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.
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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
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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
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Ian Demsky is a general assignment reporter who specializes in
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previously worked in Nashville, Tenn. and Portland, Ore. When he's not at
work, he enjoys hiking and science fiction. Email Ian
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
John Henrikson is a local news editor who oversees political 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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You can knock Sen. Maria Cantwell for supporting Sen. John McCain's call to strip all earmarks from the omnibus spending bill, then turning around and supporting the bill, complete with nearly 100 earmarks she supported. (See Les Blumenthal's story.) But when you look at the details of what such spending would support in our area, it's hard not to feel some ambivalence.
Others in Washington's delegation staked out their positions clearly. Sen. Patty Murray, who ranks no. 12 in the Senate in securing earmarks in this bill, made a floor speech defending such "congressionally directed spending." Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, true to his declaration of a unilateral earmark moratorium, did not sign on to any.
Sen. Cantwell did not offer an explanation for her seeming contradiction, but here is a reasonable defense: I don't like the way earmarks have been abused. I've supported recent reforms, and along with President Obama support further reforms. But for the moment, they are part of the game and I'm not doing my job for constituents if I don't play that game and help get money for projects that might otherwise get shut out.
Would that make her a hypocrite or a realist?
Below is the itemized list of earmarks for Pierce County and the region. Whether they are pork or progress may depend on where you live.
• $2,439,000 for Howard Hanson Dam
• $2,351,250 for Pierce Transit Peninsula Park and Ride
• $1,900,000 for Shaw Road Extension Project, City of Puyallup, WA
• $1,807,000 for Mt. Rainier National Park
• $1,425,000 for Enumclaw Welcome Center Intermodal Transit Facility
• $1,235,000 for Downtown Tacoma Intermodal Center
• $1,100,000 for Pierce County Alliance Washington State Methamphetamine Initiative
• $1,000,000 for Pierce County Alliance for an anti-methamphetamine initiative
• $1,000,000 for Safe Streets Campaign Pierce County Regional Gang Prevention Initiative
• $957,000 for Mud Mountain Dam, WA (Fish Passage)
• $950,000 for Salishan HOPE VI, Tacoma, WA for the neighborhood rehabilitation and improvement and community investment
• $800,000 for Gig Harbor Fish Passage
• $750,000 for Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
• $500,000 for City of University Place for Sewer Infrastructure
• $500,000 for Crystal Judson Family Justice Center in Tacoma
• $475,000 for a University Place Pedestrian Overpass
• $380,000 for Tacoma Goodwill for construction of a Work Opportunity Center
• $237,500 for Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound, Tacoma, for construction of a teen center
• $190,000 for Tacoma Community College facilities and equipment
