We reported earlier this week that "Inside the EPA" claims Republican presidential candidate John McCain will visit Washington (and Oregon) either May 12 or May 13 to talk about the environment.

The tip came from a Democrat(ic operative), who skewered McCain for not supporting the Boeing tanker deal and then dished it out to gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi for not believing in global warming.

So, is McCain coming? Well, I've got his local campaign contact on speed dial, but he hasn't found time to return my calls over the past two or three days.

I Googled it and I found something promising: McCain plans campaign swing to Northwest. The only problem is that this report links back to our blog.

So there's your update: I don't know anything more, but now that it's been on the internet three times, it must be true.

This isn't exactly a vote of confidence in Jean Marie Christenson, who jumped into the race to run against incumbent Rep. Jim McCune, R-Graham, in 2006. The Democrats couldn't find a candidate back then, so they let her run and she gave him a scare by getting more total votes in the closed Democratic primary than McCune got in the closed Republican primary.

But now, the House Democrats have found their guy.

Chuck Collins, owner of Allied Electric in Bellevue (moving to Yelm), was recruited by Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, who is part of House leadership. Obviously, House Speaker Frank Chopp and the rest of the Democratic leadership team figure Collins will have a better shot at unseating McCune in the 2nd Legislative District.

They've promised him money and good campaign staffers. He's the annointed one. Not her.

Maybe the House Democrats were afraid Christenson's being a "Ram-ster" would be a liability in a campaign. She is a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightment, which follows the teachings of a 35,000-year-old warrior, channeled by J.Z. Knight.

Notwithstanding that, her platform sounded awfully Democratic last time around. And Christenson is not bowing out. She got a late start in 2006, but she's been campaigning for nearly 2 years.

Here is Collins' announcement:

For Immediate Release
April 24, 2008

Collins Announces Bid for State Representative

(Yelm) Chuck Collins announced today that he will seek election to the Washington State House of Representatives Position Number 1 in the 2nd Legislative District. Collins, a Democrat hopes to oust Republican incumbent James McCune.

=> Read more!

You just know the National Reublican Senatorial Committee is loving every minute of comedian-author Al Franken's tribulations with the Internal Revenue Service.

He's been a thorn in Republican sides almost since is days on Saturday Night Live. Book like his 1996 "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" tend to get you there.

I've been on the NRSC e-mail list for several years now, and this might be the first news release I've bothered to post.

Here's an excerpt:

Franken, according to the Associated Press, "said Tuesday he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states dating to 2003." Franken was talking about "the years in question" -- referring, presumably, to the news that Franken failed to pay income taxes in California from 2003 to 2007. (Associated Press, 4/29/08)

Does Al Franken really expect voters to believe that if he failed to pay income taxes from 2003 on, he was paying income taxes correctly up to 2003?

If not for the NSRC, I wouldn't have known Franken is running for U.S. Senate in his home state of Minnesota. We don't usually cover Minnesota politics. Oh wait. I mean, not since Jesse Ventura.

=> Read more!

I've spent a lot of time today trying to figure out the best (and most feasible) way to get some of the information and resources I learned last weekend out to everyone. (Background: When my third grade teacher returned from a conference, she was a little nicer and had some new paper craft ideas for the next few weeks, but that was about it. I'm trying not to replicate that.)

That said, here's the political equivalent to a woven paper heart: This web site from the Sunlight Foundation allows you to find out what earmarks are coming our way. Type in your ZIP code to find out what bacon is in your neighborhood. Or scroll across the country to see how we rate.

You can mouse over each dollar sign to find out the basics – what, where, how much and to whom.

Have fun, tell me what you find and stay tuned.

Update: If you want to take it a step further, here's your chance! I got an e-mail from Gabriela Schneider, spokeswoman for the Sunlight Foundation. She pointed me to two very cool sites related to earmarks.

The first is Earmark Watch, which lists some 3,000 appropriations submitted this year. Create an account, search for earmarks, then help them find out – "Are members using earmarks to meet pressing needs? Reward political supporters? Are they good public policy, or vehicles for pure pork?"

The second is this map, aptly titled "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words." It maps earmarks using Google Earth.

OK, now tell me what you learn!

I know Will Roehl from the Fish and Wildlife Commission, and also because he is husband of state Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham.

If you're going to get appointed to a board or commission in state government, growth management hearings board is the one to get. Not many pay a real salary, and the hearings board jobs pay the most, or close to it. It's more than $95,000 a year.

Governor Gregoire appoints Will Roehl to Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the appointment of Will Roehl to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, effective June 1, 2008. The appointment expires June 30, 2014.

Growth Management Hearings Boards determine if local policy choices or actions comply with the goals and requirements of the Growth Management Act.

Roehl, 60, is an attorney in Whatcom County. He will replace Margery Hite of Bow who resigned to take another position.

=> Read more!

I write stories about this every couple years. Last time, we asked our readers to sort out a list of bills that were introduced by the Youth Legislature and their Adult counterparts.

It's not as easy as you might think.

Check out the list of alumni, further down in the news release.

Media Contact
Janelle Nesbit, Executive Director,
YMCA Youth & Government
T: (360) 357-3475
C: (253)370-1757
Email: youthandgovexec@qwest.net

Teens Planning Take Over of Capitol

YMCA Youth & Government Presents the 61st session of the Youth Legislature

OLYMPIA, Wa. – After the gavel smashes in Olympia next week, it will be the state’s teenagers, not elected officials, cutting deals in the halls of the state legislature. The regular session has adjourned and a new generation of leaders is moving in; the YMCA’s 61st Youth Legislature.

More than 425 teenagers from 30 school and youth delegations across Washington will descend upon the state capitol from April 30th-May 3rd proposing bills in House and Senate Chambers, debating current issues, and passing legislation that will become permanent record. Youth Legislature is part of the YMCA’s Youth & Government Program.

=> Read more!

Simpson's campaign issued this news release:

Statement by State Representative Geoff Simpson (LD 47)
This is an unfortunate situation for everyone involved. The end of a
marriage is an emotional and trying time for any family, and mine is
no exception.
As a firefighter and first responder, I have witnessed the reality of
domestic violence and provided care for many victims.
As a state legislator, I remain strongly in support of erring on the side
of protecting potential victims with our laws and their enforcement –
even when, in situations like mine, it can result in unwarranted
charges. I am confident that once the facts come to light I will be
exonerated.
I believe in our justice system and will continue to cooperate fully as
this situation is resolved.

The story first broke on Horsesass.org, which reported that state Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, has been arrested on a domestic violence charge.

The Web site correctly points out that Simpson is a progressive Democrat (that means really liberal) in a swing district. Legislative races in the 47th District are always pretty close, sometimes cliffhangers.

I've left a message for Simpson, but no word back directly from him.

Keep in mind that Sen. Linda Evans Parlette is a Republican from Wenatchee in a Legislature dominated by Democrats. And that isn't likely to change this fall.

And Democrats don't like the photo I.D. requirement, even if the Supremes say it's legal to do.

Here's the good senator's news release:

Sen. Linda Evans Parlette (360) 786-7622

Parlette will again sponsor bill to require photo ID to vote at polls
Supreme Court ruling gives Washington the green light to protect integrity of voting process, she says

OLYMPIA… Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this week upholding an Indiana state law requiring photo identification for in-person voting, Sen. Linda Evans Parlette has announced that she will again sponsor a bill to require Washington voters to provide photo ID when voting at the polls.

=> Read more!

Initiative guy Tim Eyman has sent out an urgent message to supporters asking for help retiring a loan he took out now that his main backer Mike Dunmire has cut him off.

Here's is Tri-City Herald political reporter Chris Mulick's take on the story.

Former state Rep. Randy Dorn, once a high school principal and now head of the second-largest public school workers' union, is expected to announce this week that he's running for the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

I've got a call into Dorn, who was very busy in Olympia this past session trying to get more money for the kitchen help, bus drivers and computer folks who work for public schools and colleges in Washington. We've been playing telephone tag for the past 5 or 6 days.

UPDATE: Dorn never called me back, but here's the announcement on the union's Web site.

Dorn has been executive director of the Public School Employees of Washington since December 1999. The union represents 26,000 K-12 and college employees, second to the 81,000-member Washington Education Assocation, which has the teachers and certificated workers in its ranks.

PSE is now affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, which makes it part of a pretty large group of public sector workers, and part of a rabble-rousing union. They're even more militant than the WEA.

Dorn was a Democrat from Eatonville when he was in the Legislature. He got dumped in the 1994 Republican Revolution.

The OSPI race is getting pretty interesting. You have longtime incumbent Terry Bergeson, who is running for a fourth term. You have Rich Semler, superintendent of the Richland School District. And now Dorn.

The WEA is backing Semler. Presumably, the PSE will back Dorn. And since OSPI is a non-partisan office, the primary election has been a "Top Two" for a long time. In the past, Bergeson has garnered more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, so the race was decided then. That won't happen this time. It probably will be Bergeson and either Dorn or Semler in the November general election.

Here's part of the Dorn bio I got from the PSE:

Prior to (1999) he was a motivational speaker and traveled extensively lecturing on school to work programs. He has served as a Government Information Specialist for Educational Testing Service since 1997.

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire visited Community Montessori in Tacoma this morning to receive the endorsement from the SEIU. The event was short and sweet: Gregoire toured the facility, then joined about 30 union members to accept the endorsement.

CathyRaye Hyland, director of the childcare center, said they didn't tell the children who was coming to visit today. When Gregoire was there, they didn't bother letting them know who the purple-jacketed visitor was, either. Hyland told me the kids (only the young ones were left at that point) probably wouldn't know what a "governor" is anyway.

In Gregoire's brief remarks, she said promised not to let down the childcare and healthcare workers gathered. She also said Washington is "one of the bright stars in early childhood education."

The second-lowest bidder in Tacoma's (second) re-bid of the Broadway Local Improvement District (LID) is protesting the recommended awarding of a contract to the low bidder, Wm. Dickson, Inc.

Active Contstruction, Inc. has requested a quasi-judicial hearing before the City Council, according to City Manager Eric Anderson's weekly report to council members.

The hearing is scheduled for tonight's City Council meeting.

Active Construction argued that Wm. Dickson did not propertly comply with certain electrical construction pre-qualification requirements, and did not meet state law, according to Anderson's report.

The city's Contracts and Awards Board disagreed and voted 3-1 in favor of recommending award to the low bidder.

If the City Council agrees with the Contracts and Awards board, it can go ahead and approve a $10.9 million purchase resolution at tonight's meeting, clearing the way for construction to begin.

The LID -- which has had a difficult history -- will pay for a make-over of streets, sidewalks and utilities, which is aimed at creating a cohesive urban village.

UPDATE: After listening to arguments from attorneys representing both Active Construction and Wm. Dickson, as well as an assistant city attorney, the City Council voted unanimously to concur with the Contracts and Awards and awarded the contract to Dickson.

I'm back -- I was on vacation, then in L.A. for a fellowship at the Knight Center for Digital Media.

I've posted a few things about what I learned, but it would take a few hundred pages to go over everything.

Some of what I learned will pop up on the blog and in print in the coming months.

Others ... maybe never.

=> Read more!

It wasn't quite a no-confidence vote, but it was close. The Community Council of Tacoma took a vote last week and decided it was "losing confidence" in the ability of Metro Park Tacoma board members to manage the park district.

Bill Garl, Community Council chairman, delivered the news to board members in a brief letter yesterday. It read:

Dear Commissioners:

At our April 24, 2008 Community Council meeting, members passed the following motion:

The Community Council of Tacoma, representing the eight Neighborhood Councils, are informing MetroParks Board of Commissioners and upper management that we are losing confidence in your ability to manage and represent the best interests of the citizens of the district.

The letter doesn't state a reason, but the move was foreshadowed two weeks ago when citizens vented at board members during a meeting where members agreed to accept voted a controversial report outlining potential ways for the district to bring in more money.

Ginny Eberhardt, chairwoman of the West End Neighborhood Council, alluded to increasing public interest in either a no-confidence vote in the park board, a recall of the park board commissioners, or a transfer of the park system to the City of Tacoma.

Now comes the "losing confidence" vote.

The News Tribune's editorial board chided the parks board for not doing more to involve citizens, prompting a reply from park board members Victoria Woodards and Ryan Mello.

Surprising no one, the SEIU has announced it will endorse Gov. Chris Gregoire for governor.

She'll meet in Tacoma tomorrow with leaders of the Community Montessori Day Care, then tour the place before the official endorsement press conference at 9:30 a.m.

The union represents about 100,000 childcare and healthcare workers across the state.

So I've been gone for a bit, but did everyone else in the world know that John McCain will be visiting the state in two weeks?

From "Inside the EPA"

Monday, May 12, 2008- Tuesday, May 13, 2008
MCCAIN
MCCAIN in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR: McCain will attend events in
Portland and Seattle to promote his longstanding efforts to combat
global warming.

We don't have any more details, but I'll work on it. (Or, if I discover that this is old news, I'll quickly move on to something else.)

With Pierce County departments looking to cut 1.5 percent of spending this year and 3 percent next year, County Council spending on a host of community programs and projects is drawing fire.

Lumped together in the budget as “miscellaneous current expenses,” these include such items as $5,000 for the African American Oral history Project, $300,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound and $1,310 for the World Affairs Council. The line item also includes some government services, like $665,980 for the Rainier Communications Commission, which broadcasts council meetings and other county programming.

Altogether, the county budget includes $6.2 million in miscellaneous current expenses this year. Midland resident Stacy Emerson has posted the complete list here.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer’s pet peeve is the $15,000 for the TCC Friendship Garden. He says it makes no sense to pay for such projects when the Sheriff’s Department may be forced to cut spending on public safety.

“Crime victims can go to the garden and meditate and come to peace about being relieved of their worldly possessions,” Troyer said.

=> Read more!

Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, is meeting with constitutents on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Read on:

Sen. Mike Carrell to host 28th Legislative District town hall meetings

OLYMPIA…Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, will host three town hall meetings next week to listen to constituents about their concerns and talk about issues facing the Legislature.

The first town hall will be held Tuesday, April 29, at University Place City Hall in the Town Hall Room. The address is 3715 Bridgeport Way West, University Place, and the town hall begins at 7 p.m.

=> Read more!

Michael Ennis at the Washington Policy Center (he's the transportation director) brought to my attention these excerpts from the Sound Move plan that was adopted on May 31, 1996:

Future phases
Voter approval requirement
The RTA Board recognizes its authority to fund Sound Move's future operations, maintenance and debt service as well as any future phase capital program through a continuation of the local taxes initially authorized by the voters. However, in its commitment to public accountability, the RTA Board pledges that any second phase capital program which continues local taxes for financing will require approval by a vote of those citizens within the RTA District.
Sales tax rate rollback
Should voter approval for a future phase capital program not be forthcoming, the RTA Board will initiate two steps to roll
back the rate of sales tax collected by the RTA.
First, the RTA will first initiate an accelerated pay off schedule for any outstanding bonds. Second, the RTA will implement a tax rollback to a level necessary to pay the accelerated schedule for debt service on outstanding bonds, system operations and maintenance, fare integration, capital replacement, and agency cost.
a. Once all debt is retired, the RTA will implement a tax rollback to a level necessary to pay for system operations and maintenance, fare integration, capital replacement and agency administration.
b. Financial policies review
These Financial Policies will apply to future capital programs. They will be reviewed for applicability prior to any submittal
of a future capital program to the RTA District voters.

"I would not only say that Sound Transit must keep their promise, but since this language was part of the plan that was passed by voters, Sound Transit may be legally obligated to abide," Ennis wrote today in an e-mail to me.

So, as Sound Transit heads toward another ballot measure, I suppose it's fair to ask "How many defeats does it take to indicate that voter approval is not forthcoming?" Proposition 1's defeat was Strike One. Is this a Three Strikes situation?

This next block of type also comes from the 1996 plan:

=> Read more!

James Vaughn, a former Army officer, says he's among a group of veterans who are upset over the war in Iraq and are running for office.

He says he's also an ex-Marine, Navy corpsman and theology student.

He lives in Orting with his fiancee.

Read on:

www.jimvaughnforcongress.com
James E. Vaughn, a former Army Major joins fellow service members in declaring candidacy for US Representative in the 8th Congressional District.

As a result of the US Supreme Court Ruling on Initiative 872, voters no longer have to declare a party and can vote for the most qualified candidate. Therefore, I am declaring myself a candidate and joining forces with ex-service members running for US Congress.
Veterans, angry over Iraq, run for Congress and a potentially unprecedented number of ex-service members running.

The Fighting Democrats a loose knit organization created by DNC Howard Dean, Former DNC Don Fowler and General Wesley Clark, say their military experience could give them the credibility to criticize the war without being dismissed out of hand by the GOP as naive and weak on defense, as the Bush administration has often done.

