34th District Democrats’ meeting: Election countdown
Certainly the presidential election has taken fascinating turns – but that’s just one race on a huge slate you’ll face when your ballot arrives in the mail, or when 
you go vote in person on November 4th. We got quite the reminder of that while covering Wednsday night’s meeting of West Seattle’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats – they got endorsement pitches from supporters of initiatives that may not even be on your radar screen yet. They also heard local organizers’ presidential get-out-the-vote strategies too. Two and a half hours of what the 34th DDs call “all the democracy you can handle” — here are the highlights:Read More
City Council to get West Seattle Junction development briefing
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(Updated version of WSB clickable Junction/Triangle development map)
Heard about this after last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting (full report on that is still in the works), and it’s just been confirmed by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: Toward the widely voiced concern that the Junction and Triangle areas be looked at in a “big picture” sense while so much development roars forward, Rasmussen is asking Junction developers (here’s our report on their West Seattle Chamber of Commerce appearance yesterday) and leaders of the Chamber and the West Seattle Junction Association to be at the September 22nd City Council “briefing” session. Also invited: along Representatives of city agencies including SDOT (transportation) and DPD (planning). Rasmussen staffer Brian Hawksford explains, “The purpose would be to have the developers describe their projects to the Council in an informal setting and to explain how they hope the city can be helpful in the overall improvement to the streetscape.” Rasmussen himself elaborates:
I see all of the development that is being planned in the Junction area as a tremendous opportunity to create one of the greatest residential and commercial neighborhoods in the City. For that to happen it is important for the developers and the City to work together to insure that design of the buildings, landscaping, transit planning, traffic management, parking and pedestrian walkways are all coordinated and complementary. The City can play a major role to insure that the coordination occurs. Recently I met with representatives of the Fairmount Community Council and they too see this potential. I would like as many people who are interested to participate.
I know it may be difficult for the public to attend this meeting during a weekday here at City Hall. The meeting is planned to be held here … because I would like the Council to understand the importance of this effort. It will be televised and can be viewed online as well. If people would like more meetings to be held, we can do so in West Seattle.
The meeting’s at 9:30 am September 22nd at City Council chambers downtown. It will be shown live, as are all such council sessions, by the Seattle Channel — channel 21 on cable, or seattlechannel.org online.
Preview of coming attractions
Those signs outside The Hall at Fauntleroy are a hint at what’s happening inside tonight … the 34th District Democrats‘ second-to-last meeting before the general election. We’re here to find out what the area’s largest political organization is up to – one promised presentation will include the Democrats’ presidential-campaign strategy “precinct by precinct,” according to a gentleman putting together a projected presentation – that should be interesting, given how things are playing out on a national level right now. Any major news that emerges, we’ll post as/when it happens; otherwise, look for a roundup later. Meantime, we’re also still working on a story that emerged from today’s monthly West Seattle Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting — the four developers responsible for eight major projects in the Junction area all presented updates — with some info you may not have heard before — that’s coming up later tonight.
Reminders for tonight: Thrills, designs, Dems
THRILLS: Not too late to get in on Thrill the World-West Seattle, the group that’s going to dance as part of the world-record attempt (different locations, don’t worry, you won’t have to fly or drive somewhere distant) – tonight’s the second practice, 8 pm, Ginomai (42nd/Genesee), more on the official WS website.
DESIGNS: Right after that, Ginomai’s also the spot to join the weekly crowd cheering Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne in “Project Runway” — show’s at 9 pm on the big screen (bring dessert to share!).
DEMS: Less than two months till The Election – and that means West Seattle’s biggest political group has only two more monthly meetings till then – more potential endorsements are on the agenda tonight for the 34th District Democrats, among other things, 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
Southwest Youth and Family Services in youth-violence plan
As promised when this was previewed yesterday, we’re sharing the info issued by the mayor’s office at his Garfield High School appearance this morning to announce a “youth-violence-prevention initiative.” Here’s a document with the overview – which includes “southwest Seattle” as an area of emphasis and lists West Seattle-based Southwest Youth and Family Services as one of the agencies that will help develop plans for this part of the program:
We will establish three youth-focused neighborhood networks in central, southeast and southwest Seattle to identify the children at-risk for violence, and surround them with services tailored to their specific needs.
