2:12 PM: Still have something to say to City Councilmembers before their final budget votes later this week? They’ve added one more round of public comment, to tomorrow morning’s meeting – you can speak in person or online at the 9:30 am Tuesday meeting of the full council as the Select Budget Committee. Budget chair Councilmember Dan Strauss has added the extra comment period mostly because of tax-related proposals made since last Tuesday night’s mega-hearing, but comment won’t be limited to those items. You can speak in person by signing up on the sheets available in council chambers just before the meeting, or online as explained here. The meeting will stream live on Seattle Channel (funding for which is up for discussion too); the first draft of the agenda is here.

3:51 PM: The agenda has been updated with more of the documents for tomorrow’s meeting.
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Two days after Dow Constantine announced he doesn’t plan to run for re-election, after 15 years as King County Executive, the field of potential successors is still taking shape. We said we’d check with his most-recent challenger, another West Seattleite, State Senator Joe Nguyễn. We heard back from Nguyễn today and he told WSB that no, he’s not planning to run again. In 2021, he got 44 percent of the vote for County Executive; the next year, he won a second 4-year term in the State Senate, where his committee roles include vice chair of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee. Nguyễn also told us that if County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay decides to run for County Executive, he’d support him. So far the highest profile candidate is a County Councilmember from the Eastside, Claudia Balducci, who’s also on the Sound Transit Board, which Constantine currently chairs.

(King County photo, Dow Constantine’s 2009 swearing-in)

After 15 years as King County Executive, West Seattleite Dow Constantine announced tonight that he won’t run for another term when his current one is up next year. A WSB source at his “25th Annual 39th Birthday Party” at Mission in The Admiral District says he made the announcement to the crowd, and promised he wouldn’t fade away into retirement.

(Photo special to WSB)

Constantine won the office in 2009, moving up from the County Council, running after his predecessor Ron Sims left for a job in Washington, D.C. He’s also sent a news release, with a statement reading in part:

I am grateful for the progress we have made, striving for a better government and a fairer, more just society. We have built more access to opportunity, taken action to safeguard the health of our environment and our people, and set ourselves to the task of identifying and dismantling the systemic racism, sexism, and all the injustices that hold our nation back.

The work is constantly challenging and often daunting, but it is also extraordinarily rewarding to be able to help others. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role, but it’s time to let a new leader take the reins and build on the work we have done, and so I will not be seeking re-election.

As for who that’ll be, remember that State Senator Joe Nguyen challenged him three years ago; we’ll be checking with him among others. County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay has sent a news release saying he is “strongly” considering running.

Government offices are closed today – but tomorrow (Tuesday, November 12) brings a big event to City Hall. It’s the City Council’s final major public hearing on the budget that they’ll finalize before Thanksgiving. The 5 pm hearing is entirely devoted to public comment, both in person and remote, so if there’s something you want to speak either for or against, this is your big chance. Councilmembers already have proposed changes to the 2025-2026 budget plan that Mayor Bruce Harrell put on the table earlier this fall; budget chair Councilmember Dan Strauss unveiled his “balancing package” almost two weeks ago. We noted here at the time that it featured amendments from District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, One would remove parallel parking at Duwamish Head, something nearby residents say would cut down on street disorder in the area, where traffic calming such as dividers and speed cushions already have been installed.

Speaking of dividers, another of Saka’s proposals is for “safety improvements” on a stretch of Delridge Way where he has campaigned to get rid of a divider keeping drivers from making left turns across a bike lane near a RapidRide stop. (This budget item is listed as $2 million but Saka’s chief of staff Elaine Ko tells us they’re not sure of the actual cost or the precise project details yet.)

Also on the list of Saka’s amendments: Turf for the Fairmount Playfield baseball infield; local youth-baseball supporters are mobilizing to back that. The agenda document for tomorrow’s hearing includes instructions on signing up to speak; if you just want to watch the hearing, you’ll be able to do that via Seattle Channel. Email the council any time at council@seattle.gov.