=> Read more!

With Pierce County facing a $6 million to $7 million revenue shortfall, next month’s County Council budget retreat is shaping up as a somber affair.

The council will meet May 22 to discuss budget priorities for the remainder of 2008 and into 2009. Chairman Terry Lee, R-Gig Harbor, said in past years the council has used the retreat to discuss new spending priorities like opening another jail pod or hiring another Superior Court judge.

This year, with revenue running short, Lee said the discussion is likely to be more about where to cut, not where to spend.

“There are some departments that we hold sacred, especially those that have to do with public safety,” Lee said.

Other departments may not be so lucky.

=> Read more!

Today was the first full day of the Knight Digital Media Conference I'm attending. It's centered around how campaigns are using the internet, how reporters can do the same, and how readers can benefit from this.

It's not an exaggeration to say that my head hurts from all the information we heard today. In short, there's a whole lot going on out there. (Also, this made my head hurt: The New York Times guy told us they have a staff of 25 people whose sole mission is to moderate comments. Yeah, they're part-time ... but 25?!)

On the subject of Congressional race fundraising, Larry Makinson, a campaign finance research consultant, said incumbents usually outspend challengers by 10 to 1.

Not so in Washington's 8th Congressional district this year:

=> Read more!

Lua Pritchard, executive director of the Korean Women's Association, could not attend Monday's meeting of Tacoma's Neighborhood and Housing Committee. But the city's Ric Teasley passed along some talking points about the organization's efforts to purchase the Olympus Hotel. Here's a summary:

• KWA is "about ready" to make a final offer on the building and hopes to close on it as early as this summer, though it might take longer. They hope to begin their project in January. It will include some minor renovations.

• Tenants will be screened and whoever is eligible will remain. As units become available, and if there is a need for transitional space for domestic violence victims and the elderly, "so be it."

• Quantum Property Management will be hired to manage the project.

• KWA hopes to fill the vacant commercial space with an "Asian Cuisine" type restaurant -- "like a 'Dim Sum' type of food."

• Tenants will be served daily by KWA for "social and human services."

If you’ve been wondering how far we’ll stretch the definition of “politics” to attract readers, wonder no longer. Our excuse? If it happens at the state capital, we’re all over it.

For Immediate Release, April 23, 2008
Press Release
Contact: Susan Rohrer, State Capital Museum, srohrer@wshs.wa.gov
360-586-0166

“North America’s Great Ape: the Sasquatch”
Presented by Dr. John Bindernagel
A wildlife biologist looks at the continent’s most misunderstood large mammal.
Book Signing and Public Presentation
WHEN: Saturday, May 3, 2008
TIME: 10 AM to 12 Noon Book Signing; 1 PM Public Presentation
WHERE: State Capital Museum
211 21st Avenue SW
Olympia, Washington 98501
(360) 753 2580
COST: $5 per person for all ages

(Olympia, WA--) The State Capital Museum invites you to a special presentation by author and field researcher Dr. John Bindernagel of British Columbia. He will speak about his more than 30 years of studying Bigfoot. His work highlights some 150 Sasquatch reports and compares them with similar reports of great apes in Africa and Asia. Refining his field of study, Bindernagel has recently focused on the behavior of Sasquatch including its response to human presence. His field work consists of evidence gathered in the mountains of Vancouver Island and the ecological questions surrounding the life of a great North American ape.

=> Read more!

This week (today through Saturday), I'm in Los Angeles at a Knight Digital Media Center fellowship on political reporting. Read more about it here.

My original plan was to share what I learned with the newsroom. But some of you might want to know how campaigns (and reporters) are using the internet, too. So look for updates, story ideas and other tidbits over the next couple of days.

There will also be a blog about it here.

Brent Champaco, who covers University Place for us, passed on this letter the city wrote to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, chairman of the Sound Transit board of directors.

The UP Council wants to see what a comprehensive transit plan looks like, not the King County-centric plan the board is talking about.

The council makes the point that since Proposition 1 included $7 billion for roads in its overall $18 billion package, the plan on the table now goes to the other extreme. Not only does it lop off all the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID) road projects, it also chops off all the light rail stuff for Pierce County.

UP could like to see what an all-transit plan that reaches Tacoma would look like and cost. The board is meeting Thursday in Seattle to talk about what's next for Sound Transit.

A California university professor noticed my article Monday about Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson's ambitious goal of cutting crime in the city by 50 percent in 14 months. He decided to use it as the basis of a class project.

Here's what he wrote:

I saw your article, interesting stuff.

I teach a graduate seminar in Criminal Justice Organization and I gave the article to my students. We decided their final project might be to prepare a draft paper on what they might suggest the administrator would be looking for in terms of implementing such a plan.

They will be contacting people in Tacoma (I imagine you will be among the first!) to gather information on the proposal, then they will try to take a broad view and look to the organizational and other issues that might play on the implementation.

So I wanted to give you a heads up and thank you in advance for whatever help, or steering you might be able to do for them. I have to confess I am a bit out of data on Tacoma, I did some jail population management consulting with Pierce County in the late 80's

Thanks,

Bruce L. Bikle, Ph.D.
Chair, Faculty Senate
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
California State University Sacramento
916 278 6012

I've already heard from one student. I'll try to find out what they come up with and pass it along.

Also, detail about Tacoma's 29 "tactics" for cutting crime and cleaning up the city is available now on the city's Web site. Go to:

http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=786

I was trying find out how much Agriculture Secretary Valoria Loveland was getting paid so I could include her salary in the retirement item I posted earlier this week, and realized I also needed current salaries for the rest of Gov. Chris Gregoire's cabinet.

I figured, why not share it?

I remember when Victor Moore was paid a meager $95,000 a year when he worked for the state House of Representatives. Next time we have lunch, he's buying.

Don't ask me why Liz Luce and Steve Hill make $5 a year more than John Lee, and $1 more than Linda Bremer. Maybe it's merit pay.

The figures are directly from the governor's office. The snarky categories are all mine.

By the way, the governor's salary this year is $163,618, and it will go up to $166,891 on Sept. 1. And that's how much Dino Rossi would make next year if he happens to become governor.

THE "A" TEAM
Office of Financial Management Director VICTOR MOORE, $163,056
Department of Transportation Secretary PAULA HAMMOND, $163,056
Department of Social and Health Services Secretary ROBIN ARNOLD WILLIAMS, $163,056

THE "A-" TEAM
National Guard (Military Department) commander Gen. TIMOTHY LOWENBERG, $151,347
Higher Education Coordinating Board Executive Director ANN DALEY, $151,704
Department of Ecology Director JAY MANNING, $147,000
Department of Corrections Secretary ELDON VAIL, $147,000

FAIR TO MIDDLIN'
Department of Health Secretary MARY SELECKY, $141,549
Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development Director JULIE WILKERSON, $141,549
Department of Fish & Wildlife Director JEFF KOENINGS, $141,549
Department of Information Services Director GARY ROBINSON, $141,549
Deparatment of Revenue Director CINDI HOLMSTROM, $141,549
Department of Personnel Director EVA SANTOS, $141,549
Employment Security Commissioner KAREN LEE, $141,552
State Patrol Chief JOHN BATISTE, $141,552

STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET
Department of Labor and Industries Director JUDY SCHURKE, $139,320
Department of Early Learning Director JONE BOSWORTH, $139,320

ELIGIBLE FOR FOOD STAMPS
Department of Agriculture Director VALORIA LOVELAND, $122,478
Parks and Recreation Commission Director REX DERR, $120,579
Utilities and Transportation Commission Chairman MARK SIDRAN, $120,579
Lottery Director CHRISTOPHER LIU, $120,579
Department of Financial Institutions Director SCOTT JARVIS, $120,576
Department of Retirement Systems Director SANDY MATHESON, $120,576
Department of Veterans Affairs Director JOHN LEE, $120,583
Department of Licensing Director LIZ LUCE, $120,588
Department of General Administration Director LINDA BREMER, $120,587
Health Care Authority Administrator STEVEN HILL, $120,588

PARTTIME WORKER (NO HEALTH COVERAGE)
Liquor Control Board Chairwoman LORRAINE LEE, (at 60%), $56,990

An effort to repeal Pierce County’s domestic partner benefits policy has died before it even got started.

A group called the Cornerstone Foundation was gathering signatures for a ballot measure overturning the county’s domestic partner benefits policy. But it failed to meet Monday’s deadline for submitting the signatures needed to get the measure on the November ballot.

In December the County Council voted to extend health benefits to the domestic partners of county employees. The policy applies both to same-sex and opposite-sex partners.

=> Read more!

Point Ruston LLC, the developer planning to build a mix of residential and commercial buildings on the old Asarco smelter site, wants the City of Tacoma to find a way for it to qualify for the city's multi-family tax exemption.

Loren Cohen, legal affairs manager for the developer, sent a letter to Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma and Councilman Spiro Manthou earlier this month, asking city officials to consider making some changes in the city's code that would allow the project to qualify for the incentive.

Specifically, Cohen wants the city to add language making it clear that an area with existing "or previous" businesses would meet the definition of an "urban center." Although it's vacant now, the property has been the site of numerous businesses for over a century, Cohen wrote, including sawmills and the smelter. From the April 11 letter;

As the City moves through its modifications to the City's Tax Exemption it should surely contemplate adding these 2 words -- which at this point out right disallow the possibility of a tax exemption to the Point Ruston project. When such a code amendment has been adopted, Point Ruston would follow the given procedure to propose a Comprehensive Plan amendment to add the project site as a Mixed Use Center within the city.

At least one council member doesn't support the idea.

=> Read more!

Assuming, of course, that Tim Eyman can get his own measure, Initiative 985, onto the November ballot.

This is kind of a report from the trenches on ballot measures. After all, Eyman is out there with his fellow signature-gatherers and he can see who else is on the streets.

The Death With Dignity people, I-1000, are out there, pushing former Gov. Booth Gardner's assisted suicide measure. The Service Employees International Union is on the streets getting signatures on their proposal for training (believe me, it's about much more than that) because they didn't get their way, even in Frank Chopp's Legislature.

The reason Eyman called The News Tribune was to find out what Sound Transit is up to. Will they have a money issue on the ballot in November?

We won't find out until July, I told him. True, Sound Transit is meeting Thursday in Seattle to talk whether to keep forging ahead with a smaller version of the $18 billion Proposition 1. You know, the one that went down in flames last November.

Seattle wants it. After all, it's Seattle's subway.

Back to Eyman. He said the I-985 campaign has raise $290,000, with $220,000 coming from sugar daddy Mike Dunmire.

"We're rocking and rollin' and excited about how the initiative is coming along," Eyman said.

I don't go to fundraisers, so I don't understand the significance of the various tiers. For instance, here's what Gov. Chris Gregoire's campaign sent out for next Monday's fundraiser with Bill Richardson:

Silver Level: $125
Gold Level: $250
Sponsor: $1,000
Chris’ Crew Member: $3,200
Silver Table Captains Raise $1,250
Gold Table Captains Raise $2,500

I suppose it has to do with how close you get to sit to the governor during the rubber chicken meal. I'm guessing the "Silver Level" is either on an entirely different floor of the Westin Hotel, or in the kitchen with the hired help.

And "Chris' Crew Member" might be at the very same table.

And if you're "Christine's Crew Member" that means you're still working on the 2004 campaign, when our governor went by that name.

I'm thinkin' we in the Olympia press corps don't appreciate just how lucky we are at news conferences. Our Associated Press colleagues David Ammons, Rachel La Corte and Curt Woodward are "crew members" because they get to sit right next to her at every news conference.

From Christine's campaign:

In November 2008, every vote will count and every dollar will count. We need your support now.

Please join us as we kick off the Governor’s re-election campaign with special guest Governor Bill Richardson.

Over the last four months, Gov. Chris Gregoire has been hard at work getting results for the people of Washington.

=> Read more!

The outcry you’ll be hearing from the County-City Building soon is from anguished department heads forced to trim budgets as Pierce County struggles with a multi-million dollar revenue shortfall.

County Executive John Ladenburg has directed departments to search their budgets for cuts of 1.5 percent this year and 3 percent in 2009. He’ll then prioritize the cuts. Some departments may get cut more, while others may be cut less.

Budget director Pat Kenney outlined the county’s troubles in an April 18 memo. The highlights:

=> Read more!

Just a reminder that Danish architect and lecturer Lars Gemzoe is speaking at today's Tacoma City Council study session.

The meeting has been moved from its usual location to the City Council chambers so that TV Tacoma can air it live. It also will be streamed over www.tvtacoma.com.

According to the city, the council will hear a presentation and discuss how to develop public spaces within the city into vital community places. That includes the under-used Tollefson Plaza.

City Manager Eric Anderson and Councilman Jake Fey met Gemzoe last year when they traveled to Europe and came away impressed.

Gemzoe is the co-author of "New City Spaces, Strategies and Projects," and "Public Spaces, Public Life." He is a senior consultant and associate partner of Gehl Architects, and a senior lecturer of urban design at the Center for Public Space Research at the the School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

The study session begins at noon.

Vincent Stewart, a Democrat running for the Pierce County Council seat held by Republican Dick Muri, will kick off his campaign Wednesday. Details below:

Democratic challenger Vincent Stewart will Kick-off his campaign to represent District Six on the Pierce County Council on Wednesday, April 23 from 5-7:30 PM.

=> Read more!

After a spirited discussion, the Tacoma City Council appeared to agree at last week's Committee of the Whole meeting to not mess with the spelling of either Laurel Lane or Laural Lane.

It started when a resident of South Laural Lane alerted Mayor Bill Baarsma to the fact that Laurel Lane north of Sixth Avenue is spelled one way, and Laural Lane south of Sixth Avenue is spelled a different way. He wrote:

I believe that the mistake took place back when the land was originally platted as city records indicated the name was different from the very beginning.

The author said the difference is "confusing to many" and asked officials to change the spelling of South Laural Lane.

=> Read more!

Former Democratic Gov. Gary Locke appointed Valoria Loveland to the Agriculture Department not long after she was defeated in her bid for reelection to the state Senate from Pasco.

Sen. Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, the Republican minority leader, is the one who beat her. Loveland had to run for reelection with the record of a downtown Seattle Democrat, which doesn't fly real well in Franklin County. Loveland was chief budget writer for the Senate Democrats when they had the majority and she wrote a budget that Seattle liberals could live with, but not Eastern Washington moderates.

Anyway, governors tend to take care of their own, especially after they take one for the team. She got appointed to a high-paying job in Locke's administration (higher than $40,000 a year as a senator) and then reappointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Give Loveland credit: She served longer than the minimum of 2 years, which is all you need to have your retirement benefits based on your highest salary in the past 5 years.

Even so, her retirement will be based on her final $122,478 a salary.

I've got a call into the state Department of Retirement Systems to see how her pension will be computed.

Read the full news release from the governor's office.

Agriculture Director Loveland to retire
Gov. Gregoire lauds Loveland’s years of public service

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced that Valoria Loveland, director of the Washington state Department of Agriculture (WSDA), is retiring.

=> Read more!

Ruben Cedeno has been with the prison system since 1989. He's leaving in June.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2008

Cedeño to retire as director of Washington’s prisons

OLYMPIA – Ruben Cedeño, who arrived in the United States alone as a 16-year-old Cuban refugee and became director of Washington’s prison system, will retire in June.

“It will be my last shift change,” Cedeño said, referring to the time in prison when offenders are placed in their cells to be counted and corrections officers on duty stand down to make way for a new shift.

=> Read more!

Remember those tough new geoduck regulations the Pierce County Council approved in October? They still haven’t gone into effect.

The holdup? The state Department of Ecology.

The council unanimously voted to ban geoduck farming in densely populated areas near Gig Harbor and to restrict future geoduck operations in rural areas. In an effort to limit pollution, the council also required growers to pay up to $1 per plastic growing tube to guarantee timely removal of growing gear.

But none of that has happened yet because the county must some concerns of the Department of Ecology, which must give its final approval.

=> Read more!

The state Department of Ecology will accept public comment through May 20 on Tacoma's proposed building height amendment on the Thea Foss Waterway.

In December, the City Council approved proposed changes in shoreline regulations to allow building up to 180 feet.

The proposal would allow a tall and skinny approach dubbed a "tower/podium" building form that includes measures designed to preserve "view corridors" between buildings.

City officials say it's an attempt at balancing public access to the shoreline with private views, and proponents of the approach say it's necessary for development of land north of the Murray Morgan Bridge.

Opponents say that taller buildings on the shoreline will block views of Commencement Bay and Mount Rainier, even with the attempts at providing view corridors between towers.

In 2004, the City Council approved a change from 100 to 180 feet at the behest of developers. But the change also needed approval from the state Department of Ecology, and the city withdrew its application after hearing concerns that they didn't spend enough time considering what the project would do to views.

