David Wickert Twice in recent weeks the council has taken a recess after a close vote – the first on a sewer rate increase, the second on an ethics code overhaul. In each case the council emerged from recess, voted again and arrived at a different outcome. The actions suggest improper conversations among council members occurred during the recesses. Other council members say nothing illegal happened during the recesses. “I do understand why you ask the question,” said council Chairman Terry Lee, R-Gig Harbor. But he added: “There’s no shenanigans going on back there.”
Categories: Campaign news
• 1 comment
Posted by John Henrikson @ 10:19:21 am
Kris Sherman reports these items from Thursday night's Tacoma School Board meeting: Item One: Jim Dugan took the board president's gavel from Connie Rickman in the annual changing of the guard. As is custom, Dugan, who served as vice president during 2007, was the only nominee for the president's job. Kim Golding was elected VP. Dugan immediately set a new tone for coming School Board meetings. No longer will board members sit and stonily listen to comments and questions from the public and rarely respond - even if they know the answer, Dugan said. "It doesn't serve or honor a person who asks a question or a board member who knows the answer" to not have a meaningful exchange during a meeting, Dugan said. Look for other changes in the way School Board meetings are run during Dugan's administration, too. Starting next month, the board will spend more time studying issues and less time legislating. The first meeting of each month will be designated as a study session, with the second meeting set to conduct of business. If there's a pressing issue that needs attention during the study session meeting, it will be taken care of, Jarvis said. But the intention is to give the board and the public more time to learn about and discuss issues of consequence to the schools. Item Two: Debbie Winskill, who won election to a fourth term in November, got sworn in Thursday night by her husband, attorney and notary public Ed Winskill. Debbie Winskill planned to have a judge who's also a friend do the honors, but Her Honor had a conflict. So Ed got the duty. After he duly administered the oath of office, he proclaimed: "You may kiss the notary." It wasn't a sweeping Al and Tipper Gore dip - ala the 2000 Democratic National Convention - but the Winskills smooched right there in front of the School Board and eveybody. It's not often you hear that many "ahhhhhhhhhhhhssssss" - as in How Sweet Is That? - during a School Board meeting.
Categories: Tacoma
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 04:28:57 pm
To complete the circle, here's a statement from Weinstein, announcing he won't seek reelection in 2008.
Categories: Campaign news
Posted by Joe Turner @ 02:28:34 pm
Here's a statement released by Jarrett:
Posted by Joe Turner @ 01:38:50 pm
Our colleague at the Seattle Times, David Postman, broke this story earlier today. Sen. Brian Weinstein, D-Mercer Island, apparently won't be running for relelection and Republican Rep. Fred Jarrett, who represents the same 41st District, will become a Democrat and run for Weinstein's seat. Read the rest of Postman's blog. for more details.
Categories: Campaign news
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
Posted by Peter Callaghan @ 03:58:05 pm
An organization called Washington State Property Owners for Predictable Tax Now has formed to lobby the Legislature for a constitutional amendment to reduce property taxes. The first formal event will be a rally – termed a Property Tax Tea Party – on the steps of the Legislative Building on the first day of the 2008 session. Shelley Taylor. a co-founder, said the rally will begin at 11 a.m. on Jan. 14. The session convenes at noon. "This event is to protest property taxes in general and is not a venue to champion any particular approach to property tax reform," the group's web site says. Taylor said one idea is an amendment that would freeze current assessed values and allow them to increase by 1 percent a year until a house is sold. But the group is open to other ideas for reducing the increases in property taxes, she said.
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 03:46:24 pm
Tacoma City Council members held a budget workshop Tuesday where they finished divvying up the $1.5 million that City Manager Eric Anderson left "undesignated" in his proposed 2007-2008 budget adjustment. Just about every proposal ended up getting some or all of the money requested, except for the big-ticket police and street repair proposals that Councilman Tom Stenger put on the table. For those keeping track of such things, their tentative plan to fund on-going expenses looks like this: • Safe Streets: $140,000 One-time capital expenses likely to receive city funding include: Other expenses: • Green Ribbon Task Force: $245,000
Categories: Tacoma
Posted by Peter Callaghan @ 09:38:37 am
This morning's paper has an earlier version of the David Ammons story on Barack Obama's Seattle appearance. Here is a later version...