P.S. You can review details of the original budget proposal here.

(Tuesday night WSB photo)

Here’s the updated King County results list, released this afternoon; here are the latest state results. Nothing of note was so close locally last night that today’s results might make a change, but the updates are worth a look at anyway. They represent 60 percent of the King County vote; so far the county has received 77 percent of the ballots it sent out. And we have two notes at the end, including one about a gathering today.

CITY COUNCIL, CITYWIDE POSITION 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck leads Tanya Woo, 57% to 42%

SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION LEVY: 67% yes, 33% no

STATE INITIATIVE 2066 (Energy): 51% yes, 49% no

STATE INITIATIVE 2109 (Repeals capital-gains tax): 63% no, 37% yes

STATE INITIATIVE 2117 (Repeals Climate Commitment Act): 62% no, 37% yes

STATE INITIATIVE 2124 (Long-term care insurance): 56% no, 44% yes

GOVERNOR: Bob Ferguson (D) 57%, Dave Reichert (R) 43%

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Nick Brown (D) 57%, Pete Serrano (R) 43%

COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS: Dave Upthegrove (D) 53%, Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) 46%

STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION (nonpartisan): Chris Reykdal 54%, David Olson 46%

Also:

PRESIDENTIAL: We had one complaint that we didn’t include presidential results in last night’s coverage. So here’s how King County voters are going: Harris/Walz 75%, Trump/Vance 22% … Statewide, it’s Harris/Walz 59%, Trump/Vance 38%

POST-ELECTION NOTES: A group is gathering near the seal sculptures east of the Alki Bathhouse at 5:30 pm today for those feeling “anxiety or isolation” post-election. … Governor-elect Bob Ferguson and his successor-elect as state Attorney General, West Seattle resident Nick Brown, plan a 10:45 am media briefing in Seattle tomorrow to talk about “preparations for a second Trump Administration.” … Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement which may provide a preview, saying in part, “Washington has strong statutes that protect our values, and when Trump messed with our state we sued him 97 times – only losing two cases on the merits while he was in office.”

In tonight’s local races, we’re electing one citywide Seattle City Councilmember and two State House reps in the 34th District (West Seattle, White Center, Vashon and Maury Islands). City Council Position 8 wouldn’t normally be on this ballot but it’s the second phase of filling the half-served term that now-County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda gave up – Tanya Woo was appointed for the term’s third year, but the fourth year had to go to the voters – here are the first-night results:

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 8

Alexis Mercedes Rinck 57%
Tanya Woo* 42%

In the state legislative races, both incumbents ran for re-election:

34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE, POSITION 1

Emily Alvarado (D)* 86%
Kimberly Cloud (R) 14%

34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE, POSITION 2

Joe Fitzgibbon (D)* 84%
Jolie Lansdowne (R) 15%

Next King County ballot count will be Wednesday afternoon

This is a big election for ballot measures – Seattle has the $1.5 billion transportation levy; statewide, we have four major initiatives:

SEATTLE PROP 1 (Transportation Levy)

Yes 67%
No 33%

We reported in July about key points of what’s in the levy for West Seattle. …. (added) In an email statement, District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka – who chairs the Transportation Committee – says, “I can’t wait to work with our Seattle Department of Transportation – making our streets safer, building out our sidewalk network, giving our residents more reliable options to move around, and improving our transportation infrastructure.”

STATEWIDE INITIATIVES (updated 9:31 pm)

INITIATIVE 2066 (Energy)

Yes 51%
No 49%

INITIATIVE 2109 (Repeals capital-gains tax)

No 63%
Yes 37%

INITIATIVE 2117 (Repeals Climate Commitment Act)

No 62%
Yes 38%

INITIATIVE 2124 (Long-term care insurance)

No 55%
Yes 45%

While the Seattle transportation levy result won’t change until tomorrow’s results update, the statewide ones are likely to evolve through the evening, so we’ll update them when needed.