From the Department of Ecology:

Public Comment Period: Tacoma
Limited Amendment to City of Tacoma Shoreline Master Program
Allow an alternative development option for buildings with a maximum height of 180-feet on two development sites (Sites 10 and 11) located in the southern portion of Zone 1 on the west side of the Thea Foss Waterway and north of the Murray Morgan Bridge. Foss Waterway Height Regulations

Location: Tacoma, WA
Sponsor: Dept of Ecology
Shorelands & Environmental Assistance
Contact: Van Zwalenburg, Kim
(360) 407-6520 / kvan461@ecy.wa.gov

The Realtors made their other endorsements for statewide offices last week.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 21 , 2008
Washington Realtors announce endorsements for two statewide races

OLYMPIA — The Washington Association of REALTORS®, the state’s largest professional organization of 25,000 members, announced two endorsements for statewide races today. The announcement is made following interviews of the candidates by a 17-member Statewide Candidate Interview Team. The endorsements are:
Michael Kreidler, Insurance Commissioner
Terry Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction

=> Read more!

Pennsylvania beer drinkers apparently can't decide between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - sort of the political version of the historic tastes-great/less-filling debate.

As part of a phone survey taken before the latest Democratic primary, McClatchy Newspapers, MSNBC and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked 625 likely voters what they were going to do Tuesday and why.

Overall, Clinton leads 48-43 – within the poll's 4 percent margin of error.

But beneath the overall numbers are these little pearls – Clinton leads among women, whites, Catholics and Jews as well as hunters, bowlers and gun owners.

Obama leads among blacks, voters under 35, Protestants and those looking for change or honesty. They split the beer-drinker vote 44-44.

Here's a longer story about the poll.

Despite his failed bid to become a Republican candidate for Pierce County executive, Mike Lonergan says he's staying in the race:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2008
CONTACT: Mike Lonergan (253) 759-3252
EMAIL people4mikelonergan@nventure.com

Following is a statement by Mike Lonergan, independent candidate for Pierce County Executive. It may be freely
quoted or excerpted as you wish, or call the number above with further questions.

"The dust has settled from last week's bruising convention battle, which kept me off the Republican ticket by just
one vote. I thank the many people who have urged me--for many good reasons--to contest the election process
and its outcome. However, after prayerfully considering the situation, I conclude that I am in a far stronger
position as an Independent candidate than I was before the convention.

=> Read more!

From Les Blumenthal in our D.C. bureau:

Among the flood of Friday afternoon e-mails is one from the Washington State Democratic Party accusing Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert of trying to hide his latest effectiveness rating.

It seems Sheriff Dave has changed his Web site, which for months touted a rating showing him being the second most effective House member from Washington state during his first term. But according to the Democrats, sometime earlier this month that reference was dropped from his Web site. Reichert is now listed by congress.org as the least effective Washington state member and 401st out of the 439 House members.

State Democratic Chairman Dwight Pelz was quick to pounce.

"Aside from the occasional earmark, Republican Dave Reichert has accomplished next to nothing after more than three years in office," Pelz said, in a backhanded slap at Reichert’s recent decision to no longer seek congressional earmarks.

Reichert's site continues to tout his position as the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee’s intelligence, information sharing and terrorism risk assessment subcommittee, even though this is just his second term.

"We are grateful the Washington State Democratic Party noticed we have re-launched our Web site,” said Mike Shields, a Reichert spokesman. "We have an exciting new Web site and we hope everyone will visit davereichertforcongress.com.

"That’s all I have to say."

To put this in some perspective, keep in mind that the party in control sets the agenda, which affects the ratings. The Republicans were in control of Congress when Reichert received his high rating. Now Democrats are in control.

Here's how congress.org ranks the entire Evergreen State delegation:

Senator/party/rank in Senate:
Patty Murray, D, 21
Maria Cantwell, D, 48

Representative/party/rank in House:
Norm Dicks, D, 22
Jim McDermott, D, 39
Jay Inslee, D, 72
Brian Baird, D, 212
Rick Larsen, D, 236
Adam Smith, D, 258
Doc Hastings, R, 301
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R, 356
Dave Reichert, R, 401

Here's the explanation of how the group calculates the rankings.

Just got an e-mail from Janet Matkin, toll communications manager for the state Department of Transportation.

Joe,

Thought you would like to know that we're delaying opening HOT lanes by one week. It will now be Saturday, May 3, instead of April 26. They were supposed to start putting down the second stripe in the lanes last weekend, but the weather hasn't cooperated. And, since they're predicting rain and snow for the next week, it doesn't look promising then either. A news release will be coming out later this afternoon, but thought you might want an early heads up.


Janet Matkin
Tolls Communication Manager
WSDOT
3214 50th St Ct, NW
Building D, Suite 302
Gig Harbor, WA 98335-8583
(253) 534-4660
matkinj@wsdot.wa.gov

Here's the most recent story I wrote about the project.

The NBA voted today to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City. TNT reporter Eric Williams is in New York and will have coverage throughout the day.

Gov. Chris Gregoire immediately issued the perfunctory "it's a sad day for fans" statement.

"This is a sad day for basketball fans across Washington state. The Sonics have a proud, storied 41-year history in Seattle and, as a sports fan, I am very disappointed with today’s action by the National Basketball Association (NBA) owners to relocate the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

"The owners’ action is especially frustrating in light of recent revelations that Mr. Bennett and his partners were not acting in good faith when they purchased the team and agreed in writing to make every effort to keep the team in Seattle. We now know that was never their intention.

"Despite today’s action, the team’s former owners have announced plans to sue the team’s current owners with the intention of reversing the sale of the Sonics. The City of Seattle also has a pending case to force the current owners to honor their KeyArena lease and keep the Sonics in Seattle.

"Seattle is a great sports city and a great city for professional basketball. I want to thank Sonics fans for their support for the team through the years. Their recent efforts to keep the team in Seattle in recent months have been nothing short of impressive."

State Auditor Brian Sonntag has come a long way for a Pierce County guy. His nearly 16 years in office make him the longest-serving statewide incumbent. And now he's shooting for 20 years.

He's the darling of the conservative radio talk shows. Even Tim Eyman is a fan. Who would have thought insider language like "performance audit" would work its way into everyday lexicon.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag today announced his candidacy for re-election, pledging to continue serving as the taxpayers’ champion to advance government accountability, transparency and responsiveness.

=> Read more!

Several of us spent a fascinating four hours Thursday with 10 Russian journalists who are visiting the Puget Sound region to learn more about investigating corruption.

(Insert "they came to the right place" joke here.)

I came away with an appreciation for the tools that are available to American journalists. Despite the ridiculous number of exemptions to our public records and public meetings laws, our new friends from the Krasnoyarsk region in central Siberia don't have such luxuries. Bribes, harassment and intimidation are part of the way of life over there. The group we met today is working to change that, so they had lots of questions about investigative journalism.

They chatted with Managing Editor Karen Peterson, crime/breaking news editor Randy McCarthy, investigative reporter Sean Robinson, and myself (Public Life editor, overseeing coverage of state and county government).

Their questions were starkly different than the queries we get on a daily basis from South Sound readers. They repeated some questions - saying, "we hear your 'official' answer, but what really happens?" - because they had a hard time believing our answers to questions like these:

=> Read more!

Last year, the state Department of Ecology sent warning letters (it calls them "education" letters) to some 20,000 people.

But the department refuses to give us the list of who got those education letters. That doesn't seem right, does it?

Here's the issue: The Department of Ecology encourages the public to report people who litter. You may have seen the ads promoting the "Litter And It Will Hurt" campaign. You can call a hotline - 866-LITTER-1 (548-8371) - or fill out a form on the agency's Web site. Basically, if you see someone toss a cigarette butt (or anything else) out of a window, you note the vehicle license plate, description of the vehicle, date and time and location.

The state can’t issue a citation since a cop didn’t see it. But Ecology has an arrangement with another state agency, the Department of Licensing, to identify the owner of each license plate that's reported. Then Ecology mails that person a warning a letter that says, in effect, "a fellow citizen saw someone throw litter from a vehicle registered to you; if you’re ever caught in the act, you'll pay a $1,025 fine."

We believe the list of people who get that warning letter from the state should be a matter of public record. The state, after all, has taken an action, even though it's a warning and not an actual citation.

But Ecology won’t give us the names. The agency's public disclosure officer discussed my request with two assistant attorneys general who represent the agency, and they decided that the information is protected by the federal driver privacy law.

Here's what Ecology told us in response to our request:

=> Read more!

From Les Blumenthal in our D.C. bureau:

Eighty degrees, sunny skies, the red bud and dogwoods are in bloom, the Metro is packed with nuns and people carrying pope pennants - it was a perfect day today to discuss Boeing tankers in the Senate swamp.

"I continue to be shocked by the Air Force decision to award a lucrative, taxpayer funded contract to a European company," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. "It’s an insult to our workers."

Thundered Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, "this is not a Democratic issue, this is not a Republican issue, this is an American issue. We can, we must, we shall do better."

Murray, Roberts and their colleagues cranked up the rhetoric over the Air Force decision to use a European plane built by Airbus for its next-generation aerial refueling tankers rather than a Boeing plane built in the U.S. of A. The $35 billion to $40 billion contract for 179 planes was awarded to a team composed of Northrop Grumman and the European Aerospace Defense and Space Co. (EADS). EADS is the parent company of Boeing’s arch-rival Airbus.

Boeing appealed the decision to use an Airbus A-330 rather than its 767 to the Government Accountability Office. While waiting for a decision due early this summer, both sides are engaged in a public relations war.

"We want answers," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. "The decision by the Air Force just doesn’t add up."

Kansas Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt said, "I’m outraged we are outsourcing our national security to the French."

=> Read more!

Someone at the Kirby vacuum cleaner company must have discovered the magic of the Google alert. Soon after we published an article about pet names, Mayor Bill Baarsma received this letter from a PR person.

Dear Mayor Baarsma:

We recently read an article where you named your dog Kirby after our vacuum cleaning system. With your permission, we would like to add this in our next newsletter along with how you settled on Kirby for the name. Everyone here at the company enjoyed hearing the story and we have enclosed some Kirby cleaning products for you and something extra for Kirby.

Baarsma wrote back:

What a delightful surprise to receive the package of Kirby products as a result of an article in our local Tribune. My wife and I did a "double take" when we opened your letter and saw what appeared to be our dog's own personal letterhead! And, of course, as mayor, it pleases me that Tacoma gets noticed so far away.

The letter goes on to describe Kirby's history as a "pound hound" that Baarsma's wife adopted from the Humane Society. He's 15 now and slowing down, but still able to suck up food from the floor, the mayor writes. More from the letter:

He was two years old and came with the Kirby moniker. But it didn't take long to decide that the name really fit his personality and would not be changed. Kirby's high energy and ability to clean every little crumb off the kitchen floor nailed it. If bits of food drop to the floor, we just call Kirby to clean it up.

So, on the off chance that other PR folks are as vigilant as the Kirby guy, I want to note for the record that I'm planning to name my next dog Porsche and my next cat Arrogant Bastard.

Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri will kick off his re-election campaign at a breakfast April 28. See details below.

DickMuriCampaignKick-Off! Re-electionforPierceCounty CouncilDistrict6

Join Dick for his Campaign Kick-Off Breakfast fund raiser! You are invited to join friends and supporters for a tasty buffet breakfast at the at the Old Country Buffet in Lakewood Town Center as Dick Muri kick’s off his Re-election Campaign for Pierce County Council Member District Six.

Monday April 28
Old Country Buffet
6:30 – 8:00 AM

Doors open will at 6:30 AM for breakfast. Program starts promptly at 7:00 and finishes promptly at 8 AM.

RSVPs greatly appreciated! Please call or e-mail your reservation to DickMuri@aol.com or call 253.581.5609 so we can get an approximate number of attendees for the great cooks at the Old Country Buffet! For those who can not be there but would like to contribute, checks may be made out to Voters for Dick Muri and mailed to 116 Lila Street, Steilacoom, WA 98388-1418. I thank you for your continued support! “My past five years have been a continuing effort for effective and efficient Pierce County government. As chairman of the Pierce County Performance Audit Committee, I’ve helped lead Pierce County to conduct and implement dozens of audits of many county agencies and systems, saving taxpayer dollars and delivering better customer service .” “Taxpayers expect a vigorous process which puts public interests first and honest leaders with the expertise and vigor to make government accountable. I will work to put your safety and prosperity first and will continue to be your independent voice in Pierce County.” Visit Dick Muri’s web site www.DickMuri.com

My apologies to Mark Greene. I got his e-mail Tuesday and forgot to post it here.

Despite his optimism, Greene will have a tough time surviving the "Top Two" primary in August. He would have to finish ahead of incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, Republican, or Democratic challenger Darcy Burner.

Here's Mark's news release:

From: C. Mark Greene
Independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives
8th District, Washington (Bellevue, Eastern King and Eastern Pierce Counties)

To: Joe Turner, Tacoma News Tribune

Announcement/News Release from the Party of Commons:

C. Mark Greene, chairman of the Party of Commons, is continuing his campaign, started in spring, 2007, for the U.S. House of Representatives office for the 8th Congressional District, and is planning to file his candidacy in time for the "Top 2" Primary.

=> Read more!

I offer the following mostly for entertainment. Apparently, Democratic Party chairman Dwight Pelz really ticked off incumbent Commission of Public Lands Doug Sutherland with one of his remarks in support of Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark.

I first met Sutherland when he was mayor of Tacoma in the mid-80s and I was the city hall reporter. And I knew Doug was a smoke jumper in his youth. In fact, a couple years ago, the governor and Department of Natural Resources officials held a news conference to talk about wild fires in Eastern Washington. Sutherland and Gov. Chris Gregoire had surveyed the burning forests from an airplane.

I asked the DNR guy if Doug was helping out fighting fires, given that he used to be a smoke jumper. The DNR didn't miss a beat: "We keep him in the plane," the DNR guy said of Sutherland, who is now in his 70s.

Here. Read the outrage.

To: Washington Political Reporters
From: Sutherland Campaign

In a year when McCain and Obama are stressing optimism and reaching across party lines, there are still a few who cling to the politics of partisan cheap shots.

Today’s Spokesman-Review reports that “Before becoming lands commissioner, Sutherland was Pierce County’s chief executive ‘where the closest he probably came to a tree was a ceremonial planting of one,’ [State Democratic Chairman Dwight] Pelz said.”

=> Read more!

Funny. I didn't get this news release from the Democratic Party yesterday. Good thing someone forwarded it to me today. Chairman Dwight Pelz has some fascinating stuff to say.

It's true that a Libertarian, Green or other minor party candidate almost never will be among the "Top Two" coming out of the primary election. But who actually believes the Democrats really care?

What they really do care about is not being able to hit up potential campaign donors for more money after the primary election and before the general election. They can't really do that if the Top Two finishers in a particular race are both Democrats, can they?

All this is in reaction to Secretary of State Sam Reed's announcing Wednesday that candidates can indicate their party preference on the ballot. It won't be up to the political parties.

Here's the full release from Democrats:

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kelly Steele

Statement on Sam Reed's "Eliminate Choice" Ballot

SEATTLE – In response to Secretary of State Sam Reed's release of rules regarding I-872, Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz issued the following statement:

"Today, Sam Reed made it official that Washington state has outlawed minor parties.

=> Read more!

OK, this isn't exactly political news. But I'm posting a note from Sandie Andersen because many of you who are the audience for or the newsmakers in this Political Buzz blog know her.

Just like me, you've stopped at the Proctor District Starbucks in Tacoma to get tanked up on coffee for the 38-minute commute to work at the state capital in Olympia. (You know who you are, Charlie, Kristen, Bill, Alex and other lobbyists and staffers.)

Anyway, the Proctor crew last night posted a note from Sandie on their bulletin board, and I copied it to share with you guys.

Signed,
Joe "grande extra room Americano" Turner

Yes, it's me, the barista who gave a kidney to a customer. I'm still at home recovering, but honestly I'm just bored. I read a book about every two days. I walk six blocks and, like a good patient, take a nap!

I do a few things around the house, and then, yes, another nap. I talk with my customer and now friend, Annamarie Ausnes, almost every day. She is doing amazing after surgery, and like me, takes a lot of naps!

Everyone has been so thoughtful with their cards, e-mails, flowers, food and support.

K2 Snowboards hooked me up for next season. The Seahawks saw me in a jersey at the hospital and are sending me a signed football. Life is really wonderful. I have an awesome husband and family, friends and job (soon!)

I can't wait to see you all when I come back to work. One less kidney, but a very full heart.

Love,
Sandie

Her co-workers say Sandie is expected back sometime in May.

Here's the story we published back in February.

Earlier today, as gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi prepared to give a press conference to unveil his transportation plan, some young Democrats were up to no good.

