A BAD night in Seattle and Washington state...

First of all, it appears that voters have approved I-841, which not only rolls back workplace safety laws in the area of ergonomics, but forbids the state from enacting any rules in that area whatsoever in the future.

Then, three City Council incumbents (Judy Nicastro, Margaret Pagler, and Heidi Willis) were defeated for re-election by "pro-business" opponents highly touted by DINO mayor Greg Nickles, the Seattle Times, and the city's business establishment. Nicastro's loss was especially tough, as she had been the main champion of renter's rights in Seattle. She lost to Jean Godden, the long-time gossip columnist of the Times, who had shown no interest in politics until she recruited by Nickles & his crew, but who had (not unlike a certain Governor-elect in a state further south?) huge name-recognition locally. Sure enough, after a make-over from the powers that be, Godden was soon running a sound-bite campaign with statements like "time has passed the renter's movement by" and "landlords, after all, are small family businesses that need protecting." :puke:

In short, not unlike last month's California debacle, this was yet another example of how, given enough one-sided media coverage, "celebrity" status for candidates, and massive, simplistic ("Vote yes to save jobs...that's all you need to know") ad campaigns on the part of those with big enough coffers, average voters will quite happily turn off their minds and vote against their own best interests on a regular basis. Considering that this is happening in a city and state with a reputation for being among the most liberal in the nation (as was California before it), this is not a good harbinger for next year.

:-(

I've been politically involved for less than a decade, but I have yet to witness an election campaign in Seattle that's anything less than a total disaster. Sheez, are there more than thirteen people with brains in this city?

Someone reported on another thread that I-841 did NOT pass. I hope they were right, and you're wrong! But, given the way Gary Locke, Bill Gates and Boeing execs have been chipping away at everything but the kitchen sink, it wouldn't surprise me if they rammed this one home, too. (True Story: I wasn't even aware of the Ergonomics bill until I saw it on the ballot tonight! I'm VERY politically active, and I scan the local papers daily. However, I don't watch TV, don't have a radio, and I seldom get phone calls because I'm on the Internet all day. Also, I was very involved in the school board campaigns, so I didn't have time to study all the issues. Still, I was amazed to see that Ergonomics initiative on the ballot - like a sucker punch.)

"Then, three City Council incumbents (Judy Nicastro, Margaret Pagler, and Heidi Willis) were defeated for re-election by "pro-business" opponents highly touted by DINO mayor Greg Nickles, the Seattle Times, and the city's business establishment."

Frankly, I don't see any difference between the City Council races and the School Board races - all the incumbents and challengers alike were pigs. Margaret Pageler is about as Republican as a Democrat can get, and Heidi Wills is an abomination. I supported Judy Nicastro when she first ran for office. In fact, I got an extremely provocative letter to the editor published that I believe may have tipped the votes in her favor.

But I quickly discovered that she was no different than the rest. How could she remain pigeonholed as the Renters' Rights Queen when there are so many important issues hammering this city?

I had some personal experiences with David Della and knew he was another pig.

I agree with everything you say about the Seattle Times' gossip bitch, Jean Godden. (For non-Seattleites, the Seattle Times is as corrupt as they come; it even endorsed George W. Bush.) Don't forget that Godden was partying with Judge Bobbe Bridge the day she (Bridge) got involved in that nasty hit and run.

And have you noticed the abundance of media whores in local politics? Dick Lilly - Seattle's most disgusting education reporter - became the spokesman for America's most disgraced mayor, Paul Schell, then replaced Satan (Don Nielsen) on the Seattle School Board. A Seattle Times editorial columnist whose name escapes me is now Greg Nickels' spokesman. Seattle P-I reporter Lynn Steinberg was recruited by the Seattle School District; she released the information that led to a teacher's suicide. (I suspect he was framed.)

"Considering that this is happening in a city and state with a reputation for being among the most liberal in the nation (as was California before it), this is not a good harbinger for next year."

Amen. Seattle has been going down hill since at least 1970. The rate of decline was increasing under Clinton, then accelerated under George W. Bush, entering a freefall after 9/11. Where we might be five years from now is too frightening to contemplate.

The whole west coast went through a phase of rising costs, part of what happens when you get growth and jobs. Now we have neither. Seattle's problem is that nothing gets done, just a cesspool of stagnating politics.

Well, now that they've taken out Nicastro, maybe Nic Licata will be next. This makes him the most progressive voice in the council now. I don't think Mr. Nickels will stand for that so I suppose we'll have to get him out of there when he is up for re-election too! (sarcasm!)


John

I fear that if rents go up even higher in this town, I will have to leave. Big business will dictate the agenda in Seattle. I find it rather strange that Jim Compton won and Nicastro and Wills didn't. There is no justice!

It is clear that Godden is going to be Nickels' "yes" person and I don't have to tell you about Compton. I must admit I had seriously considered running against Compton but personal problems interferred in this.


My biggest hope is that Nicastro will go up against Nickels in the next mayoral race.


John

It would be nice if she could upset him, but if she can't even win as an incumbent over Jean Godden, how can she hope to be a credible candidate against Hizzoner?