In statewide and federal offices, here are some early major results – leaders include West Seattleite Nick Brown for state attorney general (updated 9:34 pm):

GOVERNOR

Bob Ferguson (D) 56%
Dave Reichert (R) 44%

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Nick Brown (D) 56%
Pete Serrano (R) 44%

(added) In an emailed statement, Brown said, “I’m deeply honored by your trust in me and I’m grateful for the commitment we share to build a safer, brighter future for Washington. Every Washingtonian will always have a seat at my table. The Attorney General’s Office is for everyone — no matter your age, race, gender, where you live, who you love, or who you voted for today.”

PUBLIC LANDS COMMISSIONER

Dave Upthegrove (D) 53%
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) 47%

U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 7

Pramila Jayapal (D)* 85%
Dan Alexander (R) 15%

ADDED 9:34 PM: More statewide/federal races of note:

U.S. SENATE
Maria Cantwell (D)* 60%
Dr. Raul Garcia (R) 40%

STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Chris Reykdal* 54%
David Olson 46%

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
Patty Kuderer (D) 57%
Phil Fortunato (R) 43%

6:53 PM: North Delridge is an epicenter of election-night viewing so far tonight – above, the scene at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), and below, the scene at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW):

Both those photos are from Jason Grotelueschen, who says each had about 40 people when he was there. Meantime, Sharonn Meeks stopped in at Circa (2605 California SW), where they’re having the most spirited party – including the decor:

And the promised flag cake (plus a special menu):

More stops ahead – the national returns have been going for almost three hours already, but the West Coast returns are yet to come.

7:25 PM: Jason also visited what might be West Seattle’s biggest election-night party, at South Seattle College‘s Brockey Center:

This party is hosted by members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority as a scholarship fundraiser:

They’ll be there until about 10:30 pm.

8:45 PM: Jason went back to check in. They’re looking for bright spots and cheered when the Washington governor’s race was announced. Just before that, he was at Admiral Pub when the crowd cheered the calls of our state’s presidential and senatorial results:

With that, we’re wrapping our watch-party patrol.

4:47 PM: More photos from local dropboxes:

At the West Seattle Junction ballot dropbox, Keith Bacon found Robin Parrott and Molly, 8, assisting her by “voting in style.” … For some on the south end of West Seattle, the White Center Library (1409 SW 107th) box is most convenient, and Cindi Barker says traffic there is “steady and building”:

4:55 PM: Back to The Junction, here’s the 4:30 pm ballot pickup, photographed by Sharonn Meeks:

5:16 PM: In High Point, Jason Grotelueschen reports, “High Point library drop-off, 5 pm. ‘Consistently busy this afternoon, and getting busier!’ 

“Saw people arrive on foot, bike, scooter and car. 6 helpers onsite for most of the afternoon … 2 on the curb directing traffic for those arriving by car, 2 box monitors helping voters and handing out stickers, one sheriffs officer, one security guard.”

5:41 PM: At the Morgan Junction dropbox, Cindi reports the lights aren’t on yet:

“The King County election staff van just showed up to pick up the ballots. They say staff will be here at 6:00 and hopefully someone will then know how to turn on the lights.” Then security just showed up and didn’t know how to turn on the lights either, so he’s going to report that in.”

6:26 PM: Lights not on there yet.

7:35 PM: Now they are, reports Cindi: “Drove home by the Morgan ballot box at 7:20 and the lights were finally on. Not much activity though. Also peeked in the Post Office in the Junction, no one putting their ballots into the mail slot at the time, ghost town.”

7:37 PM: No traffic jam at High Point either, Jason reports:

“Still very steady traffic, lights are on, helpers onsite making everything go smoothly. … They said it’s been smooth, no issues, everyone has been nice and cooperative. They’re emphasizing/saying to everyone visiting “is your ballot signed?” to ensure it gets counted. Voting stickers are popular!”

7:50 PM: And in the final minutes, smooth sailing back in The Junction. We’ll start posting local/state returns as soon as they’re available.

