Joe Turner is on vacation this week. So here's our colleague Brad Shannon's take on Initiative Day at the Secretary of State's office in Olympia.

It was a full house at the University of Puget Sound rotunda Wednesday night for the second debate in the Tacoma mayor's race. The CityClub was the sponsor and the League of Women Voters was the moderator.

No fireworks on the cusp of the Fourth of July. But it is starting to become clear how the candidates are positioning themselves for the one-on-one race to replace term-limited incumbent Bill Baarsma.

City Councilwoman Marilyn Strickland repeated speaks of her experience in the private sector, non-profit sector and as an elected official – with emphasis on the elected official part. Sure, she has just two years on the council but that's two years more than Jim Merritt who has never held public office.

But that forces Strickland to defend nearly all policies and decisions made by the city including the large pay raises given many workers and the proposal to ask voters for money to repair streets and roads. In a year when voters seem uneasy over the economy, that has its perils.

Merritt pounces on it, using Strickland as a foil for his message that city hall isn't listening to the voters. While many are losing their jobs and absorbing pay cuts, the council gives raises. Rather than talk to voters first about what to do about roads, the city creates a top-down solution.

But Merritt has his own problems when he seems to overpromise what a mayor can do. Under the city charter, the mayor is part of the legislative branch – a council member with a gavel. The council hires a city manager who is the chief executive of the city.

But Merritt referenced "my administration" and even complained that the city manager was overstepping his bounds by developing policy such as the proposed downtown parking plan. In Merritt's worldview – or perhaps cityview – the mayor should be doing that and the manager should carry out the work.

That might work under a strong-mayor form of government but not so well in the council-manager form Tacoma has.

At first Alex Hays didn't think the e-mail was out of the ordinary. Given that Hays will manage the campaign to approve three amendments to the Pierce County Charter, he expects to get questions about the measures such as this:

Mr. Hays,

I recently heard from a friend that you were going to be the campaign manager for the efforts in favor of Pierce County Charter Amendments 1, 2, & 3. I was wondering if you could provide me with more information on the amendments. I know they have to do with term limits, moving county elections to odd years, and ranked choice voting, but which one does what? Do you guys have a website yet? Where would I go about donating if I decide I agree with your positions?

Scott Mateyka
Tacoma, WA

But then Hays noticed that the message signed by Scott Mateyka came from the e-mail account of Erik Connell. A little web search found an Erik Connell who should probably know a bit about ranked choice voting. He is a "democracy fellow" with FairVote, the leading national advocate of ranked choice voting.

And Connell was described as a University of Puget Sound graduate whose focus at FairVote is instant runoff voting.

"In the coming weeks you’ll see that these guys will say anything to preserve their experiment," Hays wrote of IRV advocates.

I sent an e-mail to Connell and asked if the Scott Mateyka e-mail, in fact, came from him. If so, why hadn't he identified himself as an advocate for IRV?

Here's what he wrote:

Yes, that was me. I just was curious as to what was going on with the opposition and came up with this approach spur of the moment. Kind of boneheaded, I realize. I certainly didn't mean to be underhanded, but just to get answers to some elementary questions.

He then offered to brief me on the virtues of IRV and the No on 3 campaign.

I guess this all means he isn't going to be donating to Hays' campaign.