I'm just back from a 4-day weekend, so pardon me if this is old news for some of you. It arrived in my e-mail on Friday.

The Washington Supreme Court has scheduled the oral argument for Initiative 1029 for September 4. The justices are coming back early to listen to the arguments. Election experts say they expect a ruling from the court as early as the following week.

Election ‘08: Initiative 1029 cleared for November ballot

OLYMPIA…Secretary of State Sam Reed announced Friday that Initiative Measure No. 1029, which would provide for certification of long-term care aides, has enough valid signatures to qualify for a spot on the statewide ballot in November if the courts clear the way.

Critics of the measure are asking the state Supreme Court to block the state from placing the measure on the fall ballot and, instead, send it to the Legislature in January. No hearing date has been set, but both the state and the challengers have asked the court for expedited handling of the case. The state Elections Division and County Auditors face early printing deadlines for the Voters’ Pamphlet and ballots. Military and overseas ballots must go in the mail by Oct. 5 and other vote-by-mail citizens can start voting by mid-October. That pushes printing deadlines back to early September.

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I have jokingly complained to Scott Merriman that I have to get a new business card from him every year because chances are he has moved on to another job.

Sure 'nuff. He's done it again.

Merriman is the new deputy director of the Association of Counties.

As for the "peasant" reference: State Sen. Brian Weinstein, D-Mercer Island, once referred to Seattle Times political reporter David Postman as a "(F-word) peasant." Weinstein later said he mistook Postman for someone who worked in the governor's office, someone who wouldn't mind being called a peasant because the two of them got along so well.

Don't know about how well they got along, but we in the press corps later discovered it was Merriman. A Postman double he is not. But they've got the Van Dyke thing goin'.

So, ever since, Merriman has been referred to as the peasant -- and the expletive is not deleted.

Good luck, Scott.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 5, 2008

Scott Merriman Appointed WSAC Deputy Director

Eric Johnson, Executive Director for the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), today announced the appointment of Scott Merriman to the position of Deputy Director for the Washington State Association of Counties.

Since January 2005, Mr. Merriman has served as Director of Legislative Affairs for the Washington State Office of Financial Management. Mr. Merriman also served as a Policy Director with WSAC from 2002-2004, working on Land Use, Transportation, and other issues important to Counties.

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This just in from education reporter Kris Sherman:

Former Tacoma School District Superintendent Rudy Crew is in trouble in Miami. Crew survived - barely - a School Board attempt to dethrone him Monday. You may recall he was the charismatic and ultimately controversial superintendent in Tacoma from 1993-1995. Here's the link to today's Miami Herald story.

Tacoma schools' only black superintendent, Crew was seen as a role model for minority students when he was hired in 1993. He was a powerful and engaging speaker. Some said that while he was a great big-picture leader, he didn't follow through on the details. Crew left shortly after the beginning of the 1995 school year to head off the New York City public school system.

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a forum Wednesday night for the candidates for the 6th Congressional District. But will 16-term incumbent Norm Dicks be there?

Nope.

His challengers plan to be there: Republican Doug Cloud of Tacoma and Democrat Paul Richmond of Port Townsend tell me they'll attend. I've left a message with the campaign of Green Party candidate Gary Murrell of Hoquiam.

Exit133 reported yesterday that Dicks had not yet accepted the invitation to appear. I've left a message with his campaign manager to find out more. His campaign web site only shows one event in August - the Aug. 19 primary.

Update: A League of Women Voters representative says the Dicks campaign sent its official regrets today.

Update No. 2: Here is the reply from Dicks' campaign manager, Hart Edmonson:

Norm has always campaigned hard for re-election and is running once again on his record of service for his district. Congressman Dicks has had a longstanding policy of scheduling a mutually agreed upon joint appearance with his opponent before the general election and we expect to continue that this year. He looks forward to running on his record of accomplishments for his constituents in the upcoming primary election and in November.

Update No. 3: Murrell's campaign manager says he'll be there, too.

The event will be held Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound's Trimble Hall.

As we reported last month, Dicks usually wins re-election by huge margins. Around here, he has higher name recognition than Ichiro. But the challengers say there's discontent out there. In Grays Harbor County, Democrats who oppose the Iraq war were balking last month at endorsing Dicks. Richmond recently touted the endorsement of William Jamie Nixon, a Dicks campaign field coordinator in 2006. Murrell rails against Dicks for being too cozy with the Bush administration and lobbyists.

More information about all four candidates is available here on our Voter Guide.