Haven’t voted yet? Planning to use a USPS box instead of a King County Elections dropbox? A longtime reader who is also a letter carrier based out of a West Seattle post office has advice for you – anonymously since they’re not authorized to officially speak for USPS. Here’s the note they sent us:

I would like you to remind the people on the West Seattle Blog that they can drop their ballots off in any USPS collection box tomorrow. Remember that these boxes have specific pickup times located on the box by the mail slot, letting the consumers know the earliest that the designated carrier can pick up the mail in that collection box.

We are advised at the 98116 station that we will be doing multiple pickups on our collection box with most carriers picking up right before their 8-hour shift (~3:15 pm). I would highly advise people to not use the collection boxes after 3:00 pm as we cannot guarantee any ballots deposited at the time to be postmarked Nov 5 as they may not be serviced again at this time. (I cannot count how times many ballots I have collected the next day that will not be counted because of not being postmarked on the correct day.) After 3:00 pm I would recommend voters to drop off at any ballot dropbox locations or any mail carrier they see on the streets after 3:00 pm. Routinely the last truck leaving for the plant is ~5:30 pm but I assure you there will most likely be a late one running because of the Nov 5 elections.

We at the USPS in Washington State take great pride in being part of one of the fairest ways of holding an election. We have made great effort and work long hours to deliver ballots and information to the general registered voters and it would be a shame if we did not pass on this information in regards to our collection boxes. Thank you for your time and consideration on this sensitive but important matter.

P.S. County stats show 62 percent of ballots so far have come in via drop box, 37 percent via USPS.

Less than 28 hours remain to vote! Above is the ballot dropbox at Morgan Junction Park (6400 block of California SW), where portable lighting and no-parking signage are in place, looking ahead to tomorrow. Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker has talked with King County Elections about requesting traffic control for election night, particularly out of concern for pedestrian safety. She’s been told they expect plain-clothes security at the box as well as a nonprofit organization to mediate any confrontations or disputes. At least one local political group is expected to have monitors there too. Another reminder – you need to get your ballot to a dropbox by 8 pm sharp tomorrow. West Seattle has four, all mapped here along with the others around the county. We don’t have full election-night details for the others but we know traffic control is expected near The Junction’s box starting around 12:30 pm and that the High Point Library box also has portable lighting and no-parking signage in the vicinity.

P.S. As of about 4 pm, 59 percent of Seattle voters’ ballots had been received by KC Elections. The first and only KCE count on Election Night usually happens around 8:15 pm.

(Photos courtesy Deb Barker)

As previewed here, tonight’s the night that Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood (39th/Thistle) has thrown open its doors to welcome anyone interested in gathering to contemplate the upcoming election, wherever you stand on the candidates and issues. Pastor Erik Kindem explains that the community prayer vigil is happening in the main sanctuary.

Follow the lanterns up the stairs to the doorway. This is an open-house format where people can stay as long as they want to. Instrumental music will alternate with periods of silence. There will be spoken or sung prayers too. This is scheduled to continue until 7 pm.

P.S. Remember to get your ballot in by 8 pm Tuesday via dropbox, earlier if via USPS mail so it’ll be postmarked in time.

That’s the newest of West Seattle’s four King County Elections dropboxes, installed earlier this year on the west side of the 6400 block of California SW, by Morgan Junction Park. The dropboxes are open around the clock until 8 pm (sharp!) on Tuesday night – don’t roar up at 8:01 and expect a grace period. The other three, north to south, are:

South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) – 6000 16th SW, drive onto campus from south entrance on northbound 16th, If you’re driving or riding, this one brings your best chance of getting out of your car or off your bike to quickly deposit your ballot,

The Junction – South side of SW Alaska, east of 44th SW – the West Seattle Junction Association says traffic control is expected to be in place by 12:30 pm Tuesday

High Point Library – south side of SW Raymond just east of 35th SW

For those in southernmost West Seattle, the dropbox at White Center Library (1409 SW 107th) may be convenient. It’s on the east side of the building, off the parking lot. And of course, you can return your ballot via USPS mail – but ensure it’s postmarked Tuesday or sooner,

P.S. As of this morning, 48.7 percent of Seattle voters’ ballots had been received by KC Elections; here’s how to track the status of yours. … And our Election Night party list is up to five.