Categories: Campaign news, President
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 11:46:54 am
The Houston Chronicle is reporting today that Clear Channel Outdoor has agreed to remove 800 small- and mid-size billboards across the city, settling a 1987 lawsuit that challenged the city's sign ordinance. City officials are hailing it as a victory. "It's the first monumental step in addressing the visual clutter of billboards in our city," City Councilwoman Pam Holm is quoted as saying. Clear Channel is suing Tacoma over the city's billboard ordinance. Here's more on the history behind the Tacoma dispute. The Houston agreement still leaves about one-third of Clear Channel's billboards in place. And the article notes that the ones slated for removal already were scheduled to come down in 2013. The length of the legal battle is striking. "We're glad to put 25 years of litigation behind us," a Clear Channel spokesperson told the newspaper. A Houston beautification group isn't thrilled with the deal, telling the newspaper that it will allow Clear Channel to relocate some signs to neighborhoods that don't have any now.
Categories: Tacoma
• 4 comments
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Posted by David Wickert @ 04:23:20 pm
County Executive John Ladenburg this afternoon informed the County Council he thinks there's a glaring loophole in its proposed ethics ordinance: the council has exempted its own staff from financial disclosure requirements. He'll propose an amendment addressing that issue when the council takes up the ordinance on Tuesday. Read Ladenburg's e-mail below.
Categories: Pierce County
Posted by Hunter George @ 03:57:44 pm
Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign today announced its Washington state steering committee. These folks are supposed to "mobilize grassroots support" for Clinton leading up to Washington state's Feb. 9 caucus. Click below to see the list.
Categories: Campaign news, President
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 02:30:29 pm
Categories: Campaign news
Posted by David Wickert @ 01:50:23 pm
The Pierce County Council’s Rules Committee today approved an amended ethics ordinance that requires lobbyists to register and requires county department heads to disclose personal finances. The proposal also would ban county officials from accepting most gifts of any value and would give the county Ethics Commission the power to issue advisory opinions. The committee approved the ordinance on a 2-1 vote despite calls to postpone it because of questions about such details as the cost and who would and wouldn’t be required to register as a lobbyist. Those raising questions included representatives of County Executive John Ladenburg, Auditor Pat McCarthy and the Ethics Commission. Councilmen Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, and Calvin Goings, D-Puyallup, voted for the ordinance. They said it can be revised in the future if needed. “It’s easy to nitpick,” Goings said. He said he wanted to avoid “death (of the ordinance) by a thousand cuts.” Lee said he favors an ethics overhaul but said the proposal as drafted is “not ready for prime time.” He wanted to table it until January.
Categories: Pierce County
Posted by David Wickert @ 08:16:40 am
The County Council’s Rules Committee this morning will consider an ethics ordinance that would require lobbyists to register and report their expenses for lobbying county officials. But an amendment designed to clarify a definition of “lobbying” may open a loophole exempting those who lobby the county executive at certain times. Amendment No. 3 includes a list of eight activities that are not considered lobbying. Among them: “Communications or other actions by a person with the Executive or Executive staff regarding legislation at any time prior to its adoption by the Council.” Council attorney Susan Long said the exemption is intended to address ordinary citizens with business before county government (for example, someone obtaining a building permit). Long said such lobbying activity may be covered by other provisions of the proposed ordinance. And she said anyone who wanted to influence legislation likely would lobby the council as well as the executive. Efforts to lobby the council are not exempt under the proposed ordinance. The amendment language in question comes straight from King County’s definition of “lobbying.” Long said it might be worth a phone call to King County to see if the language has had the effect of exempting some genuine lobbying activity.
Categories: Pierce County
Saturday, December 8th, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 04:29:29 pm
The Chicago Tribune has moved a story on the wire that takes a national look at the Prometa drug treatment program, which was the subject of a big political dispute in Pierce County last month. While we've reported the main point - that the reported results of successful treatment are questionable - the story includes some interesting details. Click below to read the whole story.
