The mayor of Ruston who resigned his council seat earlier this year and was appointed mayor after his predecessor resigned announced his resignation at Monday’s town council meeting, according to the Ruston Home blog.

Bob Everding, a retired college dean, gave no reasons for his resignation in the e-mail, the blog reported. He stepped down two days before Tuesday's ballot measure that aims to replace the mayor-council form of government with a council-town manager format.

Everding served on the council until Jan. 19, when he resigned amid growing frustration over in-fighting between the members of the council and Mayor Michael Transue.

Transue resigned on June 2, saying the atmosphere at council meetings was growing increasingly tense. The council unanimously appointed Everding to the vacancy two days later.

It's so strong that Dennis Callies, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 76 in Tacoma, said he's recruiting workers from around the country to keep up with demand.

Construction is particularly active in eastern Washington in places like Moses Lake, Quincy and Wenatchee where server farms are sprouting, labor leaders told me.

But building also is robust here in the Puget Sound corridor, said Tracy Prezeau, statewide political coordinator for the IBEW.

The two labor leaders spoke with me this morning following Gov. Chris Gregoire's stop at the Tacoma General and Mary Bridge Children's hospital construction site on the site of the former First United Methodist Church.

About 60 workers took a short break from their work on the hospital's emergency room department and cancer center expansion to listen to Gregoire.

On the day before the state's primary election, Gregoire told the workers that Washington is leading the country in converting "helmets to hard hats" -- creating construction work for military veterans.

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Pierce County has 378,612 voters registered to participate in Tuesday's primary. Of those, 288,124 - or 76 percent - are registered to vote by mail.

And of those absentee voters, 59,793 submitted ballots as of Friday.

Turnout so far among absentee voters: 20.75 percent.

It's called "push-polling," a series of questions designed to badmouth a candidate and help devise a strategy to defeat him or her.

You know, it's like: "Would you vote for Joe Turner is you knew he tortured kittens and other little furry animals?"

If enough people answer "Yes," then there's bound to be a hit piece in the mail, telling prospective voters about my alleged treatment of Gizmo and Jules. (Those are my cats.)

Incumbent state Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, says he was the recipient of one such call Sunday night. But the pollster apparently didn't realize he was interviewing the subject of the poll. He's asked to speak to "James" Kastama." That's a dead give-away.

Kastama jotted a few of them down and sent me an e-mail.

Q: “How would the following influence your vote if you knew this about Jim Kastama:”

1. He allowed sex offenders to be released into your community?

2. He voted against tough measures to keep criminals locked up?

3. He voted against health care for women and children?

4. He voted against low cost health care for businesses?

5. He voted against abstinence education?

6. He rides an expensive scooter called the Segway?

Q: Knowing this would you still vote the same way?

(Kastama said he never let on that HE was Sen. Kastama, and answered all the questions with "I know Jim. He would never do that!")

Most of the question are your standard fare. The truth doesn't really matter. I haven't researched each of the allegations posed by the pollster, but I know Kastama is a huge supporter of abstinence education, enough to drive some of his more liberal Democratic colleagues crazy.

But where the heck did that Segway question come from?

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You could see this news release coming out of Jim McIntire's camp after ChangMook Sohn started running those radio ads last week. Sohn got former Gov. Gary Locke to sing his praises and endorse him in the radio spots that I heard on KOMO 1000.

Sohn and McIntire are running as Democrats and one of them is likely to face Republican Allan Martin, now deputy treasurer, in the general election.

UPDATE: McIntire's campaign manager says he has former governor endorsements, too.

Joe,
I just saw the post.
Just as an FYI the “thee former Governors” who support Jim are:
Former Governor Booth Gardner
Former Governor Mike Lowry
Former Governor Al Rosellini
Gregoire has not made an endorsement. A list of our endorsements in full can be found here http://www.jimmcintire.com/default.aspx?ID=3

Have a good one.
Andrew

McIntire has a bunch of local names -- Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, Pierce County executive John Ladenburg, etc. -- that he's ballyhooing on this eve of the primary election, plus the state labor council and teachers' union.

Jim McIntire for State Treasurer
For Immediate Release
Contact, Jim McIntire- (206) 399-9847
Info@jimmcintire.com

Local Officials Endorse McIntire for State Treasurer

Several elected officials from Pierce County have announced their support for State Representative Jim McIntire in his bid for State Treasurer.

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