Tomorrow, the City Council‘s budget chair, Councilmember Dan Strauss, officially presents his “balancing package” – changes to the mayor’s budget – but the document went public tonight. We just finished reading through the 60-page document, and here are some West Seattle sightings:

DUWAMISH HEAD PARALLEL PARKING – Residents near Duwamish Head have long been agitating to get the angle parking at the viewpoint changed to parallel. And a proposal by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka that made it into the “balancing package” would do it. Cost: $175,000. As we’ve reported before, SDOT has been somewhat resistant to the idea.

DELRIDGE/HOLLY ACCESS – Long before he ran for council, Saka raised concerns about the hardened median near the Refugee and Immigrant Families Center preschool near Delridge and Holly (as first reported by South Seattle Emerald). The “balancing package includes $2 million for “transit and roadway improvements on Delridge” in that area.

TURF FOR FAIRMOUNT PARK: Another Saka proposal, $1.5 million to convert the “baseball infield at Fairmount Park” to turf. (You might recall he ran a survey last month about turf-conversion sentiment earlier this year.)

Two other Saka proposals in the “balancing package” caught our eye:

RV STORAGE PROGRAM: Saka proposal to help RV residents transitioning to housing, Cost – $1.5 million.

FOOD DESERTS: Saka proposal requesting a report on city strategies to “attract food retailers to food deserts.”

So what’s next? Formal presentation tomorrow at 9:30 am, including overview info to contextualize the entire budget (preview that here). Then another round of comments and reviews, including the second and final major public hearing on the budget at 5 pm November 12. Here are other ways to comment.

Two election notes tonight, with one week to go until Election Day:

BALLOT-RETURN UPDATE: Have you sent your ballot in yet? Twelve percent more of Seattle’s voters have since we last mentioned it – 35.4 percent of ballots have been received. We’re even beating that here in the 34th Legislative District (which also includes Vashon and Maury Islands and White Center) – 36.5 percent of ballots are in, 56 percent of those by dropbox, 43 percent by USPS mail. Here again is the list of dropbox locations, with four in West Seattle.

HAVING AN ELECTION-NIGHT WATCH PARTY? With one week until voting ends and counting begins, it’s time to ask the big question: Who’s having a public watch party? Are community members welcome? What time? Several readers have asked, and we want to know for coverage-planning purposes, too. You can reply in a comment below, and/or email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

If you’ve been to C&P Coffee (WSB sponsor) on a recent Tuesday or Saturday and found people hunched over piles of postcards, or perhaps tried to buy postcard stamps at the post office only to find them out, you’ve likely encountered Postcards 4 Democracy.

Writing postcards encouraging voters to participate in elections has existed for decades and became a regular event in West Seattle when, in 2017, organizers Kathryn Rawle and Naomi Rue began gathering local volunteers together at coffee shops with postcards, stamps, addresses, and messages to voters.

Kathy was a postcard writer in her previous home states of Massachusetts and Hawaii, and when she moved to West Seattle, she began writing again. As postcarding gained momentum nationwide, she knew she’d need more writers. She joined with Naomi to host writing parties to get others involved. These spun off into other writing parties, and the idea for regular, weekly public meetings for others to drop in on, emerged. Coffee shops provided the perfect gathering spaces, and C&P Coffee has been hosting Postcards 4 Democracy for nearly six years. C&P Owner Pete Moores says he wants to support people who care about the political process. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for business, and it’s good for the country.”

Even when the pandemic shut down the public gathering spaces, people continued to write from home or over Zoom. It was a way to connect with community, and engage in politics on a personal level, particularly for local and down-ballot races.