Rossi was speaking at a hotel to tell Spokaners about his plan. The enterprising young things decided they'd make a statement.

And what did they do?

They handed out bologna sandwiches and Kool-Aid. And menus that read like so:

Half Baloney Sandwich: Two deliciously fluffy pieces of bread with a piece of re-processed meat. (Dino's transportation plan is a whole lot of fluff with tired old ideas. It is only a half because his plan doesn't fully fund many projects.)
Rossi Kool-Aid: (to choke down the new taxes (or education cuts) to pay for his plan)
Chocolate Brownie: (Sorry, no brownies today, they were only half-baked…like Dino's plan)

The hotel didn't like it, so they asked the kids to leave. They moved to the sidewalk.

Someone called the cops, who showed up to "ask" them to stop handing things out.

"They offered the officer a sandwich. He declined," says my source. I've e-mailed Rossi spokeswoman Jill Strait to see what the deal is. Maybe the activists weren't so innocent!

Here's a low-quality photo of the suspect the meantime:

Pierce County Democratic Party Chairman Nathe Lawver made it official Tuesday, submitting to the auditor’s office a list of candidates for county offices who can carry the party label on the November ballot. The slate features two races – county executive and council District 2 – with multiple Democrats seeking the same office:

April 15, 2008

Pat McCarthy

Pierce County Auditor
2401 S 35th Street, Room 200
Tacoma WA 98409-7484

Dear Auditor McCarthy,

On April 10, 2008, The Pierce County Democratic Central Committee voted to permit the following candidates to carry the Democratic Party designation for partisan races on the November 2008 Ranked Choice Voting ballot:

Pierce County Executive:
Calvin Goings
Pat McCarthy

County Council:
Carolyn Merrival, District 2
Al Rose, District 2
Bruce Lachney, District 3
Tim Farrell, District 4
Vincent Stewart, District 6

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to give me a call.

Sincerely,

Nathe Lawver
Chairman, Pierce County Democratic Party

From Les Blumenthal, in our DC bureau:

Not that Congress can actually do anything about it, but Washington state’s two senators have asked NBA Commissioner David Stern to delay a vote on relocating the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

Democrats Maria Cantwell, a big-time Mariners fan, and Patty Murray, who styles herself a salmon fisher, sent a letter to Stern saying there needs to be a good faith effort to keep the team in Seattle.

"We believe that attempting to allow a move away from Seattle at this time would be a breach of trust and set a damaging precedent for the NBA," the two wrote.

The senators noted the infamous Clay Bennett e-mails in which Sonics owners indicated they wanted to move the team as quickly as they could, even they publicly said they were working to keep it in Seattle.

"Lengthy litigation should not be the only way that the Sonics can be kept in the city where they were founded," the senators wrote.

While Major League Baseball has an anti-trust exemption Congress can always use for leverage, lawmakers have little control over the NBA. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, has talked about some type of legislative fix, but concluded there isn’t anyway for Congress to stop the Sonics move.

TNT Sonics beat writer Eric Williams is headed to New York for the NBA board's two-day meeting that starts Thursday. He'll post updates on his Sonics Insider blog.

A seemingly ho-hum item on the Pierce County Council agenda has turned into a dust-up between the council and the county executive’s office.

The council on Tuesday unanimously rebuffed County Executive John Ladenburg’s plans to replace two members of the county Board of Equalization – Lucinda Morrison and Richard Kiilsgaard – with two new members, John M. Fife and Thomas C. Boyle.

The board handles property assessment appeals for the county. Under county law, the executive appoints people to various boards and commissions, though the council must approve his appointments.

Both Morrison and Kiilsgaard were eligible for reappointment. Councilman Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, said it’s customary for people to be reappointed if they’re doing a good job. He said he called some of their colleagues on the Board of Equalization, who praised their work.

Muri said it’s not appropriate to replace the incumbents if they’re doing a good job.

Lyle Quasim, Ladenburg’s chief of staff, had a different take. He said the executive’s office thoroughly vetted the candidates and appointed the best-qualified applicants. He said the council’s action will discourage qualified applicants from applying in the future.

“Nobody owns these positions,” Quasim said. “Because you’ve been appointed once doesn’t mean you get reappointed. The council caved. They get a little bit of political pressure and they caved.”

Because the council rejected Ladenburg’s appointments, the incumbents will continue to serve on the Board of Equalization until new members are appointed – and approved by the council.

For more, read the following e-mail exchange between Ladenburg, Board of Equalization member Carl Anderson and Clerk of Superior Court Kevin Stock.

=> Read more!

That's Greg Lane, who's been down here for the past decade.

Greg is leaving the attorney general's office. His new office at TVW is only a block or so away.

Since his background is with Republicans, I'm sure Democrats will start timing how long their speeches are televised, compared to how long their counterparts' remarks are televised.

Personally, I don't expect an imbalance, not from Greg. But maybe he could ask his crews to encounter "technical difficulties" from time to time when certain, long-winded members of the House stand up to speak.

Just a thought, Greg.

For immediate release – April 16, 2008

Greg Lane New President at TVW

Olympia – The TVW Board of Directors has chosen Greg Lane as the new president and chief executive officer of the statewide public affairs cable television network.

=> Read more!

Republicans continue to round out their field of candidates, going after many of the 63 seats now held by Democrats.

Caleb Heimlich is running against Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup. I don't know much about him. He's 22. I sent him an e-mail, asking him if he has a job. Here's what he said in reply:

After graduating from Hillsdale College last May, I worked as a policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which is a grassroots taxpayer education organization located in Washington D.C.
I recently left that job to run for State Representative and plan to devote more than 40 hours a week to door belling and meeting people in the community. I have framed houses in the past and may do that on the side over the summer. My main focus up until the election will be listening to people's concerns and working with residents in the local community to improve state government.

So to directly answer your question, I have temporarily decided to forego steady employment in pursuit of community service.

Here's the news release he sent out:

Caleb Heimlich for State Representative
Bold Ideas for a Brighter Tomorrow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 16, 2008

Heimlich Announces Run for
25th District State Representative

=> Read more!

He's joining a Seattle law firm. Curiously, the news release makes no mention of Brian Weinstein's future in the Legislature.

UPDATE: The news release doesn't. But Weinstein sent out a release on April 7 saying he would leave office after his current term is over.

If you'll recall, Rep. Fred Jarrett of Mercer Island announced late last year that he was switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party and that he would be running for Weinstein's Senate seat this year because Weinstein wasn't seeking re-election.

Well, Weinstein, for whatever reason, was begin coy about whether he would or wouldn't seek reelection. That was in the waning days of the legislative session that ended March 13. Methinks he just wanted to mess with Jarrett's mind. But you never know.

Then there was that incident a couple years ago when he called Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman "an (expletive deleted) peasant" and later said he mistook Postman for an aide to Gov. Chris Gregoire, someone with whom he had the sort of relationship that he could call him a peasant, or so Weinstein said.

That, of course, was news to Scott Merriman, the real peasant who bears a slight resemblance to Postman and still works for the governor.

Anyway, here's the news release:

Weinstein joins Bergman & Frockt law as top litigator

SEATTLE - State Sen. Brian Weinstein, D-Mercer Island, announced today that he has joined the law firm of Bergman & Frockt in the position of senior counsel. Bergman & Frockt is the Northwest's leading law firm dedicated to asbestos and consumer protection cases. The firm handles cases nationwide.

=> Read more!

Read what Chris Mulick of our sister paper, the TriCity Herald, reported.

Mr. Mariner stadium, former Rep. Steve Van Luven, has moved up north and now he's wants to move south in the winter months....well, only as far as Olympia.

Curry, the Tacoma Rescue Mission executive director who ran for Tacoma City Council last fall, said he needs to concentrate on raising money for the mission's planned family center.

Here is what Curry sent to TPU Director Bill Gaines:

To Director Bill Gaines,

This letter is to inform you that I will be stepping down from the Utility Board effective May 15th. I have absolutely loved serving on the board and have the deepest respect and admiration for all the staff and other board members at TPU. However, the Tacoma Rescue Mission is currently in a $9 million capital campaign to build a new center for homeless families and I must devote my time completely to its success.
Please pass on my high praise to your staff and my thanks for the kindness they have shown me in my time on the board.

David Curry

Once the campaign is complete, Curry tells me he will consider future public service.

On April 1, Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed turned over the list of everyone who voted in our state's presidential primary election to the state Democrat and Republican parties. He's required to by law.

That means they know which of you signed a pledge as Democrats and which of you identified yourselves as Republicans. If you're a political party, ya gotta admit that's a pretty handy list to have. You know, what with the presidential election coming this November, and all those other races, too. It's nice to know who the party faithful are. Or at least, who says they are party faithful.

And since that list of 1,221,313 people is a public record, Reed also turned it over to a bunch of other people and groups who asked for it.

Yes, we here at The News Tribune are among those who got the list. So are the Everett Herald and TriCity Herald newspapers.

Others are the Building Industry Association Washington, Washington State Labor Council and the Republican National Committee.

There are some more, but I don't recognize all the names. Perhaps you readers could help out. The others are:

Charlie Crabtree of Bellingham
Michael Plunkett of Edmonds
Byron Dahl of Tumwater
Patricia Excell of Lacey
Nick Lovrich of Pullman
Craig Keller of Seattle

Hmmmm. Wonder if Patricia Excell is any relation to Steve Excell, assistant secretary of state? But then, Steve can look at the list at the office.

Incidentally, here are the results of the Washington Presidential Primary vote.

By the way, the Labor Council requester was Benjamin Lawver. "No, that's not my secret name," said Nathe Lawver, chairman of the Pierce County Democrats. "That's my brother."

“Voters will be thrilled with the Top Two Primary,” said Secretary of State Sam Reed. “Freedom on the ballot is the core of Washington’s political heritage.”

The Secretary of State's office released the language for Aug. 19th's top two primary today. Read on.

Instead of:
JOHN SMITH
Democrat

Ballots will now read:
JOHN SMITH
(Prefers Democratic Party)

Or:

JOHN SMITH
(States No Party Preference)

Did a chill of excitement just go up your spine, too?

Details aren't finalized yet, so this could change in the coming weeks, maybe to something even more exciting.

As you may know, voters passed an initiative in 2004 that would end the practice of sending one candidate from each party to the general election. The parties weren't happy about this because it could mean a candidate from their party may not even make it on the November ballot in some places. It also opens up the voting – meaning members of any political party can vote for anyone else, not just Republicans for Republicans. Scary!

I've got calls in. They will be returned. I will update you.

Ranked-choice voting advocate Kelly Haughton has written some interesting profiles of county executive candidates Calvin Goings and Mike Lonergan on his blog.

Under ranked-choice voting, there will be no primary election for county executive and several other county offices this fall. Instead, all of the candidates will appear on the November ballot, and voters will rank them in order of preference. If no one gets a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the least votes will be eliminated from consideration, and the second choices of that candidate’s voters will be added to the other candidate’s totals. The process of eliminating candidates continues until two remain, and the remaining candidate with the most votes wins.

The new system is affecting the way candidates think about campaigning. Haughton’s articles include these tidbits:

• Goings is working hard to convince voters who support another candidate to make him their second choice. His own second choice for executive? County Auditor Pat McCarthy, a fellow Democrat.

• From Lonergan: “My premise is not to be anyone’s second choice,” he said. “How does a person who’s running on excellence try to be somebody’s second choice? Either you really support that the CEO of the county should be a proven CEO in another venue, or you don’t.”

Read the profiles here.

Voting in next Tuesday’s special elections? Here’s some info on express voting booths from the county auditor’s office.

Tuesday, April 22 is Special Election Day for the City of Sumner and Pierce County Fire Protection Districts No. 1 (Sumner Area), No. 14 (Riverside Fire & Rescue) and No. 22 (East Pierce Fire & Rescue).

Two Express Booths will be open in the Bonney Lake and Sumner areas for ballot drop-off Friday, April 18th through Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Locations are Bonney Lake Fred Meyer, 20901 Highway 410 and Sumner Fred Meyer, 1201 Valley Ave.

Ballot drop-off locations are also available at the County-City Building (2nd floor lobby), at the Annex in the Auditor's Office, and at the Election Center in the Annex West.

Absentee ballots may also be dropped off at any open polling place. A listing is available at http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/aud/elections/main.htm.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, April 22.

Sincerely,
Pat McCarthy
Auditor

If you're looking for contrasts between Dino Rossi and Gov. Chris Gregoire, you'll find lots of them in the transportation arena.

For starters, Rossi's $15 billion transportation plan would provide real money to extend Highway 167 from the Port of Tacoma to Puyallup, but without all the full interchanges. And money for the Cross-Base Highway, too.

Both were top priorities for the Port of Tacoma and the Pierce County business community. They were part of the failed $18 billion Proposition 1. Rossi would pay for those with state money -- not with tax increases in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties.

Of course, his plan to use all that state money has only a snowball's chance in hell unless Rossi also can get himself elected to more than half the seats in the state House and Senate. It would take a Rossi Legislature to get that money.

Democrats would never let him divert $10 billion from the general fund to pay for highway projects. What about schools? What about social programs?

But hey, we're just talkin' contrasts here.

Rossi is setting himself apart from Gregoire and her fellow Democrats.

He's dead-set against early tolling on Highway 520; Gregoire's finance plan allows for it. Rossi wants tolls to end as soon as a project is paid for. Gregoire signed a toll policy bill that would allow tolls to continue forever.

Rossi says no tolls on Interstate 90 bridge. Gregoire's plan would allow tolls on both 520 and I-90 bridges to keep from diverting traffic and to hold down the amount of the toll.

Rossi wants the state to make firmer plans for an 8-lane replacement for the 520 bridge, much to the consternation of the Seattle neighborhoods who don't want the greater impacts of a wider bridge. Gregoire's plan is to keep it small, at first anyway.

Rossi favors a tunnel to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct, not another elevated structure or a surface option. Rossi is mainly trying to sound decisive here, because Gregoire has waffled on how to replace it after Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels threatened to fight the state tooth and nail.

But Rossi won't tell us exactly what kind of tunnel he wants until after he gets elected. Kinda like Gregoire not announcing her choice until after the election. (Not much of a contrast on that score.)

I also can't figure out how Rossi could just take $690 million of Sound Transit tax collections, but I suppose he just has to appear to try.

Overall, you can see Rossi's Eastside roots showing through, de-emphasizing what Seattle wants and spreading more money around King, Pierce counties and the rest of the state.

Here's the release. Please read past the "More" button because there's a link to Rossi's full plan.

For Immediate Release

Rossi Unveils Statewide Transportation Plan

Includes $1.7 Billion for Hwy 167 and $252 Million for Cross-Base Highway

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire and a handful of other elected officials are asking the NBA to block this week's vote to let the Sonics leave Seattle until the dust settles.

What dust? The pesky allegations that they breached contract by not negotiating in good faith. And the planned lawsuit by former owner Howard Schultz (of Starbucks fame).

This is a nice touch in the letter: "The letter cited a breach of contract with the previous ownership group and a breach of faith with fans as prime reasons to postpone the vote."

“I have to believe that if we were negotiating in good faith, there would have been a reasonable chance of getting something done,” Gregoire said. “The current owners never gave us that opportunity.”

Go here for the letter.

And go here for more info on our Sonics Insider blog.

Gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi announced his plan for roads today. From the AP:

Republican governor candidate Dino Rossi is touting a $15 billion transportation plan focused on traffic relief.
The plan is bankrolled by some long-standing Republican ideas, like earmarking 40 percent of the sales tax on cars. But Rossi doesn’t say how he’d make up the money lost from the state general fund.
Democrats say he’d have to raise taxes, or cut government programs.
Rossi’s wish list is topped by highway improvements on traffic bottlenecks, like the Highway 520 bridge and Interstate 405. He also wants more money for ferries and existing road projects, while boosting alternative fuel vehicles and fixing blocked salmon streams.

I'll let Joe, the transportation enthusiast, post about the finer details of the transportation plan (if he's interested, of course).

In the meantime, thoughts?

Metro Parks Tacoma Commissioner Aaron Pointer tried to reassure a skeptical audience Monday that the parks district will include the public before implementing any new, entrepreneurial ideas – such as buying the Goldfish Tavern.

It was one of the lighter moments at the meeting where commissioners unanimously agreed to accept a report by a 16-member Revenue Task Force filled with ideas for generating new park revenue.

People chuckled, anyway. It seemed like he was joking.

But maybe he is on to something. If people don't like the idea of houses at Swan Creek Park or turning land near Cheney Stadium and Metro Parks Headquarters into an urban village, maybe they would go for public ownership of a neighborhood watering hole.

Any other creative ideas for the park district to ponder?

It's Lynn Wallace, former president and chief executive officer of the Puyallup Chamber of Commerce.