Categories: Pierce County
• 3 comments
Thursday, December 6th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 02:02:58 pm
Professional initiative promoter Tim Eyman apparently wasn't using his "indoor voice" while speaking to the Yakima City Council meeting earlier this week. Or the council didn't like what he had to say. Or both. In any case, Eyman was escorted from the council chambers Tuesday night after he refused to stop speaking, even after the mayor basically told him to shut up. "I never raised my voice," Eyman told the Yakima Herald-Republic. He was reading a statement that was critical of a council member. That reminded us of a legislative hearing earlier this year when Eyman was testifying against some bills that would have made it harder to collect signatures on initiative petitions. After only a few words, Sen. Darlene Fairley, committee chairwoman, thought Eyman was just a bit too loud and told him to use his "indoor voice." "This IS my indoor voice," Eyman replied. Those of us who have regular dealings with Mr. Eyman can attest to the fact that he has only one setting on his vocal cords, and it ain't a whisper. Eyman, a Yakima native, didn't get the homecoming he expected. For details and a picture of Eyman and his personal "escort,", read what the Yakima Herald-Republic had to report. Here's Eyman's side of the story.
Posted by David Wickert @ 11:28:30 am
So what does it cost a political campaign to offset its carbon footprint? About $112. That’s what Pierce County Councilman and county executive candidate Calvin Goings will pay to offset his campaign’s environmental impact through the first quarter of 2008. Goings, a Puyallup Democrat, announced this week his campaign has gone “carbon neutral” by offsetting all carbon emissions the campaign produces. “Pierce County must be a sustainable county that takes climate change into consideration when we make policy decisions,” Goings said. “I hope that other politicians will voluntarily offset their carbon emissions.” Goings will accomplish this by buying carbon offset credits through CarbonCampaign.org. By comparison, Dicks said the average American has a carbon footprint of about 20 tons annually. Dicks acknowledged the credits are cheap. The program is voluntary, though he’d like to see Congress approve a mandatory cap-and-trade program. Dicks said he believes Goings is the first local politician to offset his campaign’s carbon emissions.
Categories: Campaign news
• 3 comments
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
Posted by Joe Turner @ 04:13:59 pm
Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson says the City Council is prepared to discuss it, but the council would prefer to be "part of a larger effort." Anderson made his remarks this morning at a RAMP (Regional Access Mobility Partnership) meeting at the Port of Tacoma. It was part of the "what went wrong" and "what should we do next" discussion in the aftermath of the defeat of Proposition 1, the $18 billion ballot measure in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. One of the tax options that was not available to Pierce County, Tacoma and other cities before the Nov. 6 Sound Transit-RTID vote was a $20 annual license vehicle license fee that could be levied by a council vote. But now that Prop 1 has gone down in flames, the Pierce County Council can levy a fee as high as $20 a year without a public vote, or go up to $100 a year if they get voter approval. The Legislature wanted Pierce, King and Snohomish counties to hold off on the local car tax until after the regional vote on Sound Transit and RTID projects so as not to undermine Prop. 1. If Pierce County doesn't levy a countywide car tax within six months, each of the cities in the county is free to impose its own. We're not sure what Anderson meant by "larger effort," but it certainly would be easier for the cities if the County Council took the hard vote on the car tax, then divvied up the money with the cities. Or maybe he was referring to another regional effort: Prop. 1, Round II. In any case, we don't see the County Council doing anything very controversial next year. Just about every council member is running for something in 2008. Tacoma's council, on the other hand, still wants more money for city street work. Its own property tax measure for streets also was defeated.
Categories: Campaign news
• 5 comments
Posted by David Wickert @ 03:55:49 pm
Tuesday night’s Pierce County Council debate on whether to extend health benefits to the domestic partners of county employees ended with a bang. Make that two bangs. First, Republican Councilman Shawn Bunney announced he would support the measure. His support proved decisive – the council’s three other Republicans voted against the measure, which passed 4-3. Bunney’s support drew cheers from an audience overwhelmingly in favor of extending benefits. After Bunney’s comments came another twist: Councilman Tim Farrell announced he is gay. Farrell’s remarks followed comments from several county employees who testified they couldn’t get insurance for their partners or get sick leave to care for them. In announcing his sexual orientation, Farrell said he was inspired by the example of county employees who spoke about their personal lives during a televised council meeting. “I figured if they were going to do that I had to do that, too,” he said at the meeting. He declined to comment further on Wednesday.