This engagement is made possible by numerous online resources that provide volunteers with local or national campaign information, addresses of lapsed voters, and vetted messaging to add to their own stamped postcards. Aside from the requirements for clear handwriting and sticking to the script, volunteers are allowed to get crafty and artistic with their cards, so long as the message is still clear.

Does it work? According to Kathy Rawle, studies have been conducted showing that lapsed voters who received postcards reminding them to re-enroll, did so at a higher rate than those who didn’t. It’s also demonstrated by the increasing numbers of candidates reaching out to postcarding organizations, asking for volunteers to write for them.

The community is responding. Before the pandemic, groups of 20-25 people were showing up to writing events. In recent weeks, groups of 50-60 people have been turning out to write at the regular postcard meetings. Ask writers why they participate, and you get a common answer, “It feels so good to be doing something.” Kim Lamont has been a Postcards 4 Democracy writer since its beginning. She says, “The people are supportive and encouraging and I like doing what I can. I appreciate the other writers and I love the conversation.”

Organizer Naomi Rue adds, “I like getting people involved with what happens in our future. We can inform, educate and create community while writing postcards.”

The final postcarding event for the November 5th election will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, October 29th) at C&P Coffee (5612 California SW) from 10:30 am-12:00 pm. Jonathan Rawle (husband of organizer Kathy) notes they will focus on campaigns with shorter mailing windows to ensure the postcards arrive on time.

Kathy Rawle says, “There is a recognition of how powerful yet fragile democracy is and we need to be a part of it. Come write postcards and when people are elected, contact them, let them know what’s important to you. Come to a group like ours, talk. Engage, engage, engage.”

A party celebrating the hard work of all the participants will be at C&P on Election Day, November 5th, from 10:30 am-12:00 pm.

For more information about Postcards 4 Democracy and other resources, check out their website at www.Postcards4Democracy.org.

With eight days left to vote in the general election – until Tuesday night, November 5 – King County Elections says it’s received 23.4 percent of Seattle voters’ ballots – so more than 70 percent haven’t voted yet. You can check the latest ballot-return count any time here. You can drop your ballot in the mail – be sure it’s in enough time to be postmarked no later than November 5 – or a King County Elections dropbox (of which West Seattle now has four – South Seattle College, High Point Library, The Junction, and Morgan Junction Park) by 8 pm on Election Day. No postage needed, whichever method you choose. (If you’re not yet registered to vote, but eligible, here’s how – today is the deadline for online registration.)

(WSB photo, ballot box at South Seattle College)

With 15 more days to vote – until Tuesday night, November 5 – the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce held its first “Chamber Chat,” with the organization’s Government Affairs Committee focusing on candidates and issues on the ballot. They first heard from both candidates for the final unexpired year of the City Council citywide Position 8 term:

CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck said she’s “fighting for a city that works for all of us.” She says that she’s worked “across 39 cities” and various organizations on housing policy, as well as restructuring UW’s budget. She said her roots go back to a troubled childhood but people who fought for her saved her. She wants to work for a “fairer tax system” and to move from “budgets with band-aids” to budgets that “set up” the city to thrive. In Q&A, she was asked how she’d work with colleagues with different goals/philosophies. She said that she felt she’d bring balance to the council. She said she could work with folks “from MAGA to Marxist” and currently works with reps for different cities that are all over the political spectrum. She said she helped work on homelessness-fighting plans, too. She stressed a collaborative nature to “get folks around the table … to problem-solve” and says that’s what she wants to bring to citywide office. Answering another question, about public safety, she said “Seattle kids deserve to go to school without fear” among other things and that action is needed now – building staffing “across the board,” including law enforcement and other responders, is her priority. “It’s not enough to just respond” – work on prevention is vital too, especially gun-violence prevention. She supports “permit to purchase.” She added, “We know what we need to do” – reports have made numerous suggestions – we just need to implement them. Housing would improve safety, too, she believes.