State Sen. Jim Kastama of Puyallup is seeking another four-year term.

Read Wallace's news release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wallace Announces Race for State Senator

(PUYALLUP) - Puyallup civic leader Lynn Wallace announced today that she is running for State Senate as a Republican to represent the 25th Legislative District.

“With a looming budget deficit and the legislature already raising our taxes by more than $500 million, I felt it was time that we had someone speaking out for taxpayers, to stop the wasteful government spending,” Wallace said.

=> Read more!

Calvin Goings is using today’s federal income tax deadline to pledge more efficient use of Pierce County property taxes.

The Democratic County Council member and executive candidate announced that, if elected, he’ll streamline services, provide tax relief, promote ethical government and information disclosure and make customer service a top priority.

“Taxpayers are ready for change and a bold new vision for county government," Goings in announcing the initiatives. By insisting on smarter budgeting, strict ethics reforms, and far-reaching customer service improvements - Goings believes Pierce County can regain the trust of taxpayers.”

To read the announcement, read on:

=> Read more!

This just in from reporter Debby Abe:

An astute reader who knows how to divide questioned our math in my story printed Sunday about the Pierce County Republican Party convention held the day before in Lakewood.

The story led off with Tacoma City Councilman Mike Lonergan’s failed bid to win the Republican Party’s endorsement for the November ballot. Under a new rule that came about because of Pierce County’s new “ranked choice” election system, political parties now get to designate who carries their party label for partisan, countywide offices, including Pierce County executive.

To win the GOP endorsement, Pierce County Republican rules called for candidates to receive 40 percent of the tally, plus one more vote, at their county convention. That meant two candidates could carry the Republican label on the ballot, if they each had enough votes. Party delegates could only vote for one candidate Saturday.

Lonergan registered back in November with the state Public Disclosure Commission as an independent. Lonergan, who holds a nonpartisan city council seat, was advised that he could alienate some voters by listing either party. But since filing with the state, he said he’s been asked by Republicans to run under the GOP flag for county executive. Plus, he’s found it tough to get the help of the grassroots supporters he’s had in the past because they feel obligated to campaign for whomever their party endorses in a partisan race.

So, at the convention Saturday, he told party-goers he has long fought for Republican principles, and sought permission to be listed as a Republican.
Meanwhile, Pierce County Councilman Shawn Bunney who had already been campaigning as a Republican candidate, feared having another elephant on the ballot could split his party’s vote.

The “ballots” were blank pieces of 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper, requiring people to write their favored candidate’s name.

Here’s where the math comes in. Shawn Bunney collected 207 votes; Lonergan garnered 138. One person wrote “neither” on the paper. That made a total of 346 ballots cast.

Bunney’s 207 votes divided by 346 equaled 59.82 percent Lonergan’s 138 votes divided by 346 equaled 39.88 percent.

During the editing process, mention of the “neither” ballot was cut from the story.

Incidentally, had that one person decided not to turn in a ballot, Lonergan would have gotten exactly 40 percent - still short of the 40 percent plus one threshold.

I talked to Debra Carnes, spokeswoman for Gov. Chris Gregoire's re-election campaign, last Friday. That's three days ago.

I asked her whether they reached their goal of getting $30,000 in contributions during the bus tour.

Yep, she said. They got $46,000 from April 2-10.

So then why did I just get this e-mail?

On April 2, she set a goal to raise $30,000 by midnight on April 10, the last day of the tour.

More than 300 of you answered that call and donated more than $100,000 online during the first full week of campaigning.

It's possible that $54,000 came in between Friday at 3:41 p.m., when Carnes responded to my e-mail, and Monday... or Sunday night, rather, since the bus tour started last Monday, so a "full week" would only go to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

But I don't know. I'm awaiting a response from Carnes and will update then.

Update: Debra replies, "A lot is now coming in through the website for the Bill Richardson Fundraiser. That wasn't included in the figure I gave you."

Got it. That is a lot. Now I have some questions for Rossi's campaign!

OK, maybe "a sweet new PDC web tool" doesn't sound sweet to anyone else, but here's why you should care: The Public Disclosure Commission is unveiling a new feature (Thursday after their meeting) on their site that will allow you to trace contributions to gubernatorial candidates by county.

They sounded excited – and a little anxious – about it today. Apparently they still don't have a snappy name for it. If you think of one, post it.

This year the web site will be limited to the gubernatorial race, but in the future they plan to extend it to other races. Excited? Me too.

Remember the complaint the Washington State Republican Party filed with the Public Disclosure Commission about Gov. Chris Gregoire using public funds for campaigning?

Remember how they weren't supposed to file it to the PDC, but the executive ethics board? And the PDC offered to forward it along?

I called Doug Ellis at the PDC today to ask him whatever happened to the complaint.

Turns out, WSRP said they could "go ahead" and file it with the ethics board. The ethics board told me they received it today.

From here, it'll be assigned to an investigator, investigated, reviewed by the executive director, then reviewed by the board. This could take up to 180 days, which would put the verdict as late as a month before the election.

We'll keep you posted, but don't hold your breath.

I just got an e-mail from the Washington Association of Realtors, an organization of 25,000 members. They're endorsing Dino Rossi for governor.

“Washington state is fortunate to have two highly-qualified candidates for Governor,” said team member Jan Ellingson, the 2008 president of the Washington Realtors. “It was a tough decision, but, in the end, we felt Dino’s background in real estate and his leadership on budget issues while in the state legislature make him the best candidate to address the issues facing our industry and our state.”

The group endorsed Rossi in 2004, too. They reached the endorsement after a 17-member board interviewed both candidates.

I'm including this, just because it makes the organization sound like a union for homeowners and buyers:

The Washington Realtors represent approximately 170,000 homebuyers and the interests of more than 2 million homeowners throughout the state.

The Metro Parks Tacoma board of commissioners is scheduled tonight to adopt the final report from a 16-member Revenue Task Force.

Some of the group's work has already drawn attention, namely its identification of the Metro Parks Headquarters/Foss High School/Heidelberg property as a neighborhood urban village mixed-use center.

An area dubbed the "Point Defiance Waterfront Complex" was assigned the highest priority among properties with revenue potential. It consists of the triangle near the entrance to Point Defiance Park, the future Peninsula Park, Tacoma yacht Club and Breakwater Marina, Anthony's restaurant, and the Boathouse marina.

The report states:

Combined, these properties have the highest potential for the creation of a leisure-based seaside resort destination. This facility could provide inclusive access to restaurants, lodging, conference facilities, retail shops, boat launching, boat storage, permanent and transient moorage, fishing, small boat usage, scuba diving, visits to the Point Defiance Zoo, hiking, beach walking and exploring.

The group suggests starting with some of the easier recommendations in the 2009-2010 time frame, before attempting some of the more complex ones.

Some of the short-term options include:
• Negotiating a new contract for park maintenance with the City of Tacoma.
• Considering additional concession opportunities at Wright Park, the Point Defiance park entrance, and elsewhere.
• Developing a formal business plan around weddings and civil unions at Point Defiance Park and other park properties.

Some of the options considered more complex include:

• Recommending a levy lid lift.
• Building hotel and retail shops on the Point Defiance Triangle.
• Mixed-use development at the Metro Parks Headquarters/Foss High School/Heidelberg Park property.
• Building an indoor/outdoor water park, possibly within Point Defiance Park.
• Partnering with the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association for development at Blueberry Park.

It's important for Metro Parks to become more enterprising in its approach to revenue generation, the task force said. From the report:

Based on projections presented in Metro Parks Tacoma's long-range financial plan, Metro Parks can not sustain its current level of service on its existing revenue structure. In order to alter this, MPT must consider either recommending a significant property tax rate increase or consider alternative sources of revenue. It is the task force's view that MPT should first consider additional alternative sources of revenue.

The Metro Parks board meets tonight at 6 p.m. at Metro Parks Tacoma Headquarters, 4702 South 19th Street, Tacoma.

Tomorrow and Wednesday, gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi will present his transportation plan at three separate press converences across the state.

His press release quote: “This progressive statewide transportation plan will make congestion relief the number one priority, strengthen our economy and get Washington moving.”

If you're interested in going:

What: Dino Rossi Transportation Press Conference – Bellevue
When: Tuesday, April 15th at 10:00 am
Where: Bellevue Red Lion – Yarrow Point Room, 11211 Main St., Bellevue 98004

What: Dino Rossi Transportation Press Conference – Sultan
When: Tuesday, April 15th at 3:00 pm
Where: River Park Pavilion, 319 Main St., Sultan 98294

What: Dino Rossi Transportation Press Conference – Spokane
When: Wednesday, April 16th at 2:00 pm
Where: Courtyard Marriott, 401 N. Riverpoint Blvd, Spokane 99202

Any bets on whether producing a plan will get Gov. Chris Gregoire to stop saying things like "do we want a governor who literally has no ideas"?

I'm passing on this e-mail I got from Tim Eyman, minus his usual pandering for dollars, etc. (Tim can always post that stuff under the "comments." He usually does, anyway.)

He's a player and he's pushing Initiative 985, so it's worthy of a blog entry.

April 14, 2008

RE: King County Democrats newest member: Tim Eyman
Last Thursday, I sent an email to the King County Democratic Party chairwoman and the King County Republican Party chairwoman that I'd be attending both conventions, the GOP's on Saturday at Green River Community College and the Dems' on Sunday at West Seattle High School.

Me going to the Republican convention? Of course. Me going to the Democratic convention? Uh oh.

The King County GOP convention was super fun (I live in Snohomish county and have already been elected a delegate to the state GOP convention in Spokane this May). I paid the $100 fee for a table. Lots of supporters, lots of pictures being taken, warm handshakes, hugs and kisses - what you'd expect. Initiative 985 was enthusiastically embraced: opening of carpool lanes, synchronization of traffic lights, dedication of red light camera money -- I-985's policies were warmly received. Again, totally expected.

=> Read more!

The Pierce County Council on Tuesday will consider an ordinance that will make it more expensive to own vicious animals. Here’s what you need to know:

Background: In the wake of several high-profile dog attacks last year, the council asked the auditor’s office to recommend changes to county laws governing dangerous animals.

What the ordinance would do:

=> Read more!

Monday, April 7, was a popular day to announce candidacies. Here's another one from my vacation e-mail backlog.

Carol Gregory Announces Campaign for 30th Legislative District Representative
Gregory Focuses on Schools, Jobs, Traffic and Fiscal Accountability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 7th

Federal Way-Carol Gregory announced today her campaign for 30th Legislative District
Representative. With her extensive background in public education, economic
development and creating access to living wage jobs, Carol Gregory will run a strong
campaign for state representative. Gregory will run for the seat currently held by Rep.
Skip Priest.

=> Read more!

Yes, we do endorsements in this blog, too.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008
Former Chief Justice Andersen Endorses Tim Ford

Former Justice James A. Andersen has endorsed Tim Ford for Court of Appeals
Division II. Justice Anderson, a retired Chief Justice of the State of Washington
Supreme Court, former chief judge of the Court of Appeals Division I, and a
founding director of the Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG)
believes Ford is the best candidate to ensure an open and accountable
government.

=> Read more!

Another announcement from my vacation e-mail box.....

For Immediate Release: April 7, 2008

Justice Mary Fairhurst Announces Re-Election Bid

Kickoff plans include multi-city tour, formal kick-off events

OLYMPIA— Justice Mary Fairhurst, completing her first six-year term on the state’s highest court, has announced that she will seek re-election for a second term this November. Similar to her last campaign, Fairhurst plans to draw from her large network of family, friends and professional colleagues around the state to propel her campaign effort.

=> Read more!

I'm just back from a week's vacation so I'm playing catch-up with my e-mail. This e-mailed endorsement came last Monday.

Read on:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 7, 2008
Washington Realtors announce endorsements for five statewide races

OLYMPIA — Washington Realtors' political action committee, one of the state's largest, today announced endorsements in five statewide races:
Brad Owen, Lieutenant Governor
Rob McKenna, Attorney General
Sam Reed, Secretary of State
Brian Sonntag, Auditor
Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands

=> Read more!

I posted on Saturday about the seeming end to a tiff between the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center and Northwest Sound and Stage, the union audio company. The disagreement started when Hillary Clinton visited town and the convention center wouldn't let the union folk do the audio.

For Saturday's county Democratic convention, Northwest Sound and Stage did the audio. I asked what happened and owner Ron Geier filled me in: Chairman Nathe Lawver settled it with a letter sent to Geier and the AV Factory, a Seattle-based, non-union company that the convention center contracts with.

Here it is, courtesy of Geier:

Ron and Jason,

As you are well aware, there are times when decisions need to be made for business. These decisions are not personal in nature, these are based on simple bottom-line principles.

At times, there decisions that need to be made based on political reasons. These decisions are typically rooted in principles based on deep beliefs; these, too, are not personal.

My decision as to how the Pierce County Democratic Party handles its audio and visual services is both political and business. I'm a personal person, and personal interaction weighs heavy on the decisions I make ... though at the end of the day this decision is both business and politics, both based in monetary bottom lines and core Democratic principles.

=> Read more!

Robert “The Traveller” Hill continues to make people nervous with his penchant for packing toy guns in public places.

The oddball candidate for local office turned heads at Saturday’s Pierce County Republican Convention when he showed up apparently armed.

But it turned out Hill was packing a training weapon in a holster, according to Lakewood Police Department Lt. Dave Guttu. He called the gun “a big chunk of plastic” that was not capable of firing.

Hill was not arrested, and Guttu said police didn’t even file a report. But they escorted Hill from Clover Park Technical College, the site of the convention. “Apparently, some people felt intimidated,” Guttu said.

It’s not the first time Hill – who ran unsuccessfully for the Tacoma City Council last year on a platform of cutting police officers, demolishing the Tacoma Dome and making way for more strip clubs – has been caught packing faux heat. In February the State Patrol detained him for trying to enter the legislative building in Olympia with a toy gun. That same month he was seen with a fake gun strapped to an ankle holster when he spoke at a Tacoma City Council meeting.

Secretary of State Sam Reed plans to tour nearly 30 college campuses next week as part of College Civics Week. It's a campaign to promote civic responsibility and voter education.

He'll visit several Pierce County colleges on Monday.

Students have organized such events as discussion panels, voter registration drives, barbeques, pancake feeds, classroom visits and even a pajama breakfast jam and a game show, "Are You Smarter than Sam Reed?"

Here is Reed's schedule:

=> Read more!

Mike Lonergan's failed bid for a party endorsement in the county executive's race dominated our story about Saturday's GOP convention in Lakewood.

Since we ran out of room for the print edition, reporter Debby Abe sent me more notes from the event to post here.

Twenty-somethings were in evidence, but Megan Kniffen wanted to see more.

She eyeballed the Grand Old Party-ers who turned out for the gathering on a magnificently pleasant spring day at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood. "It doesn’t like there’s more than 15 or 20 under 25 (years old) here," she said.

But the Spanaway woman is used to being one of the few young adults who’s a devoted Republican. The Lincoln High School grad is a junior at the University of Washington Tacoma, where she says most students and professors tend to be Democrats. She’s majoring in political science and hopes for a career in politics.

Kniffen likes the the Republican concept of less federal intervention and more local decision-making.

Saturday, she wore a "Rossi’s Posse Deputy" T-shirt and a button proclaiming "College Republicans: Best Party on Campus." She plans to volunteer for the Roger Bush (County Council), Dino Rossi (governor) and Dave Reichert (Congress) campaigns this summer.

She’s supports John McCain, too. "He is a conservative," she said, "but I like how he’ll make decisions based on the information at hand. I respect his integrity."

Another 20-something delegate, Amanda Preston of Bonney Lake, was ebullient as she learned she was elected a delegate to the state convention. Saturday was the first time she had ever attended the Pierce County Republican convention.

Preston graduated from The Evergreen State College with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in math. She plans to earn a master’s degree so she can teach math, a subject she loves.

She’s not a rabid supporter of any one candidate. "I just really want to support the Republican Party," she said. "There’s so much in the Republican Party I want to happen."

She pointed to the party platform on education: teachers should have to meet district standards or be dismissed; academic freedom for teachers.

"It’s really interesting," she said of the convention doings. "People have been expressing their views."

She thumbed through a pile of candidate pamphlets and position papers. "They gave us all this information to read."

She sounded like she would actually read all of those papers.

The platform approved, Pierce County Democrats were ready to address a buffet of resolutions, including some rather contentious ones involving superdelegates.

(Washington has 17 superdelegates – elected and party officials who don't originate from the caucus process and can vote however they darn well please.)

But there was a catch: The room had cleared out substantially since this morning's crowd of 900 delegates. Someone called for a quorum.

One by one, every delegate around the room counted off. The total: 326. No quorum, and no use taking up resolutions.

Tim Farrell adjourned the convention. Some shocked, others quite pleased, all 326 filed out into the sunny afternoon. Game over.