Categories: Campaign news
Posted by David Wickert @ 09:38:37 am
County Councilman and executive candidate Shawn Bunney sticks it to King County Executive Ron Sims in a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire dated Nov. 28. Bunney blames Sims and the Seattle Times for last month’s road and transit measure failure. Together, he says they “led voters to believe there is a better way to fund regional transportation.” Now he’s advising Pierce County taxpayers to “HOLD ON TO YOUR POCKETBOOKS!” The letter – an appeal for the governor to make Pierce County’s Highway 167 extension a top funding priority –portrays King County lawmakers as schemers who steal money from Pierce County for undeserving road projects. Bunney singles out “gold-plated” amenities for the 520 Bridge project. “The only thing missing is a giant archway from which trumpets can blare as Ron Sims enters and exits Seattle.” Read Bunney’s letter by clicking here.
Categories: Campaign news
• 2 comments
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 04:35:25 pm
County reporter David Wickert filed the following story about Shawn Bunney's campaign before dashing off to cover tonight's County Council meeting. By David Wickert The field of candidates for Pierce County executive will expand to four on Wednesday when county Councilman Shawn Bunney officially kicks off his campaign. Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, said his focus on jobs, personal responsibility and healthy families and communities will allow him to stand out in a crowded field. “I believe my vision, my leadership and my track record of getting the job done is the right one to bring new jobs and a vibrant future to Pierce County,” Bunney said. Bunney will officially announce his candidacy at a luncheon at Tacoma’s Landmark Convention Center. But he’s been raising money for the executive race for months, and he already enjoys a fund-raising edge over his rivals. According to the latest filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission, Bunney has raised more than $148,000 for the 2008 executive’s race. Only fellow Councilman Calvin Goings, D-Puyallup, is even close. Goings has raised more than $107,000. Also seeking the office are County Auditor Pat McCarthy, a Democrat who announced her candidacy on Monday, and Tacoma City Councilman Mike Lonergan, an independent who announced his candidacy last month. The candidates will campaign to replace two-term county Executive John Ladenburg, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits. Bunney said his vision of job creation starts with obtaining funding to extend Highway 167 from Puyallup to the Port of Tacoma. A state study last spring concluded that the project – part of the roads and transit measure that voters rejected last month – could help generate 79,000 jobs related to trade. Last week, Bunney sent a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire requesting she make Highway 167 a top priority. “Pierce County residents deserve this road,” he said Tuesday. “I will not let Pierce County continue to be ignored. It’s time we get the recognition we deserve.” If elected county executive, Bunney said he will emphasize the value of personal responsibility. He likened good government to a family that doesn’t buy a new car every year and foregos name-brand drugs when generic drugs are available. “Those principals need to be brought back to government,” Bunney said. Bunney said the county can do more to provide recreational and other services to families. And he said he would develop performance standards to hold county departments accountable. He said the county’s building permit process is “a clear example of where citizens need to know the hoops we’re requiring them to hop through make common sense. I don’t think they make common sense today.” Bunney has served on the County Council since 2002. He represents council District 1, which includes Buckley, Graham, Sumner and other eastern and southern Pierce County communities. Prior to his election to public office he was a staff attorney and research analyst for the council. He has been involved in numerous local and regional government groups and serves as chairman of the Regional Transportation Investment District board, the tri-county organization that developed the roads part of the transportation package on last month’s ballot.
Categories: Pierce County, Campaign news
Posted by Hunter George @ 01:00:51 pm
Les Blumenthal in our D.C. bureau listened to a teleconference today with Sen. Patty Murray about veterans' issues. He sent this dispatch:
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 11:24:10 am
The makeup of the Ruston Town Council received an early make-over Monday when three of the five council members resigned. A new Ruston blog, Ruston Home, is reporting today that council members Mary Joyce, Del Brewer and Bob Pudlo all quit last night. Joyce and Brewer were leaving at the end of the year, but Pudlo still had two years left in his term. The council appointed Bradley Huson and Jim Hedrick to replace Joyce and Brewer. Huson and Hedrick won elections in November, and were scheduled to take office in January. The council appointed Dan Albertson to replace Pudlo. Albertson lost to Hedrick by eight votes last month.