Regarding transportation, she said she lives car-free and relies on public transit daily. Safety on transit is a priority too. “On the whole, I’m really committed to creating a safe multi-modal transit system,’ prioritizing all ways of getting around, plus electrification, adding sidewalks, and finding “progressive (revenue) options” to fund all that. How would she support small business? “They’re the cornerstone of our community,” Mercedes Rinck declares, saying she worked at one as a restaurant, but knows owning one is a whole different thing. She also mentioned the end of the tip credit and said she’s committed to help figure out how to ensure affected small businesses can keep their doors open. She thinks the Office of Economic Development can do a lot of work for entrepreneurs and wants to hear more about what they have or haven’t been doing.

She was also asked about the Department of Neighborhoods, with a suggestion that the city doesn’t really reach out to neighborhood groups any more. “How do you get people in the neighborhoods involved again, get the department involved again in bringing those voices to the table?” Mercedes Rinck agreed she wasn’t seeing much DoN involvement so the department needed to be empowered to do more outreach; she said she needs to find out more about their staffing level and look for opportunities to invest – “we know that community engagement is a lot of time, time that people don’t have sometimes.” Next: Why is she seeking office? She thinks the city has a lot of urgent needs, like what she saw in her area, the Central District, which recently had two shooting incidents, Also – dealing with the high housing prices and cost of rents going up; she says we need more housing supply, She feels she’s “somebody to act, move with urgency,” and says, “Let’s get stuff done!”

Next was appointed incumbent councilmember Tanya Woo. In opening remarks, she said her parents had the first Chinese bakery in Seattle; she comes from a long list of business owners – her parents currently own a restaurant in Chinatown/ID. She has experience building “workforce housing” and has formed a public-safety group that started walking nightly in a time of anti-Asian hate and now walks weekly. The group, she said, segued into homeless outreach and assisted seniors as well. She said more incentives are needed for building affordable housing and believes that density and “more trees” can both happen. She is in favor of reducing permit wait times, which she says she’s experienced as a small business owner. “There isn’t going to be one thing that changes overnight – it’s all part of a puzzle.” Building back SPD staffing and having alternative responders are both important, she says, as well as figuring out how to connect people with services. “I imagine a city like where I grew up – where kids can go to school without worrying about getting shot,” like her worry-free days at Schmitz Park Elementary in West Seattle. Her priorities: Public safety, homelessness, housing affordability.

How would she work on council to fully and fairly represent constituents? She says the current councilmembers are “all friends, a civil group, all in person” so she doesn’t do anything without collaborating with other councilmembers (she mentioned collaboration with CM Rob Saka for one). She is all for “finding the common ground. … That’s where I reside, how do we work together to reach the greatest good?” She added, “We just have to try things” and make changes if it’s not working. “It’s all about listening and making sure people are heard … and being out in the community” She said she’s out at meetings and events at least once a day.

How does she approach public safety and transportation? “Balanced approach,” she says. Regarding police, “while we did not defund police, we demoralized police … since most are on patrol work, we are not able to investigate” as many crimes as before. “I also believe in a balanced approach” and supports expansion of CARE Team, LEAD, REACH, and seeing how other groups are working to increase safety. Regarding transportation, she says ST3 and ensuring community measures are being heard is a priority. “I know we’re not even there yet” regarding station siting. She was involved in assembling the Transportation Levy, while noting she isn’t allowed to advocate for it.

How will she advocate for small businesses? She thinks the impending compensation change is going to force a lot of small businesses to close. She wants to find ways to be proactive and help businesses pay for things like shatter-resistant glass treatment and anti-graffiti coating. Other issues plague businesses – trespassers, drug use right outside, employees not feeling safe coming to or being at work. She said she wants to hear what businesses like those in the Chamber need. “I feel the desperation of many businesses, the weight of” how policies are affecting them.