And what of the undiscussed resolutions? They can be addressed at the state convention.

I'm still here at the Pierce County Democratic Convention, where county council member Tim Farrell is presiding over additions to the platform.

As we blogged about earlier this week, this is the sort of affair where anyone can add their two cents in the form of a resolution or platform item and have it heard and voted on.

One of the platform items had to deal with civil unions for homosexuals. Several people spoke in opposition and several spoke in support.

One man's comments could be summed up like so: Two men can't make a baby. Our job as humans is to procreate. That means two men in a romantic relationship is morally wrong.

Farrell, who announced at a county council meeting last year that he's gay, looked down at the podium for a second, shifted, then calmly called for the vote.

The turnout at today's Democratic county convention wasn't nearly what county party leaders initially predicted: About 950 people showed up. They'd prepared for 2,000.

What happened? I asked chairman Nathe Lawver. He looked out the window and quipped something about how with weather like this, who wants to spend their day debating wonky policy?

Plus, there's the Daffodil parade and the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle to contend with.

The turnout might be smaller than expected, but the debate has been vigorous. The 900 or so delegates (they gained a few more since this morning) have discussed climate change, prayer in public schools and the national debt.

Grammar has also been a subject of concern: Sometimes the platform issues, written by regular folk, say something other than intended.

During every one of Gov. Chris Gregoire's stump speeches that I've heard, she's said some variation of this:

"When I came into office, Washington was tied with Oregon for the highest unemployment rate in the country. My goal in 2005 was to put Washington to work. I'm happy to report that we have the lowest unemployment rate in the history of the great state of Washington."

Just so we're clear, that's a paraphrase. Not a direct quote.

Let's look into this ...

=> Read more!

Congressman Adam Smith is now at the podium at the Pierce County Democratic Convention.

He started by pointing out The News Tribune's error this week: We ran a mug shot of Randy Tate, Smith's opponent some 12 years ago, instead of Smith. On the front page.

He said he ran into someone here who told him, "you look much better in person."

His speech, which just ended, was short and sweet.

"As you may know, I'm an enthusiastic supporter for Barack Obama for president ... but I just want to make sure that we elect a Democrat," he said.

"We have struggled for going on eight years now with a president who does not support our agenda... as a member of Congress, I can't tell you the difference it'll make for all of us to have a Democrat in the White House... Can you imagine if we had a president who recognized that our economy was in trouble? We desperately need that."

With a few more words about electing Democrats, he wrapped up. He's now shaking a few hands before leaving for another destination.

Gov. Chris Gregoire is wrapping up a modified stump speech at the Pierce County Democratic Convention.

It was all pretty similar to what we heard on Monday. But this time, the call-and-response at the end was a bit more pointed.

"Do we want a governor in the state of Washington who literally has no ideas?"

You can guess who she's referring to.

"Do we want someone who is unwilling to make tough decisions ... (and instead) puts his finger in the air and asks how those political winds are blowing?"

The speech just ended with the crowd chanting, "four more years!" So I guess that's a no to those earlier questions.

Here's what it looks like here now:

Rep. Steve Conway took the state a few minutes ago. He started his short speech with, "Is there a party in this house?" Maybe I'm the only one who thinks that's funny.

Guess who just walked in. The Gov.

I can't say I'm really sure what just happened. There was a vote. There was a subsequent big disagreement. There was another vote.

It centered around whether alternate delegates should be able to vote and when. I'm not even sure how it got sorted out, but 832 delegates are now seated. Phew.

I just saw Aaron Toso, Mark Lindquist and a handful of others walk hurriedly out the back door of the convention center. Know what that means? The governor is here...

Remember this? When Hillary Clinton came to Tacoma in advance of the Feb. 9 caucuses, the campaign passed on using the convention center because:

Convention center officials told Clinton’s campaign workers that the convention center had in-house audio visual people who could do the (AV) work... and the the in-house people were unionized.

But ...

When (Ron) Geier (owner of Northwest Sound and Stage, the union shop based in Tacoma that handles a lot of political events) heard this, he told the Clinton campaign that the convention center actually contracts with a Seattle company, The AV Factory, and that the company is non-union.

A tiff ensued. The convention center said they weren't willing to let Geier's company do the AV, so the rally was held at UPS instead.

So guess who did the AV today at the convention center: Northwest Sound and Stage.

What happened? Geier tells me that Nathe Lawver, county party chairman, wrote a letter to the convention center about two weeks ago, telling them in no uncertain terms that the convention's AV would be done by the union shop.

I'm trying to get my hands on that letter. Stay tuned.

I'm here at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center for the Pierce County Democratic Convention.

Debby Abe is covering the county Republican convention in Lakewood. She doesn't have a laptop, so she won't be blogging today. But have no fear, both events will be covered in the paper tomorrow. (Equally.)

Nathe Lawver, county Democratic party chairman, told me yesterday that he expects about 2,000 people here. Deryl McCarty, his Republican counterpart, expects about 500 Republicans at their convention.

Hence, the chairs at the convention center:

More of those chairs are filled now, but not all of them. A volunteer told me they need to get bottoms in all of the seats in order to break even. I'll check on that.

Attorney General candidate-slash-Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg just got up to speak, kicking of the long list of candidates who will speak today.

Local political junkies should recognize the name of David Ammons, who has covered Washington state politics for The Associated Press since 1971.

Now Dave has a new gig. He'll be the communications director for Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed.

I worked with Dave for five years in the AP's Olympia bureau and can attest to all of the nice things people will say about him as he starts a new career.

He's had a fascinating career with the AP. He met an up-and-coming political operative named Ted Bundy in 1972 and lunched with him occasionally after Bundy took a job with the state Republican Party. (The state of Florida later executed the serial killer.)

"I remember telling people that this charismatic young man was going places," Dave told Stateline.org in 2003. "Little did I know it was going to be the execution chamber."

Dave also covered the Mount St. Helens eruption and infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper. Dave's specialty was politics, and his weekly Ammons on Politics column ran in various Evergreen State newspapers for years.

I wish him all the best in his new gig.

Here's the press release from Reed's office:

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire ended her four-day bus tour yesterday. The goal was to raise $30,000 between April 2, right after bill signing, to April 10, when the bus tour ended.

I just got a response from Debra Carnes with the Gregoire campaign: They raised $46,490 in that time period.

Mission accomplished.

I should point out that Dino Rossi raised something like $900,000 during March, when Gregoire wasn't able to raise money because the Legislature was in session. They now have about the same amount of cash on hand.

Can't wait until May 10, when April's numbers are available...

Tacoma City Councilman Mike Lonergan wants to be the Republican nominee for Pierce County Council.

In a letter to county Republicans, Longergan – who initially announced he was running as an independent – now says he wants the party's nod at tomorrow's convention.

Until now, County Councilman Shawn Bunney was the only executive candidate running as a Republican. Read Lonergan's letter below.

=> Read more!

Folks here at The News Tribune's Political Desk (hey, "The Situation Room" was taken) always like to encourage participation in the public process. It's great for democracy, and it's job security for people like me...

Anyway, a pair of local political clubs will host candidate visits. Here are the details:

Joyce McDonald, a state lawmaker who's running for a seat on the Pierce County Council, will be the featured guest Monday, April 14, at a meeting of the 25th District Republican Club. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Puyallup Public Library. For more information, call Bob Neilson at 253-845-0038.

State Attorney General Rob McKenna, who is seeking a second term, will be the featured speaker at the April 26 breakfast meeting of the 26th District Republican Club. The event will be held at Cottesmore of Life Care on 14th Avenue (an earlier post incorrectly said 29th Street), Gig Harbor, at 8:30 a.m. with a charge of $10 per person. For more information and reservations, contact Hal Cline at 253-549-2669.

Tacoma is hiring an environmental engineering firm to determine just exactly how polluted the old Sauro's Cleanerama site is, City Manager Eric Anderson told council members this week.

The assessment comes as Tacoma officials contemplate buying the now-vacant property at 14th and Pacific in hopes cleaning it up to spur development. (Read: new Russell headquarters.)

"I believe we need to go ahead and purchase it," Anderson told council members. "The question is for what price."

Once purchased, the city would then be faced with cleaning up the property contaminated by years of dumping dry cleaning fluid into a dry well. The city would look for state and federal assistance, Anderson said.

The property is bordered on two sides by property owned by German billionaire Erivan Haub, whose block of South 13th to South 14th between A Street and Pacific Avenue is being offered as one of the options for a new Russell headquarters.

Regardless of what happens with Russell, the Sauro property needs to be cleaned up, said acting Public Works Director Mike Slevin. "We have a brownfield in the middle of downtown," he said.

Pete Sauro opened his drive-through Cleanarama in an abandoned bus terminal in 1961. Performers in town to play at the Tacoma Dome including Janet Jackson, Prince and U2 sent their costumes to Sauro's for cleaning.

The business closed in 2000 and the building was torn down. Sauro died in 2002.

Tacoma will spend $22,000 for the first part of the environmental assessment, but could end up spending as much as $80,000 by the time the work is finished, Anderson said.

Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner reports today that e-mails obtained via a lawsuit show Sonics owners were talking "enthusiastically" last April about moving the franchise to Oklahoma City, even as they told the public and the NBA they were still interested in keeping the team in Seattle.

Some highlights (lowlights?) of the exchanges among team co-owners Clay Bennett, Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward:

"Is there any way to move here [Oklahoma City] for next season or are we doomed to have another lame duck season in Seattle?" Ward wrote.

Bennett replied: "I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can. Thanks for hanging with me boys, the game is getting started!"

Ward: "That's the spirit!! I am willing to help any way I can to watch ball here [in Oklahoma City] next year."

McClendon: "Me too, thanks Clay!"

That exchange occurred just after the Washington Legislature refused to authorize taxpayer money for a $500 million Renton arena Bennett had proposed.

The city of Seattle, which obtained the e-mails from Bennett's ownership group as part of its lawsuit to hold the team to its KeyArena lease, says the e-mails help prove the team did not live up to its promise to negotiate in good faith.

One of the weirder messages was from Bennett to NBA Commissioner David Stern. Bennett praises the commissioner as "a role model and an extraordinarily gifted executive" and "just one of my favorite people on earth." The message was an apology on behalf of McClendon, who told an Oklahoma newspaper that they didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle.

Here's a link to Brunner's story, which includes copies of e-mails.

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council released its ranking of states' business tax systems today.

Good news: Washington is the fourth best in their eyes. See for yourself here.

I bet this fact will work its way into Gov. Chris Gregoire's speeches, somewhere between "Forbes and Fortune ranked Washington the fifth best state to do business" and "The Pew Center recently ranked the great state of Washington the third best-managed state in the country."

Your move, Rossi.

You might have heard a rumor that the Freedom Bridge -- the bridge over I-5 south of Tacoma festooned with yellow ribbons -- is going to lose a bit of flair. Specifically, that the Washington State Patrol plans on taking the ribbons down.

True? Not exactly.

The rumor started a few weeks ago. The state patrol, in preparation for the anti-war protests, wondered: What do we do if anti-war protesters want to festoon the bridge with their own ribbons?

"It was a fleeting discussion: For the sake of consistency, do we need to take the yellow ribbons down? The answer was very quickly no," said Bob Calkins, a spokesman for WSP. "We take no position. What we are interested in is consistency."

From there, word got out about the meeting. As often happens, the whole story didn't make the rounds in tact, Calkins said.

"There are no plans ot take the ribbons down. There never really were," he said.

Then ... why is there a public meeting about it tomorrow morning?

=> Read more!

On Saturday, Pierce County Republicans and Democrats will meet (separately, of course) for county conventions.

Delegates and alternate delegates chosen during the Feb. 9 caucuses are invited to show up, discuss candidates and platform issues, and vote. The events are open to the public (but non-delegates can't vote).

The Democrats have a PDF of the various resolutions they'll discuss and vote on. I've asked for the same from Republicans, so look for that soon. (Right, Deryl?)

I'm not making fun of the list of resolutions, because I would never joke about the serious business of democracy. But it is kinda fun to read. My favorite part of the list of resolutions is here:

Urge Candidates Seeking Democratic Endorsement to Know and Support Platform
Create Apollo-Style Program to Confront Global Warming Oil Dependency and Energy Crises

That's what Tacoma City Councilwoman Julie Anderson told the City Council during Tuesday's study session.

Anderson, a Sound Transit board member, said the transit agency still is working on an initial plan for what a new regional transportation system might look like. It had hoped to finish by this week, but has postponed its target date from Thursday to April 24.

No decision has been made whether to put something to voters this year, in 2010 or later, Anderson added.

Anderson also referenced a "tug-of-war" between proponents of a north-south rail connector and local streetcar backers. She said it doesn't need to be an either-or proposition.

Sound Transit may be able to buy right-of-way and begin preliminary engineering work for a light rail connection between Sea-Tac and Tacoma, and also extend the Tacoma Link light rail, she said.

Anderson said it's not Sound Transit's job to build local streetcar systems. But it could create a springboard for the City of Tacoma and Pierce Transit.

One thing officials learned from exit polls is that voters said the roads and transit package was too big and would have taken too long to deliver service, Anderson said.

As a result, Sound Transit officials now are looking at what could be done in 12 years instead of 20, and for a 0.4 cent sales tax increase versus a 0.5 cent increase.

No matter what Sound Transit settles on as its new plan, it won't include a central Link to Sea Tac. The cost has gone up too much since the failure of last fall's roads and transit proposition. "It's going to be a while until people see cranes in the air," Anderson said.

So, are these encouraging words to the folks at Tacoma Streetcar? Or is it disheartening?

Yesterday I posted about Gov. Chris Gregoire and challenger Dino Rossi's differing version of how the last 3 1/2 years have played out. Today, I'm moving on to greener pastures: Jokes. If you've listened to any candidate give a speech more than once, you will hear the same jokes. Over. And over.

So... here are some jokes and anecdotes you'll hear 200 more times over the next seven months. Don't say I never did anything for you.

Think about these and tell me what I, Regular Josephine Voter, am supposed to take from them.

Gregoire: Some men prefer "first gentlemen," but not Mike. He likes to be called "First Mike."
Gregoire's daughters are not (here, wherever here is) today because they're living up to every parent's wildest dream: They're employed, at work.
Her older daughter is getting married. There are variations of this one, but it usually starts out a little something like, "You know, I've been to so many bridal shows and shops, and I've gotta tell you... " and then she says 1) she's come to believe the idea of eloping came from parents (Auburn) or 2) she's offered her daughter money to elope but it didn't work (Tacoma). It should be noted that I've never actually heard her say elope.

Rossi: He asked his family at dinner one night if Daddy should run for governor again. Everyone said yes ... except his youngest daughter. She said she heard the governor's mansion was haunted, so she didn't want to live there.
Last time around, people thought he was some kind of wine... And "probably something with a screw top."
Gov. Gregoire's been in office 3 1/2 years and what do we get: Our roads float and our ferries sink. (Two notes: This joke originated with Cheryl Pflug. And I caution you against thinking too hard about this joke.)

Know any more? Post here. We'll call it JokeWatch08.

If you picked up today's paper, you might have been a bit confused.

"My, Adam Smith looks ... different."

That's because the mug shot on the front page isn't our U.S. Rep. It's Randy Tate, who ran against Adam Smith like 12 years ago.

People make mistakes.

But, just for fun, I've created a lineup. See if you can pick Smith out of the crowd. If you guess correctly, you get to keep your voter registration.

Update: I've added another photo. And downsized my Morrison photo, for all of you who don't have 10 minutes for a 4 mb mug shot to load. :)

If you listened to Gov. Chris Gregoire's six speeches yesterday, which I did, you might think the state has really been turned around in the last 3 1/2 years. Where there was once uninsured, uneducated children, now there are pre-kindergarten all-stars with perfect teeth. Where there was a deficit, now there is a rainy day fund. Etc.

As you might expect, Dino Rossi has a different opinion on the matter.

So here's a completely free side-by-side comparison for your consideration. Decide for yourself.

On spending:
Gregoire: When she took office "we were sitting on a $2.2 billion deficit ... Now we have almost $500 million in a rainy day fund."
Rossi: "Our state has never gotten off the budget rollercoaster and is facing a projected $2.4 billion deficit... One thing we can give the incumbent credit for is increasing state spending by over 33 percent, while at the same time raising taxes by nearly $500 million.

=> Read more!

As reported on our home page, the Steve Ballmer-led effort to buy the Sonics and keep them in a newly renovated KeyArena has fallen apart.

Gov. Chris Gregoire issued this statement today:

"While I am disappointed that funding could not be found to renovate KeyArena, I am proud of the local ownership group that came forward, especially because those individuals have lived and worked in the community for years.

