U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell was in West Seattle tonight – our photo shows her on the big-screen at Brockey Center on the South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) campus as she keynoted the 4th annual awards banquet for Washington Public Campaigns. She reiterated her support for public campaign financing – suggesting we wouldn’t have had to endure damaging deregulation-related debacles if we had it – and recalled her largely self-financed, political-action-committee-contribution-free 2000 campaign. Cantwell’s in her second term, which runs till 2012. The event was described as the biggest banquet for the group yet – more than 300 people (its “Dessert Dash” alone raised almost $6,000). WPC has a strong West Seattle link because its past president is Marcee Stone, who gave up that role in order to run for office – eschewing corporate and political-action-committee money in keeping with what she’s been fighting for – in the 34th District House Position 2 race. Stone emceed tonight’s event; award recipients (listed here) were State Sen. Eric Oemig (45th District) accepting the Public Leadership Award, Washington Community Action Network honored as Organization of the Year, and Elsie Simon as Volunteer of the Year.
P.S. Public campaign financing is on the agenda for another West Seattle event that’s just two nights away – Washington Public Campaigns will be featured at the next Community Forum presented by Sustainable West Seattle, 7 pm Monday at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction (more details on the SWS website).
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