Other questions: A local bank manager asked about graffiti vandalism, calling “demoralizing” despite not being on the scale of drug addiction or homelessness. It’s “demoralizing” to see buildings defaced, and it seems to add “a temperature of chaos … it’s like a war on our city.” Woo agreed, “I abhor graffiti.” She said her group has chased vandals down to let them know how much their deeds hurt small businesses, especially in “historic districts” that might have rules making it even harder. She feels graffiti comes down to “consent” – yes, there’s some consensual art out there, but much graffiti is vandalism detracting from the “beauty of our buildings.” Other factors delay cleanup like weather and waiting for the availability of cleanup crews. Invited to say a few closing words, she made allegations against her opponent’s stands on various issues, including saying Mercedes Rinck’s interest in “more progressive revenue” is not realistic because most of a long list of recommendations are for taxes that “are illegal.” (Mercedes Rinck wasn’t there to rebut because of the event’s format – each candidate appeared individually.)

TRANSPORTATION LEVY: The group was also scheduled to hear from guests for and against the Seattle Transportation Levy; no pro-levy guest was available, so committee chair Jordan Crawley offered some basic information about the $1.55 billion levy. Former Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen – former chair of the council’s Transportation Committee – spoke against it. He was asked about his biggest concerns regarding the levy, which he said would be “Seattle’s biggest tax ever.” He feels it’s “unaffordable, inequitable, and would be ineffective.” Rents would go up, he says, as property owners pass the cost through. One point on equity – he says it could have at least partly gone through a less regressive funding source. He also says it’s not doing enough for pedestrian safety and bridges, among other things; he’d also like to see its projects “broken into smaller pieces” – the repaving funding all goes into 15 big projects, he says, but could go into more smaller projects that repave more streets. In all, he would just like to see it redone and sent back to voters in the first half of next year. Some supplementary funding is necessary, he says, so that’s why he favors rejecting this one and calling for something new to be drafted quickly.

The Chamber also was scheduled to talk about the statewide initiatives on the ballot, but also did not have a “pro” guest, and we couldn’t stay for that part of the program. Your ballot should have arrived by now – if not, here’s what to do!

USPS just delivered the 111-page voters’ pamphlet for the general election, a reminder that voting begins in a week. King County Elections starts sending ballots next Wednesday (October 16); KCE ballot dropboxes open next Thursday (October 17). Here’s the list of what will be on your ballot:

RACES WITH CANDIDATES (click that link for the lists with links to candidate info)

US President & Vice President (10 options)
U.S. Senator (2 candidates)
Congressional District 7, U.S. Representative (2 candidates)
Washington State, Governor (2 candidates)
Washington State, Lt. Governor (2 candidates)
Washington State, Secretary of State (2 candidates)
Washington State, State Treasurer (2 candidates)
Washington State, State Auditor (2 candidates)
Washington State, Attorney General (2 candidates)
Washington State, Commissioner of Public Lands (2 candidates)
Washington State, Superintendent of Public Instruction (2 candidates)
Washington State, Insurance Commissioner (2 candidates)
Legislative District 34, State Representative Pos. 1 (2 candidates)
Legislative District 34, State Representative Pos. 2 (2 candidates)
State Supreme Court, Justice Position No. 2 (2 candidates)
State Supreme Court, Justice Position No. 8 (1 candidate)
State Supreme Court, Justice Position No. 9 (1 candidate)
State Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1 Judge Position No. 4 (1 candidate)
State Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1 Judge Position No. 7 (1 candidate)
King County Superior Court, Judge Position 41 (2 candidates)
City of Seattle, Council Position No. 8 (2 candidates)

BALLOT MEASURES (click that link for the lists with links to measure info – the very short descriptions below are from that page)

State Initiative Measure No. 2066 (regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification)

State Initiative Measure No. 2109 (taxes)

State Initiative Measure No. 2117 (carbon-tax-credit trading)

State Initiative Measure No. 2124 (state longterm-care insurance)

City of Seattle Proposition No. 1 (property tax levy renewal for transportation)

So, you have 26 decisions to make on your ballot. We’ll take closer looks at the local races and issues in the days ahead.