What is most depressing, for me, is not just that the "bad guys" won, again. It is that this happened in what is supposed to be a "safe" liberal stronghold, at a time which would seem ripe for a resurgence of populism and a stand by the "average working guy" against the forces of the corporate establishment. I mean, a "pro-business" approach might seem credible during boom times, but at a time like now, when the average person is really hurting, it would seem like an opportune time for a move to the left. Yet we see, once again, that all the powers that be have to do is present a united front and churn out enough disingenuous, simplistic campaign ads, and the "common man and woman" fall into blind lockstep as quickly as rats upon hearing the Pied Piper's flute.

And, if that can happen here in "liberal" Seattle, do you think any Democrat will have a chance nationwide against a Bush Billions Blitz of ads tugging at the heartstrings with the flag and 9/11?

I just found out that Marysville has ousted their school board members in their election after that lengthy teacher's strike. Also, we get districts for our city council in Seattle.


John

*NM*

...by the Mayor's best bud, Rasmussen. Hard to see that as an improvement.

All that means is that the Mayor will be the only one who "speaks for the entire city," and will be able to further control the outcome of Council business by holding the pursestrings for each district. ("You better vote with me or see your district's funding chopped and your voters blaming you.")

The original proposal was to make most of the Council races by district, but have three of them be at-large. That would have been a good idea, but Nickles demanded that the resolution be district-only as a condition for his support. This is basically yet another power grab by Hizzoner...and remember how he was the liberal candidate in that race two years ago? :-(

between city-wide representation and neighborhood representation. Right now nobody speaks for certain areas of the city (Capitol Hill/CD).

On Edit: Of course nothing will get done so it's really just a waste of time and money.

I never really figured out exactly how it would work, but I figured the City Council district makeover was a scam. After all, ANYTHING that's supported by the establishment is a scam. If this proposal had any real merit, the media would have scarcely mentioned it.

The basic idea sounds good to me, but I knew Bill Gates and Paul Allen had figured out a way to exploit it to their advantage. We just go farther backwards each year. I wonder if the tallies are even accurate; remember all the publicity about computer guru Ron Sims' election snafus?

because I hated Mark Sidran, I was first suspicious about him when he took the "I'm a uniter, not a divider." tag from Dubya.

I honestly hope somebody does step up to run against him once his four years is up. Judy Nicastro strikes me as the type that would do it.


John

Our last mayoral campaign was a textbook example of Seattle politics. The candidates could be grouped into four categories:

THE THREE PIGS
Paul Schell
Greg Nickels
Mark Sidran

SEATTLE'S MOST FAMOUS ACTIVIST
Charlie Chong

THE SURPRISE
Bob Hegamin

THE FRINGE CANDIDATES
4 or 5 of them

Most Seattleites apparently believed that only one of the three pigs had a chance of winning, so they voted for the nice guy who said nothing but "The Seattle Way" - Greg Nickels.

Charlie Chong ran the most bizarre campaign of his career. That and several other revelations led me to believe that he's actually working for the other side.

Most people would argue that none of the fringe candidates were qualified. Well, so WHAT? If you have to choose between someone who isn't qualifed and a CAREER CRIMINAL (like Greg Nickels), is there any contest?

In fact, Bob Hegamin was the best candidate of the bunch. He retired from Seattle City Light and has been politically active for years, even making it past the primary in one City Council election. He even has a political website - an extreme rarity in Seattle. The media ignore Hegamin like the plague, more evidence that he's a winner. Yet Hegamin only got about 1% of the vote, and Nickels won and quickly morphed into the monster I knew he was!

Now, I'm not 100% certain that Hegamin is on the level. It's possible that he's another operative. But I'd rather take my chances with a possible operative than with some goon who lost $1.1 BILLION on Sound Transit and substitutes "The Seattle Way" for issues.

So how the Hell do we educate the public in this corporate village?

the vitriol pours out of you unmodulated, dude. sure, i agree with you, but the language! o my stars & garters! at least you keep it under seattlesucks levels.

love, AKA view ridge patriot

Are the results final? This morning on the news, they were reporting 50 % of the votes with a bunch of mail in ballots to count. I thought the incumbents on council were losing, but it wasn't a done deal. Is it official?

i know one absentee ballot that wasn't sent till tuesday a.m. (mrs. solomon), and its pro-judy, pro-heidi, pro-ergonomics, pro-replacing the entire school board, and anti-districting.

i suppose the vote is trending in favor of the DBA-approved puppets, but i hope something good comes out of it.

let me take a unneccessary slam at 2 generations: #1, genx for not even showing up (30% turnout), and #2, "the greatest generation", for voting for godden just cuz she's "nice" & they "know (of) her". truly, you old people are utter pawns of political advertisement. think for yourselves!

i'm planning on harassing jean with traffic-light coordination & pothole-fixing demands non-stop. 75th street is fucked up.

Read about this in the Seattle Times on Monday and contacted My Council Person-Carolyn Edmonds (see copy of her email response)

Kathy Lambert-R- Woodinville is against it so maybe we need to convince her otherwise!!!

Thank you very much for your email. We deferred action on the resolution for one week. As you may imagine, this is quite controversial at this council. Nonetheless, I share your opinion and plan to vote in support of the resolution.

Carolyn Edmonds