Political Buzz - Archives for: May 2008, 05

A place where people go to talk about politics.

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Answers to your gubernatorial fund raising questions. Or mine. Whatever.

Posted by Niki Sullivan @ 05:19:35 pm

I just got an e-mail from Team Gregoire. I did it! Or you did, since I don't contribute to anyone: "Together, you and 6,352 energetic supporters helped us raise more than $1.3 million for our campaign in less than 30 days."

That's a bit more than the estimate I got last week. I'm still waiting to find out their cash on hand.

Now, for Rossi's campaign. I talked to spokeswoman Jill Strait, who tells me:
1. Rossi's campaign lists on their PDC report all donors who cumulatively donate more than $25. That explains the discrepancy between the numbers they send out to us and the number reported on the site.
2. Less than half a percent of their donors are out-of-state. Strait said that's about 150 of the 31,000 or so.
3. A group or company counts as one donor.

Categories: Governor, Campaign news • 2 comments

Chambers Bay fir tree gets extra care

Posted by David Wickert @ 04:49:48 pm

Pierce County continues to baby the Douglas fir tree at Chambers Bay Golf Course in the wake of last week’s ax attack.

Over the weekend an arborist attached metal bracing to the tree. It also got a good soil-scraping to uncover roots in preparation for the application of composting, according to the latest update from Tony Tipton, the county’s project manager for the golf course.

The wound itself initially will be allowed to heal the natural way, using its own sap to fend off moisture and disease. In two to three weeks the arborist will apply a high-strength epoxy resin to fill the wound.

The county also is considering how much to monitor the tree as it recovers.

Categories: Pierce County • 3 comments

Updated: Dino's going Publisher's Clearinghouse on donors

Posted by Niki Sullivan @ 03:28:46 pm

I've received regular e-mails from Dino Rossi's gubernatorial campaign marking each thousandth donor.

But for Rhonda Ray Wells, donor No. 30,746, Rossi made a special, Publisher's Clearinghouse-style surprise visit (and corresponding press release and video).

For your viewing pleasure:

If you didn't watch the video, Rossi was celebrating 30,746 because it marks the total number of donors in his failed 2004 campaign. And there's six months of campaigning left!

So far, all the donors we've heard about have been in-state, salt of the earth types. I can't tell you what percentage of donors are out-of-state for either candidate, but they're out there. I kind of wonder what will happen if one of them is the next thousandth donor...

Update: A reader pointed out something curious. The car is moving and Rossi is in it. But where's his seat belt?! There's a chance he adjusted it so as not to obstruct the shot but ... isn't that illegal?!?!? Oy.

Categories: Governor, Campaign news • 1 comment

If this surprises you, get your head checked

Posted by Niki Sullivan @ 02:53:25 pm

The AFL-CIO has unanimously voted to endorse Gov. Chris Gregoire's re-election bid:

Over the weekend the WSLC hosted its annual convention where Gregoire received unanimous support of the more than 350 union delegates who represent more than 400,000 union members across the state.

“It only required a two-thirds vote but Chris Gregoire got unanimous approval from the delegates at our convention. She’s been a great governor for Washington’s working families. She has overseen the creation of more than 220,000 new jobs, has doubled the number of apprenticeship opportunities in the state and is presiding over the lowest unemployment rate in the history of our state,” said Rick Bender, president, WSLC.

Categories: Governor, Campaign news

If not Medina, maybe Ruston can shoot for 'Beaux Arts Village' of South Sound

Posted by Jason Hagey @ 11:27:18 am

Who can say whether Ruston will ever become the Medina of Tacoma, as Mayor Kim Wheeler predicted nearly four years ago? But as the town struggles with issues of growth and change, Tacoma's former finance director offers a few other examples that Ruston might emulate.

From Steve Marcotte's Analysis of Current Financial Condition, submitted in February:

The situation currently facing Ruston is unique in its history and, doubtless, unique to the public officials trying to deal with it. But it is not unique to cities and towns elsewhere. There are several local communities that might provide insights on how some of these same issues have been successfully addressed.

Town of Beaux Arts Village
This is a town on the shores of Lake Washington that has about half the current population of Ruston yest is financially stable without major business development. It has maintained a separate identity while surrounded by Bellevue and using contracted services from King County for Police services and Bellevue for Fire services.

Town of Fircrest
Fircrest is virtually surrounded by the City of Tacoma and uses Tacoma Public Utilities for electric services and has a contract with the Tacoma Fire Department for fire and emergency medical services.

City of Fife
Fife has doubled its population in the past five years and has experienced a great deal of commercial development. It now has a resident population of about 7,500 and a daytime population of about 35,000. They have adapted their staffing and service models to meet these rapidly expanding requirements.

Marcotte's report included three recommendations for Ruston.

=> Read more!

Categories: Tacoma, Suburbs • 1 comment

Ladenburg launches AG campaign in Seattle today

Posted by David Wickert @ 08:54:13 am

Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg will formally launch his campaign for attorney general today in Seattle. He’ll hold a similar rally later this month in Tacoma.

More details below.

Advisory for Monday, May 5 2008
Contact: Christian Sinderman (206) 683-8380

John Ladenburg to formally kick off Attorney General campaign with large events Monday in Seattle, late May in Tacoma
Smaller events around the state will be announced as Pierce County Executive continues to build momentum

SEATTLE—Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, will formally kick off his campaign for Attorney General with a May 5 event in Seattle and Tacoma event later in the month. Both are expected to draw several hundred supporters.

=> Read more!

Categories: Campaign news, Attorney General • 1 comment

Political Buzz

A team of experienced reporters keep you updated on what's happening in political arenas at the city, county, state and federal levels. From presidential campaign visits to who's running for city council, we've got it covered.

Contributors

Niki Sullivan covers politics. Before coming to Tacoma, she covered state government in Oregon. She is a regular contributor to the GritCity blog. Email Niki

Peter Callaghan is a local columnist. He’s covered the statehouse and state politics since 1981. Before joining The News Tribune in 1985, the Stadium High grad worked for newspapers in Everett and Lewiston, Idaho, and for The Associated Press in Olympia and Seattle. Email Peter

Joe Turner has covered state government and transportation issues since 1990. Since the Bellarmine grad’s arrival in the newsroom in 1978, he’s covered police, suburban cities, Tacoma City Hall, Federal Way City Hall and the Pierce and King county governments. Email Joe

David Wickert covers Pierce County government. Before coming to The News Tribune in 1998, he covered local government for newspapers in Illinois, Virginia and Tennessee. Email David

Jason Hagey covers Tacoma city government. Before coming to The News Tribune in late 2000, he worked at newspapers in the Tri-Cities and Pendleton, Ore., covering city and county government, courts, crime and the occasional feature. Email Jason

Les Blumenthal has been covering Washington, D.C. for The News Tribune since 1990, focusing on issues and politicians involving the state. Before joining The News Tribune, he spent 13 years working for The Associated Press in Seattle, Illinois and Washington, D.C. Email Les

Hunter George is the local news editor who oversees coverage of state and county politics. Before coming to The News Tribune in 2001, he spent 11 years covering the statehouses in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington state for The Associated Press. Email Hunter

John Henrikson is a local news editor who oversees City of Tacoma and education coverage. He's worked as a journalist in the Northwest for 19 years, supervising coverage and reporting on local and state government, the environment and growth. Email John

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