"As with the Seattle Storm, I am committed to keeping an NBA team in Seattle, and I want that team to be the Sonics. The current team owner, Clay Bennett, indicated to me that he will not sell the team. That does not mean that we should give up. I am continuing to work with community stakeholders, local officials and the Legislature to explore options for the future."

I'm back. The van from Vancouver got to Auburn around 10:30 last night, after stopping at maybe the only restaurant on the I-5 corridor that doesn't serve beer. Not that I care.

Without further delay, here are some photos of the adventure:

This is the Brown-Yet family. They went to the Tacoma event at the Landmark Convention Center. Sherry (far right) says she's 100 percent behind Gregoire.

Gregoire on the tour bus (L). She offered a bottle of wine to anyone who would sing "Louie, Louie." (No.)
Every time she boarded and left the bus, the 40 or so supporters and staffers would clap and cheer. I can't say that sounds so terrible.
Below is Gregoire's last stop of the day, at a fire hall in Vancouver.

And here's a picture of the over-capacity crowd she spoke to.

Coming up next: What she said, what she didn't say, what Rossi had to say about it all.

The Tacoma Housing Authority wants the powers of a public development authority, but it doesn't actually want to become one.

Executive Director Michael Mirra told the City Council's Neighborhoods and Housing Committee yesterday that it would help its effort to acquire downtown's Rhodes Center, the three-building complex that includes the historic Rhodes department store building, the building up the hill on Market Street, and the 530-space Rhodes parking garage.

If the city conferred those powers, Mirra said, it would make it clear that the housing authority may own and manage strictly commercial property. That ability is not clearly provided under current state law, he said.

The council committee gave its thumbs-up in the form of a unanimous do-pass recommendation, and a resolution is expected to go before the full council April 15.

But Councilman Jake Fey wanted some more detail about exactly which powers the city would be conferring upon the housing authority. For example, he asked if it could form a police or fire department. The answer to both of those questions was "no," said Assistant City Attorney Steve Gross.

Gross said he would get back to Fey with a complete list.

The housing authority views the buildings as a source of revenue, and would look to fill the vacant commercial space.

One of the buildings would also become administrative headquarters for the authority, which has outgrown its Hilltop offices. It's not clear when that would happen, or which building would become its new home, Mirra said.

The housing authority may also look to build a mixed-use development, including market-rate and "workforce" housing, above the parking garage, Mirra said. The term "workforce" housing prompted some recent commentary from blogger Erik Bjornson, and some discussion on our Inside the Editorial Page blog.

Afterward, Mirra said housing plans are "pretty tentative." He defined workforce housing as housing that is "affordable to people at the lower end of the pay scale," including retail, clerks and public safety workers.

The housing authority hopes to have the buildings under contract by the end of the month. A lengthy due diligence period would follow, Mirra said.

UPDATE: City Manager Eric Anderson put the brakes on the plan to this afternoon, telling council members during Tuesday's study session that he wants to look at another option where the city would partner with the housing authority without actually giving it more power.

=> Read more!

Here's a tidbit from the Seattle Times by way of the Associated Press: Barack Obama’s mother grew up in Seattle and graduated from Mercer Island High School

And I quote (AP):

A little-known fact about presidential contender Barack Obama: His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, graduated in 1960 from Mercer Island High School.

The Seattle Times reports his mother’s family lived in the area in the 1950’s. Then the family moved to Hawaii where she attended the University of Hawaii and met and married Obama’s father.

Ruston Home is reporting former police chief Jim Reinhold has filed a claim against the Town of Ruston.

The news surfaced during Monday's town council meeting, the blog reported. There aren't many more details yet.

When the governor's bus rolled up to the Landmark Convention Center in Tacoma, a puppy caught my eye. The puppy was being carried by a guy, who was with his buddy.

Just as I was admiring the cute puppy, bam! The buddy turns around and repeatedly flips off the governor's tour bus.

So, yeah. Thanks!

I'm somewhere between Vancouver and Tacoma on I-5 right now, finishing my story from a restaurant called Spiffy's.

We ended the day in Vancouver at a firefighter's hall. While my computer charged, a few friendly firefighters offered me a beer (that I didn't accept, for the record). They were in the kitchen because the meeting hall was too packed.

They counted 220 people, but made me promise I wouldn't report the number in Vancouver because they were over capacity.

Over the course of the day, Gregoire changed her message only slightly. I never heard her utter the R word -- Rossi. But she did manage to paint a clear distinction between what she offers and the alternative.

I'll post more tomorrow. Until then, I've got to find my way back to Tacoma.

The governor wrapped up her talk with locals and we're now waiting on the bus to leave for Vancouver.

I just have time for one tidbit, because I'm low on batteries. So low, in fact, that I was charging my computer in the bathroom until a Gregoire staffer found a better outlet for me (at the front counter. Obviously.).

Pat McDermott, owner of King's Books, asked the governor if there's any chance of getting a better tax system. He was advocating for income tax, which he said would be more fair.

Gregoire said "we ought to have a vibrant debate about it. But I am very close to the effort by Booth Gardner." She said Gardner sent a team around the state for a year, explaining how income tax works and why it's not evil (my words).

She said one of the biggest obstacles is that people don't believe the tax is regressive. "It's hard to get past those two sentiments. I think we ought to have a huge debate about that."

Gov. Chris Gregoire is now on her fourth campaign stop of the day: King's Books.

She's taking questions from local business and government types.

Marty Campbell just talked about the Go Local movement. He wanted to know what can be done at a state level to encourage support for local business.

Gregoire says one of the most significant bills of the session was one that encouraged schools to buy produce locally.

"Let's talk about other ways that we can help," she said.

She made a gesture to Norm Dicks, who's sitting near her, and said they had just made a case at the national level for going local: The Boeing tanker deal that wasn't...

Ellen Craswell, a former legislator and the 1996 GOP nominee for governor, died on Saturday in Poulsbo.

Relatives told the Kitsap Sun that Craswell, a month shy of her 76th birthday, was in her third battle against cancer.

The Bothell native served two terms in the state House and three terms in the state Senate. In 1996, four years after retiring from the Legislature, she ran for governor. With her Christian conservative backing, she emerged from a crowded field with the GOP nomination, but lost to Democrat Gary Locke in the general election.

Here's a statement from Gov. Chris Gregoire's office. I'll post them here if we get any more.

=> Read more!

OK. The speech ended and we had about five minutes to get on the bus headed for the Landmark in Tacoma.

We're moving now, which means we have about another five minutes before I get car sick on someone's nice suit. I'll make do with the time we've got...

Gregoire covered familiar topics in her speech: economy, environment, healthcare, education and crime.

At the end of the speech, Gregoire had the couple hundred people gathered up on their feet, cheering "four more years" (lead by Ron Sims).

I talked to these good folks after the speech:

L to R that's Audra Stafford, Jacob Huntington and Kent Huntington.

Audra, 18 and a student at PLU, said Gregoire "has a lot of pizzazz. She's got a lot of charisma."

But when I asked her who she was voting for, she said Dino Rossi. Why? She's read his book and thinks he aligns more closely with her beliefs and politics.

Then I talked to Kent, who brought Audra (with her friend, his son). He said he's "100 percent" in Gregoire's camp. "She's right on the money."

Specifically he noted her position on healthcare. Huntington lives in Olympia and works for the Kent fire department. He said he sees a lot of people in his line of business who have no health insurance and end up in the emergency room because of it.

He said Rossi is divisive. Then he put his arm around me and said "I've got seven more months to convince this one over here." He was referring to Audra.

As Gov. Chris Gregoire's campaign bus tour gets rolling, Republican challenger Dino Rossi just issued a statement that says the gov hasn't been nearly as effective as she'd have everyone believe.

After nearly four years of Christine Gregoire as governor, Washington still faces many of the same challenges it did before she took office. Our state has never gotten off the budget roller coaster and is facing a projected $2.4 billion deficit, our transportation system has gotten worse with no plan in place to fix it, our students are still struggling to compete in the areas of math and science, children are not adequately protected from sex offenders and other dangerous felons, and families and business are still struggling with the skyrocketing costs of health care. One thing we can give the incumbent credit for is increasing state spending by over 33 percent, while at the same time raising taxes by nearly $500 million.

=> Read more!

... and I know what Zones, Inc. does. Kinda.

Hold tight for a minute and I'll let you know.

King County Executive Ron Sims kicked things off with at Zones a few minutes ago with a rousing introduction. He said the governor was "fabulous."

If you squint, you can see him through the forest of cameramen:

Right now, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks is speaking.

"I am convinced that this election is crucial for our state. Christine Gregoire is one of the best governors we've ever had."

It's the second time someone's called her Christine, by the way. I only mention it because Republicans make a point of calling her Christine.

I'm at Zones, Inc. in Auburn - a technology company directly across from the SuperMall. As people file in (many wearing union shirts), I've been trying to figure out exactly what Zones, Inc. does.

Here's what it looked like a few minutes ago:

Oh, and Northwest News Network reporter Austin Jenkins just pointed out a familiar face in the crowd: Patrick Bell. He's a spokesman for the Washington State Republicans.

On Monday, Gov. Chris Gregoire will begin her four-day statewide bus tour. She starts in Auburn, circles through Tacoma and Vancouver, then heads east.

I'll be with on the bus all day Monday (and I'm still trying to figure out how to get back on Monday night or Tuesday, but that's another story) and blogging along the way.

Turns out I'll miss something the state Democratic party is doing: They plan to release an explanation of the rules made last night by the party's executive board relating to the state's top two primary.

Sound confusing? It is. Probably. I'll find out Monday.

Oh, and just so you know: The governor will be at King's Books for an invitation-only event on Monday and at the Landmark Convention Center. Here are the details:

Landmark Convention Center
47 St. Helens Avenue, Tacoma
Public event. Doors open at noon.
Keeping families and communities safe is a top priority for Gov. Gregoire. At this stop of the Taking on Challenges, Getting Results tour, state law enforcement and firefighter organizations will announce their endorsement of the governor in front of elected officials and community supporters.

The state Republican party filed a complaint today with the Public Disclosure Commission about Gov. Chris Gregoire's use of more than $100,000 for what they deem "campaign activities."

Problem is, the PDC isn't the right place to send it. It should have gone to the Executive Ethics department of the Attorney General Rob McKenna's office. (You know, Gregoire's old office.)

That's according to Doug Ellis with the PDC, who should know. He said they contacted the state Republicans to let them know it's not their jurisdiction. They offered to forward it to the proper agency, but haven't heard back just yet.

Democrat Peter Goldmark will officially kick off his campaign against Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland on Monday in Seattle.

=> Read more!

My, I've been having fun with the data Ian Demsky dug up about presidential campaign donors in Pierce County!

Here's a list of presidential candidates with more than five donors from Pierce County, ordered by the average amount their donors gave. The number of donors is in parenthesis. Three major contenders bolded. If you can read carefully, I don't think I have to explain that any further.

1. Clinton, $1,493 (36)
2. McCain, $1,164 (20)
3. Edwards, $985 (38)
4. Romney, $797 (15)
5. Thompson, $707 (21)
6. Huckabee, $700 (13)
7. Giuliani, $662 (14)
8. Obama, $516 (56)
9. Kucinich, $500 (6)
10. Richardson, $493 (9)
11. Paul, $431 (11)

So ... what's the point?

Obama has the most donors by a third. But he has the lowest average. That means when his campaign needs more money, they have 20 more people in Pierce County that they can call to ask for cash. And those donors have quite a ways to go before they hit the contribution maximum.

I wrote a story that will run in Monday's paper about Pierce County residents who donated to presidential campaigns.

But, as always, there are a few tidbits of information that didn't make it into the paper. In other words, it's your lucky day!

So ... Here's which committee raised the most money. Data is current through the end of last year:
1. Norm Dicks for Congress: $59,384
2. Russell Investment Group Federal Political Action Committee: $56,248
3. Hillary Clinton for President, $53,750
4. John Edwards for President, $37,450

OK, that should tide you over for a bit.

I talked to Debra Carnes and Jill Strait, respective spokeswomen for the Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi campaigns, to find out how much money each camp raised in the time between March 13, when the Legislature adjourned, and April 1, when Gregoire signed the last of the bills.

Republicans had made a stink about the governor's ability to raise money while still signing bills.

Drum roll, please.

Gregoire, who was accepting checks but not actively fund raising, received $4,500 between March 13 and April 1. Between April 1 at 7 p.m. and April 2 at 10 p.m., they sent out a campaign e-mail that generated $8,000. So ... that's, what, $12,500 total?

Rossi, on the other hand, raised $920,000 in March. That's the whole month, so we're obviously not comparing apples to apples here.

That said, it's more like comparing a bushel of apples to... a ... couple of apples?

As for cash on hand, Carnes tells me Gregoire has $2.8 million and Strait tells me that Rossi has $2.6 million, maybe a bit more (they won't file with the PDC until April 10, so these are extra special preview numbers).

I asked Strait if the governor accepting checks was such a big deal after all, since the $4,500 she got is hardly a windfall.

"I think it's still important because it's about the appearance. She shouldn't be accepting any money during that time, no matter how big or small," she said. She added that it will be interesting to look at the list of 47 donors once the campaign files its PDC report.

Aaron Toso, press secretary to Gov. Chris Gregoire, dropped by the office this morning to announce that he is resigning from his job at the end of today so he can go work for Gregoire's reelection campaign.

That means he'll be on the bio-bus on Monday for the 4-day, 10-city, 14-stop campaign tour. Our Niki Sullivan will be riding the bus, too.)

Pearse Edwards, the governor's communications director, said he's going to hire a replacement sometime soon. But in the meantime, he'll borrow information officers from other state agencies to fill in. (Edwards didn't offer me the job. I think that posting about the BIAW and Gov. "she-wolf" earlier this week cost me a job offer.)

This is a common occurence in the governor's office. Remember that Toso's background is running campaigns, so this shouldn't come as a surprise.

And don't be surprised if Toso ends up working for the governor again next year. Assuming, of course, she wins. If not, I wonder if Dino Rossi would hire him. Hmmm?

OK. That headline isn't true--not yet, anyway. The day ain't over.

But you know when a governor is running for re-election because suddenly every good thing that happens in the state is announced by the governor. And every bad thing is announced by someone else (if they are announced at all, that is.)

I mean, don't expect to see anything like "Gov. Gregoire announced mass escape from McNeil Island Prison."

This is when someone in the governor's office says to me, "Oh, Joe. You're such a cynic."

And I am. But in my defense, please read the news release I just got from the governor's office.

Gov. Gregoire announces drop in fatality rates on Washington roads

The news release goes on to compare the first 3 months of 2006 to the first 3 months of 2007. Hello! It's 2008. And the comparison isn't even for a full year. Moreoever, the final death toll for March 2007 won't be known for another month.

In my business, we call that old news. Now, I know there's a long, long lag time in reporting traffic fatalities, but even so.

Here, read the rest:

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
P.O. Box 40002 • Olympia, Washington 98504-0002 • (360) 902-4111

For Release: Immediate
Media Contact: Governor’s Communications Office
Date: April 3, 2008
Phone: 360-902-4136

Gov. Gregoire announces drop in fatality rates on Washington roads

Traffic safety increased with strategic highway safety plan

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire announced today that the number of people who died on Washington roads in 2007 is down markedly from the previous year. As of April 1, 567 people were reported to have died in traffic crashes in 2007 — down from 625 in 2006. When all reports have arrived, researchers expect the number to increase by 10 to 15, but the 2007 final number should remain below the 2006 final tally of 633. As fatalities may result up to 30 days after injuries are sustained, and state agency reports might be available later, there is a lag between the end of a calendar year and the final reporting of traffic deaths.

=> Read more!

Joe Fain, chief of staff for King County Councilman Peter von Reichbauer, said he took a leave of absence to work on the signature drive for Initiative 26.

What would the Democrats and Republicans do if the county executive, assessor and all nine council positions were non-partisan?

I can't imagine the parties would ever let that happen in the Legislature, not after all the behind-the-scenes steps they took to keep Washington from getting the Top Two primary system.

"I expect whatever opposition that will mount itself will come from the parties," Fain said.

Read Fain's full news release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joe Fain
voice: 1-866-920-5464
email: contact@bettercounty.org
www.bettercounty.org

On Tuesday, Joe Fain, Chair of Citizens for Independent Government, submitted over 80,000 signatures to the King County Clerk, to place Initiative 26 before voters. Initiative 26 will make the offices of King County Executive, Assessor, and Council, nonpartisan, effective in 2009. The initiative needs only 52,817 valid signatures to qualify. The last King County Initiative that qualified for the ballot submitted fewer than 75,000 signatures.

=> Read more!

From the wire:

House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, says he will use nearly $1.2 million in court-ordered payments by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., to help House Republican candidates. A federal court judge ordered McDermott to pay after Boehner successfully sued him, claiming that McDermott had violated federal wiretap laws.