Read on for the full text of the city news release with toplines:Read More
Reader report: What it was like at the Democratic Nat’l Convention
(photos courtesy Chris Porter)
As the Republican National Convention heads into its final night, we’ve just received a firsthand report from one of three West Seattleites who were delegates to the Democratic National Convention. It occurred to us way too late that we should have arranged with local delegates to send back in-progress reports … Chris Porter of Fauntleroy must have been reading our minds, as his story and photos just landed in the WSB inbox even without us having asked. (Haven’t seen any evidence of West Seattle Republicans in Minnesota – but if you know of one, have ’em give us a shout.) Here’s what he has to say, and show:Read More
Updates: Primary election results
The first results have just been posted (find the link here), from mail-in ballots counted today. Meantime, just noticed King County – which is really getting out ahead in the online game, with County Executive Ron Sims‘ blog and Twitter feed among other things – has an election-night blog. We’ll watch it as well as the basic numbers. (If you’re in the 11th Legislative District area of White Center, we’re tracking that at White Center Now.) 10:27 PM UPDATE: King County has just posted its second batch of updated results – follow the links to see the latest. Countywide, looks like I-26 will pass, meaning another vote in November. 2:41 AM UPDATE: No more results till the next count late Wednesday afternoon. No surprises that we’ve seen except that Public Lands Commissioner might be a hot state race in November – incumbent Doug Sutherland (R) is less than a percentage point ahead of challenger Peter Goldmark (D) so far.
DIRECT RESULTS LINKS:
Governor (statewide here; King County here)
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (statewide here, King County here)
State Public Lands Commissioner (statewide here, King County here)
King Co. Initiative 26 (whether to have a November vote on making certain county offices nonpartisan)
7th Congressional District
34th Legislative District (all three positions)
34th District Democrats’ decisions, with days till the primary
(photo by Dina Johnson)
If you still think the primary election – next Tuesday, or maybe you’ve voted by mail already – is a snoozer, last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting would have cured you of that notion. With sometimes-raucous debate and questioning, our area’s largest political organization settled on some endorsements and budgeting decisions, looking ahead to both the primary and general elections. Five of West Seattle’s own elected officials were there, along with one of the most controversial statewide politicians running for re-election, and a city leader – read on to say what was said, decided, and revealed, including their recommendation on the primary’s most convoluted ballot measure:Read More
Happening tonight/tomorrow: From politics to paintings
TONIGHT: 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting, with guests including City Council President Richard Conlin and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson, plus a jail-sites-fight update from Highland Park Action Council, 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
TONIGHT: “Project Runway” week 5 and Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne is still in the running, so that means another viewing party at Ginomai (42nd and Genesee). Doors open 8 pm, show at 9 pm.
TOMORROW: West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, 6-9 pm. More than 30 venues – and not all in The Junction! – get the map and find out about some of the artists, at the official Art Walk blog (here’s a direct link to the map).
We’ll spotlight some of the Friday and Saturday events later today – Saturday in particular has some mega-events, such as Picnic at the Precinct and the High Point Neighborhood Center groundbreaking – in the meantime, you can check the WSB Events calendar list for dozens of happenings in the days/weeks/months ahead.
Political countdowns: 12 days to primary, 1 day to fundraiser
If you vote by mail, you may have cast your ballot already. If you’re old-fashioned in-person voters like us, 12 days till polling places throw open their doors for the August 19th primary. Here’s all the ballot info you could possibly want; we also included some highlights in this WSB update a few weeks ago. (If you’re not registered, it’s too late for the primary, but you can follow the links on that same page to get signed up in time for the November 4th general election.) Meanwhile, West Seattle’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, reminds us that tomorrow night is their biggest fundraiser of the year — the Garden Party and Auction, 6 pm @ West Seattle Nursery. And if you feel like talking politics right now, the never-dull 2008 Elections section of the WSB Forums has a provocative topic in progress: “Why vote?”
Update: “Car-Free Day” announcement set for Alki tomorrow
We reported here late Friday night that Mayor Nickels was expected to announce this week that Alki will indeed have a “Car-Free Day” before summer’s out (a source told us it’ll be September 7th). And now it’s confirmed that the mayor is making an announcement at Alki tomorrow morning, though it’s described only as an event where he “will announce the dates and the streets chosen for the city’s Car-Free Days. As part of the city’s ‘Give Your Car the Summer Off’ campaign to combat global warming, selected roadways will be open to only pedestrians and bicyclists on designated summer Sundays.” We’ll be there to bring you the official word as soon as it’s announced.
Bag fee vote tomorrow – looking for bag-buying suggestions tonight
Tomorrow afternoon at its 2 pm meeting, the City Council is expected to vote on the bag-fee and foam-ban proposal — you can read the full details here. If it’s approved as currently written, it’ll kick in the first of next year, and you’ll pay 20 cents for every nonreusable shopping bag you get at the store. So you may be in the market for reusable bags if you don’t have them already. No shortage of places to buy them – got one to recommend? (In addition to every supermarket imaginable, we know of at least two other places: WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits sells Envirosax for $9.50; PB&J Textiles told us a few months back about bags they were selling for $4 at the time – haven’t checked lately if the price/availability has changed.)