Categories: Tacoma, Campaign news
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Posted by Hunter George @ 05:50:33 pm
The prospect of an extra term as county auditor apparently wasn't enough to keep Pat McCarthy out of the race for Pierce County executive. The two-term auditor sent an e-mail to media outlets at 4:57 p.m. today announcing her decision to run for executive next year. She's the second Democrat in the increasingly high-profile race, along with a Republican and an independent. "Pierce County needs an executive with actual experience running a large, complex organization," McCarthy, 53, said in the e-mail. "I’ve managed a diverse department with 55 permanent employees and hundreds of temporary employees serving over 400,000 registered voters as well as thousands of citizens who rely on quality licensing and recording services. No one else in this race has those qualifications or my level of experience." Two members of the Pierce County Council - Calvin Goings and Shawn Bunney - also are seeking the post being vacated by two-term Democrat John Ladenburg, who's prohibited by term limits from running again. Earlier this year, the council - in what was viewed by observers as an enticement to keep her out of the race - put a county charter amendment on last month's ballot that extends term limits for the auditor to three terms. Voters approved the change. Tacoma City Councilman Mike Lonergan announced last month that he'll run for the executive post as an independent. Before being elected as auditor, McCarthy also served as an elected member of the Tacoma School Board for 12 years and was an administrator for the University of Washington Tacoma. She has scheduled a campaign kickoff Feb. 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Joeseppi's Restaurant at N. 21st and Pearl Street in Tacoma. She said dignitaries will include former Pierce County executives Joe Stortini and Booth Gardner (who's also a former governor). For more information, e-mail the campaign at PeopleforPatMcCarthy2008@live.com. UPDATE: Of course, in our amateur, arm-chair analysis, we failed to note that McCarthy didn't face an either-or decision. She was elected to her second term as auditor a year ago, and she just told me that she intends to keep the post while campaigning for executive. So if she loses the race for executive, she'll still be auditor until 2010 (when she can consider seeking a third term). To see the bio she included with her campaign announcement, click below.
Categories: Pierce County, Campaign news
Posted by Hunter George @ 04:04:53 pm
What happened in 1996? Yes, McDermott has managed to drag the case out for a decade. Now it's over. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal. The full story from The Associated Press follows.
Categories: Congress, Campaign news
Posted by Jason Hagey @ 01:27:37 pm
Tacoma's new finance director comes with a glowing report from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The newspaper wrote a profile of Bob Biles back in 2001, not long after he became Little Rock's finance director. 
This was the headline: "Finance chief seeks 'monotony'; LR finds steady hand to run office hurt by turnover, wrangling." And this was the lead paragraph: "With Bob Biles' slight smile and lulling voice, it's a little like having Mr. Rogers as Little Rock's finance director." And here was a quote from Biles used in the story: "I want to get to that state where it's dull, predictable and exemplary. We turn out statements every month and the numbers are right on time and it's just monotony." Calling the director of a city's finance department boring is almost always a compliment. When told Friday about the Little Rock paper's description of his new hire, Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson positively beamed. The trait was especially in demand in Little Rock when Biles arrived. The city was on its fourth director in five years, forecasting a $3.4 million budget deficit, and still dealing with the after-effects of a previous director who reportedly invested some city funds illegally. Biles grew up in a small town in Kansas and graduated from Pittsburgh State University, according to the Democrat-Gazette article. He started his career as a CPA in Kansas City and worked as finance director in Fort Scott, Kan. He also worked as finance director of two other Kansas cities, Pittsburgh and Salina, before moving to Bryan, Texas where he was director of support services. He starts Jan. 14 in Tacoma.
Categories: Tacoma
Posted by Joe Turner @ 10:48:02 am
Katharine Lister is taking a "well-deserved vacation" and turning over her duties as U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell's press secretary to Ciaran Clayton. Clayton, who pronounces her name "Kirin, like the beer," used to be Rep. Brian Baird's top flack. She sent out a notice to reporters last Friday.
Categories: Congress, Campaign news
Posted by Joe Turner @ 10:43:24 am
State lawmakers took care of a few housekeeping items while they were in Olympia for a one-day special session last week. Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, was chosen by his fellow House Democrats as speaker pro tempore. That's the person who fills in at the rostrum, overseeing the House while House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, is meeting with lobbyists, other lawmakers, the governor or constitutents. Morris got the job because Rep. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, got himself elected Snohomish County sheriff last month and will be resigning soon. Morris' backup will be Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver. House Republicans also made a leadership change. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, was chosen as Republican floor leader. He replaces David Buri, R-Colfax, who resigned Nov. 1 to take a job as a Eastern State University's lobbyist. They will take over their new jobs on Jan. 14, the first day of a 60-day regular session.
Categories: Legislature, Campaign news
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