.

Ouch.

Emory Bundy has a tendency to overwhelm people with all of his statistics and analysis, but that doesn't mean he isn't worth listening to.

He waged a campaign against Proposition 1, the $18 billion roads-and-transit measure that was on the ballot in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties last November. The one that got trounced in all three counties.

Bundy is one of the people who said Prop 1 would cost $147 billion over about 50 years. (I got up to about $110-115 million with my calculations, because I wasn't willing to build in cost overruns, as he was.)

Anyway, with that in mind, read what Bundy has to say about Sound Transit -- past, present and maybe future. (He CC'd me a copy of what he sent to our Editorial Board.)

Tacoma News Tribune Editorial Board:
Regarding your editorial March 27, 2008, "No light rail? We're not buying tickets":

While Seattle's political and business leadership is inclined to bend regional public policies to favor Seattle, especially downtown Seattle, there are fundamental economics to the story that the TNT editorial board would be wise to consider. The real world turns out not to be the same as the mythological world predicted by Sound Transit in 1996.

=> Read more!

Jim Curtis of Maple Valley, a retired Marine, says he's fed up with Democrat Chris Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi, so he's going to run against both of them as an independent.

Curtis, founder and executive director of the North American Self-Defense Association, neither of the candidates has been responsive to his request for a $3,500 bonus to veterans who've done tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. (You may recall that Curtis called for a demonstration outside Rep. Sam Hunt's house during the past legislative session after Hunt said he wasn't going to hold a hearing on the bonus bill.)

Curtis announced his candidacy in an e-mail earlier this week. He CC's me an e-mail he sent to the Seattle P.I.

For three years now I've been trying to get a combat bonus approved for all of Washington State's Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. This year Governor Gregoire turned her back on this combat bonus as did our state's Democratic majority. Because of this 2 weeks ago I asked Dino Rossi's folks to help with this effort but they haven't responded. Based on the same I have now decided to run for Governor of Washington State as an Independent.

Thanks, Jim Curtis, NASA

E-mails are free. So is this blog posting. Let's see what happens in the first week of June. That's filing week. That's when candidates have to plunk down a filing fee equal to 1 percent of the salary of the office they are seeking. That would be about $1,600 for governor, (or 1,600 signatures on a petition).

Filing fees have a way of winnowing out candidates.

This came in yesterday but I missed it! The King County Police Officers Guild announced its endorsement of Dino Rossi for governor. Rossi's campaign points out that it's the second police officers' guild to send an endorsement his way.

From the press release:

Steve Eggert, President of the King County Police Officers Guild, cited Rossi’s “impressive” views on public safety and knowledge of officers’ pension issues that led the board to endorse Rossi.

Rossi's statement says he's proud to have their support.

“Our campaign is beginning to gain the endorsements of law enforcement organizations from across the state, and we anticipate more to come. I understand the importance of supporting people who put their life on the line for our communities. They will continue to have my support when I am governor.”

And the rest of the release:

When he served in the state Senate from 1997 to 2003, Rossi spearheaded a variety of public safety legislation, including: the “Mary Johnsen Act” requiring ignition interlock devices on vehicles of chronic DUI offenders; the “Dane Rempfer Bill” punishing drivers who flee the scene of an accident; and the “Two Strikes and You’re Out” law sending criminals who rape and molest children to jail for life after the second conviction.

Washington State Ferries has decided to reconfigure its specs and re-advertise a contract to build a 50-car ferry that is very similar to the Steilacoom II, the ferry that Pierce County had built a couple years ago for $11.3 million (plus $700,000 oversight).

Todd Pacific Shipyards was the only company to submit a bid to build that ferry last week. But the $26 million bid was way over the $16.8 million state engineers had expected.

So, they'll try again.

Here's the news release the ferry system sent out today:

SEATTLE – The Ferries Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation announced today that it is rejecting a $26 million bid from Todd Pacific Shipyards to build a 50-car ferry. At the March 27 bid opening Todd was the sole project bidder. Its bid was higher than the WSDOT engineer’s estimate of $16.8 million.

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire will be in Tacoma twice on Monday, the day she kicks off her reelection campaign with a 10-city, 14-stop tour on a bus fueled partly by canola, peanut, corn or 30-weight detergent oil.

(CG is so PC!)

I say twice because her schedule has her at two locations in Tacoma, even though they're only a block apart: the Landmark Convention Center and King's Books (invitation only), both on St. Helens.

I'm guessing the bio-bus parks only once, and if curbside parking goes over an hour, the guv will have one of her State Patrol bodyguards (or former teachers union spokeswoman Debra Carnes) go out and rub the chalk mark off the tires. That's what downtown Tacoma workers do, at their peril.

UPDATE: This just in, Tacoma lobbyist Randy Lewis tells me Tacoma's meter maids (not his words) haven't used chalk for about two years. These days, they eye-ball the tire and make note of the location of the tire stem, like hands of a clock, and enter it and the license plate into their hand-held computers. I guess that means all the bio-bus has to do is roll forward enough so the stem is at 3 o'clock instead of high noon.

Here's the governor's itinerary:

Gregoire gears up for Campaign Kickoff Tour
Taking on Challenges. Getting Results.

SEATTLE – Gov. Gregoire will board a biodiesel bus on Monday, April 7 and launch her 2008 re-election campaign with her first stop in Auburn, her hometown.

Her statewide campaign kickoff will make 14 stops in 10 cities. At each stop, Gov. Gregoire will meet and talk with citizens and community leaders about their top priorities – jobs, health care, education, public safety, taking care of the environment and veteran’s issues.

=> Read more!

Attorney General Rob McKenna and candidate John Ladenburg square off over their qualifications and priorities in an article today at LegalNewsline.com.

Among the differences highlighted in the article: The Republican attorney general has opposed efforts to unionize department employees. Ladenburg, the Democratic Pierce County executive, says he would not oppose further unionization efforts.

Read more about their views on identity theft, domestic violence and other issues by clicking here.

The Democratic Party wants GOP gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to denounce the Building Industry Association Washington because of BIAW's latest diatribe against Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire and her administration.

Something about columnist Mark Musser and what he said in the March Issue of Building Insight, the BIAW newsletter. He compared the state Department of Ecology to Hitler's Nazi Party.

(By the way, as I was writing this, Rossi walked into my office. He's making the rounds at the press houses in Olympia. So I showed him what I was writing. "Who's Mark Musser? Never met him," Rossi said.)

Anyway, in its January edition the BIAW said the governor was “a heartless, power-hungry she-wolf who would eat her own young.” But it's only now that the Democratic Party is taking offense at that characterization of their governor.

Something tells me the "she-wolf" part wouldn't really bother the governor. The "heartless" and "power-hungry" and "eat her young" probably would, though.

What the Gregoire camp really needs is more colorful support from its own bunches of acronynms. You know, the WEA, the SEIU and AFL-CIO.

It would make for better theater.

Here's the official condemnation of the BIAW:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kelly Steele
Rossi Should Reject and Denounce the BIAW

Ultra-conservative, right-wing group that has built Rossi’s political career from the ground up has crossed the line

SEATTLE – Republican Dino Rossi should immediately reject and denounce the hateful, extremist rhetoric being used by the ultra-conservative, right-wing Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW). Rossi’s top backers opened 2008 with class, labeling Gov. Gregoire “a heartless, power-hungry she-wolf who would eat her own young,” in a column in their January Building Insight newsletter.

But in the BIAW’s most recent March newsletter hate-mail, BIAW “Stormwater Field Representative” Mark Musser kicked it up a notch – reiterating and defending a recent comparison of the state Department of Ecology and environmental leaders to Hitler and Nazi Germany.

=> Read more!

The editorial board meeting with the governor that I sat in on was an hour long and Gov. Chris Gregoire covered a lot of ground. Here's a few selected notes on what she had to say:

-She signed 331 bills and three budgets this session. That's a lot of commemorative pens. (They hand out pens at the bill signings. I didn't get one. Hmph.)

-She's happy with what was accomplished during the two-month session, especially in the areas of public safety, flood recovery and campus safety.

-She noted that the toy bill wasn't part of her agenda, but that she thinks it sends a strong message to the federal government that they should take action.
She said 12 state legislatures across the country are working on toy safety bills, further evidence that "We need Congress to step up on this issue."
She also said the work group that she created to tweak the bill over the interim isn't aimed at "watering down" the current restrictions on cadmium, lead and phthalates.
Instead, she said there are aspects of the bill that need legitimate work. One area is that the bill doesn't determine how toys will be tested. Methods vary, as do costs and accuracy.

=> Read more!

Of course, Proposition 1 failed in all three counties, Pierce, King and Snohomish. But for some reason, a majority of voters in those three cities voted in favor of the higher taxes for Roads and Transit.

Sound Transit officials shared that info with us on Tuesday, when they met with The News Tribune's editorial board. I got to sit in.

Sound Transit staff is putting together a smaller, transit-only package, just in case the Sound Transit board wants to put something on the ballot this fall.

The editorial board session with Gov. Chris Gregoire just started. They made some small talk before the governor started talking.

I'll post notes later. For now, here's my view:

Sen. John McCain told reporters today that he's got a list of running mates.

But, of course, he won't disclose any of them, nor would he confirm rumors about specific people. *Cough*MikeHuckabee*Cough*

He plans to reveal his decision before the September convention. So ... sometime within the next five months we'll have an update on this story.

I've been writing about this for months, and now the time is upon us.

My most recent story was March 26.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge commuters will get company on April 26.

That's when the state Department of Transportation will start collecting tolls will start collecting tolls from solo motorists who want to buy their way into the carpool lanes on Highway 167 between Auburn and Renton.

DOT spokesman Greg Phipps said the agency chose a weekend - April 26 is a Saturday - to give itself time to work out any "kinks" before the Monday morning commute.

Depending on how heavy traffic is in the carpool lanes and in the adjacent general purpose lanes, the toll will vary from a low of 50 cents to a high of $9.

The tolling system generally will be turned off at night and there will be no toll. But the tolling system will be operational between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. on most days, Phipps said.

This is the state's first pilot program for variable tolls, which also is a version of congestion pricing. It is a four-year test program.

UPDATE: Here's the official news release. DOT crews will be painting a double white line between the HOT lanes and the general purpose lane over the next couple weeks. Once they are finished, it will be illegal to cross the double line without paying the toll.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2008
Contacts: Victoria Tobin, WSDOT Communications, 206-464-1184 (Seattle)
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-949-8078 (Seattle)

HOT lanes open this month on SR 167 between Renton and Auburn

RENTON – On April 26, Washington’s first ever high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes will begin offering solo drivers a new choice for their commute on State Route 167. The SR 167 HOT Lanes Pilot Project will assess how variable tolling can help make the state’s roadways more efficient and less congested.

=> Read more!

Looks like a mammoth records request is keeping the Pierce County Council plenty busy.

According to an e-mail from council attorney Jeff Cox to colleagues and council members (see below), Seattle’s Gordon Derr law firm has requested any and all records related to geoducks and aquaculture. In addition, the firm has requested records containing references to 44 people, companies and associations related to the recent debate over geoduck farming in Pierce County.

When a law firm requests this many records, you have to wonder when the lawsuit will follow.

Geoduck farming has been a hot topic at the council in recent months. In October the council endorsed new limits on the practice, which critics say damages local beaches.

The issue was revived last week when a county hearing examiner ruled that a geoduck permit held by Taylor Shellfish had expired.

The massive records request seems to indicate the industry won’t give up without a fight. Read Cox’s e-mail below.

=> Read more!

CrossCut has a pretty good take on Washington's Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp. I'm putting a link here to David Brewster's story because he's done a good job of pulling together a lot of related themes that don't seem related unless you know the subtext. (And let's give some credit to Chris McGann at the Post Intelligencer, too.)

Pay particular attention to this part of Brewster's story:

The "variety of local needs," it turns out, included Husky Stadium, Seattle Center and KeyArena (probably without the Sonics), Puget Sound cleanup, King County arts, amateur sports, and low-income housing. A committee during "the interim" (meaning when the Legislature is not in session and reporters are less in evidence) will carve up the benefit package in quiet during the coming year, doubtless with Chopp keeping a sharp eye on the dealmaking. It's the classic way a political boss rewards and punishes. And it keeps the tax-raising until after the 2008 election, where Gov. Chris Gregoire might face a tough challenge.

In that paragraph, you have a preview of the 2009 legislative session. It will be in the background the entire time. And as Brewster notes, it will be put together over the next nine months.

What my sources were telling me in the waning days of session was that instead of letting the taxes that are paying for the Mariners ballpark and Seahawks stadium just plain expire, they will be put to use once again paying for all those things that Brewster mentions in his story.

I wouldn't even have known that Larry Ishmael was running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, if it hadn't been for The Rev. Dr. Joseph Fuiten's e-mail.

(I'm on the Frankly Fuiten ListServ: "Framing Today's Issues for Contemporary Biblical Christians.")

And Fuiten is endorsing Ishmael in his bid for the 1st Congressional District seat that Inslee has held for 10 years. The First is mostly Kitsap and Snohomish counties.

Here is Ishmael's Web site.

And he is Fuiten's endorsement:

Dear Friends,

Many of you have told me that you appreciate my pastorspicks.com and other political perspectives that I periodically offer. With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to one of my friends who reflects a refreshing Christian change to our 1st Congressional District in WA State. He is an intelligent and articulate person well qualified to be in Congress. I also see him frequently in church along with his wife.

Larry Ishmael is running for Congress against Jay Inslee, the 10 year incumbent Democrat. You may get the full scoop about Larry at his website at www.larryishmael.com.

A quick bio on Larry:

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire (who I'll be seeing this afternoon for an editorial board get-together, btw) signed the Children's Safe Products Act into law yesterday.

I tried calling the Toy Industry Association five or so times, but no luck. (The spokeswoman did call me back later in the evening, though, so that's something...)

They also sent out a statement. So did the Washington Toxics Coalition. In fairness and for fun, I'm posting both below.

=> Read more!

Even as Sound Transit decides whether to take a new construction plan to voters in November, the opposition is mobilizing.

NotoProp1.org announced last night it’s reorganizing. The group was one of several that successfully opposed an $18 billion roads and transit construction plan that voters rejected last fall.

In the wake of that failure, the Sound Transit board is considering whether to take a scaled down, transit-only plan to voters in November or wait until 2010.

Either way, sounds like NotoProp1.org will be ready.

Update: Talked to NotoProp1.org's Mark Baerwaldt. He declined to disclose how much money transit opponents have pledged to fight a new Sound Transit ballot measure. But he said he expects the group to raise more money than last year, when it pulled in $297,443 in cash and $350,245 in in-kind contributions, according to Public Disclosure Commission records.

By comparison, Keep Washington Rolling raised more than $4.1 million in cash and in in-kind contributions in support of Proposition 1.

Read the NotoProp1.org press release below.

=> Read more!

I'm now hearing that the sections Gov. Chris Gregoire will veto in the Children's Safe Products Act (aka "toxic toys" bill) are sections 1 and 8.

Section 1 spells out the state's mission in protecting children from unsafe chemicals in toys and other products. Apparently there's concern that the statement could somehow make the state liable if a child were to be harmed by a substance not yet on the list.

Section 8 gives the Department of Ecology authority to make a list of other harmful products and rules to go along with it. The deadline is Jan. 1, 2010, and (again, the word is that) the governor thinks that may not be enough time.

We'll know for sure in about an hour. In the meantime, you can bask in the glow of knowing that my earlier guess about which section would be vetoed is most likely wrong.

Pam Roach's husband called this morning to let the editorial board know that her flight is delayed and she won't make it to the meeting today.

I think the plan is to reschedule. It all works out for me: That meeting was forcing me to choose between the last day of bill signing and hearing Pam's side of the story in person.

Who says Senate Republicans are having a hard time recruiting candidates? Not Kelly Mainard, who just announced that she'll run for Marilyn Rasmussen's Senate seat.

From the press release:

Kelly Mainard to run for the 2nd District Senate Seat
(Frederickson) Republican Kelly Mainard has announced that she is running for the Second District Senate seat currently held by Marilyn Rasmussen.

Issues of importance to Mainard include:
* Crime and Public Safety: Ensuring safety in our homes and businesses should be a fundamental role of government.
* Transportation: Moving around the region has never been more difficult or time consuming. We need further improvements in infrastructure to reduce gridlock and improve safety.
* Education: An adequate education is one of the most powerful tools a community provides its citizens. We need to continue to improve so that we are preparing adults who are ready to go into the competitive job market.
* Health Care: Many of us are having a difficult time accessing health care. We need a solution to this crisis.
* Government Tax & Spend policies: For most of us, job security depends on a healthy business community. We need a tax structure that encourages new business, promotes the expansion of existing business and retains existing businesses in Washington.

=> Read more!