City delegation tours future West Seattle RapidRide route
Near the expected southern end of the future West Seattle RapidRide bus route, we caught up this morning with a city delegation including Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Jan Drago (at right, with various SDOT and council administration staff, two of whom live in West Seattle, as does Rasmussen). Our last major update on RapidRide came from a briefing presented to the city council last month (WSB coverage here); as a bus service to be provided by Metro, RapidRide is a county operation, but city leaders are trying to keep close watch on the plans. As Drago — who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee — put it, “This is the first of three (RapidRide routes) in the city and we want to make sure it’s done right – it’ll set a precedent for a long time to come” During that briefing in June, she had expressed a lot of concern that RR wouldn’t really live up to the “rapid” in “bus rapid transit” because it will still have a fair number of stops; this morning, Drago told WSB her concern about that has lessened a bit, because there are far fewer stops between Morgan Junction and downtown, than along the southern stretch between MJ and WV. She also said the bus-route tour was eye-opening in one respect: “There’s a lot more development going on over here than I realized.” As we discussed that development — particularly in the booming Triangle area — for a few minutes, Rasmussen noted that he wants to be sure developers are involved in the discussion before the RR design and other aspects are finalized, since so much will be changing in the area in the next few years before RR is scheduled to be ready to go in 2011. Drago said the city is sending Metro a letter with many followup questions regarding this RapidRide route (you can see a map here – the late-spring version that the city delegation was reviewing this morning matched that one except for a few additional stops between the ferry dock and Westwood Village). She also revealed there’s some talk of leasing parking lots – where and whose, we don’t know – to alleviate the parking crunch that’s already been caused by “park-n-hiders” who drive to The Junction and leave their cars in neighborhoods, to catch buses downtown. As for what’s next from the city standpoint, Drago expects her committee to revisit RapidRide late this year or early next. And with that, the delegation re-boarded its van, and headed back to City Hall.
4 weeks from today: Election Day, already
The primary election, that is — August 19th, our state’s first “top two” primary since the court fight shook out. The candidates and ballot measures already are listed online; among the notables you’ll see on your ballot, Seattle’s 7th Congressional District Rep. Jim McDermott (now described on the ballot as “Prefers Democratic Party”) has five challengers (including perennial candidate Goodspaceguy Nelson); Gov. Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi are just two of 10 people going for governor; all three of West Seattle’s state legislators (34th District Sen. Joe McDermott and Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson; scroll down this page) are opponentless. On the ballot-measure front, you’ll only face one in August — King County Initiative 26, which seeks a November vote on a proposal to make the county executive, council, and assessor jobs all nonpartisan. If you’re not registered to vote, it’s too late for August unless you’ve never registered in WA before, in which case you have till August 4th (more info here)
Update: City Council votes to send new parks levy to voters
Though Mayor Nickels has publicly expressed opposition to sending a new parks levy to Seattle voters before 2010, a majority of City Council members just voted to ask you to vote on the Parks and Green Spaces Levy this November, which is when the current Pro Parks Levy expires – a unanimous vote by all 7 councilmembers (with Sally Clark and Richard McIver absent). The current version, which has undergone a tweak here and a tweak there since the Citizens’ Advisory Committee approved it a few weeks back, totals $145 million over six years, which reportedly will cost the average homeowner about $70 a year. “The reason we’re doing this is is that parks are the affordable place to go in renewing our spirits,” said Council President Richard Conlin. West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Parks Committee, thanked the many people who took the time to attend public hearings and offer comments, saying, “It’s been a very good public process,” even if it didn’t “take as long as the usual Seattle process” and, in looking ahead to what a new park levy might accomplish, reflected on the excitement that surrounds the opening of a new park – just nine days ago, he was at the dedication of Ercolini Park west of The Junction (below left, with Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher):
Back to the pre-vote speeches: “This is a very deliberative process we’ve gone through (with public hearings and a citizens’ advisory committee),” said Councilmember Tim Burgess. “Some of the greatest public works projects in our country have been done during tough economic times.” Councilmember Nick Licata said, “There’s been some criticism our citizens have become overburdened with levies … (but) this was not created by council alone.” Councilmember Jean Godden said, “Everybody cares about parks … parks touch everyone.” Councilmember Jan Drago said, “I have reservations about placing this on the ballot … because of (a) lack of prioritization, I believe we will have three competing ballot issues,” but she added, “I have decided to let the voters decide.” Councilmember Bruce Harrell said he has “faith” voters will make the right decision after “scrutinizing” everything on the ballot. The council already approved the mayor’s proposal to put a Pike Place Market renovation-money levy on the same ballot, November 4th; the other one to which Drago referred is a likely Sound Transit levy. The mayor could veto the levy, but only six councilmembers’ votes would be needed to override (and as we mentioned, seven voted “yes” today).
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