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Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Sticking to Their Talking Points

News   November 20, 2009 at 8:26 am Morning Fizz

fizz

1. The most interesting thing that happened at last night’s annual 36th District Election Analysis party at Hale’s Ales—hosted by state Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36) because the usual host, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36), was ill—was when Gov. Christine Gregoire (looking at a $2.6 billion deficit) said she would not support an “all-cuts budget” in 2010—a sharp turnaround from last year, when Gregoire (opposed for reelection by anti-tax Republican Dino Rossi) vowed that she wouldn’t pass any new taxes.

Other than Gregoire’s announcement, the panel—Senate majority leader Lisa Brown (D-3), Carlyle, State Rep. Lynn Kessler (D-24), King County Executive-Elect Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn—hewed closely to their talking points.

Constantine looked forward to renewing the fight in Olympia for new taxing authority for the county. McGinn planned to propose a new taxing district to pay for transit in Seattle. And Brown, no surprise now, supported new state tax revenues, specifically an income tax.

Carlyle, Brown, Constantine, and McGinn

Carlyle, Brown, Kessler, Constantine, and McGinn

2. Also last night, state Sen. Fred Jarrett (D-41), an unsuccessful candidate for KC Executive and deputy-county-executive-elect, told PubliCola that Constantine planned to announce his staff lineup this morning at 10:30 am. Constantine takes office November 24.

3. Erica will be on KUOW (94.9 am) this morning from 10 to 11 am (along with Crosscut’s Skip Berger, the Seattle Times’ Joni Balter, and freelance reporter Todd Zwillich from Washington, D.C.) to discuss the week’s events, including the health care debate, the process for replacing Constantine (something we wrote about in detail here), and McGinn’s unconventional transition team, among other topics.

4. Also today, Erica will be on the Seattle Channel (channel 21) at 7 pm, along with Balter, Berger, and KOMO Radio’s John Carlson, talking about this year’s elections.

5. With almost every ballot counted, City Council member Richard Conlin has received 135,936 votes, more than any candidate for any city office has ever gotten, including mayors and incumbents running unopposed.

The former record-holder? Not, as you might guess, Peter Steinbrueck, but ex-council member Sue Donaldson, who received 131,872 votes in her contested race in 1991.




  • Trevor

    Lisa Brown told the UW Graduate and Professional Student Senate less than a month ago that “we don’t have the political will in a sixty day session to launch tax reform.”

    Which is a good indication that even Brown thinks the short term alternative to an all cuts budget is going to be more regressive taxes, more fees, more sin taxes. Oh and maybe a few closed tax loopholes.

    Unless, that is, Dem allies join with the state labor council and start demanding real tax reform now.

  • Trevor

    Lisa Brown told the UW Graduate and Professional Student Senate less than a month ago that “we don’t have the political will in a sixty day session to launch tax reform.”

    Which is a good indication that even Brown thinks the short term alternative to an all cuts budget is going to be more regressive taxes, more fees, more sin taxes. Oh and maybe a few closed tax loopholes.

    Unless, that is, Dem allies join with the state labor council and start demanding real tax reform now.

  • http://www.fattailed.com/ Fat-tailed

    @1 I love when people like Lisa Brown use a “we” without antecedent to point to a vaguely defined group people — including the people they’re talking to — who don’t have political will when it is in fact the very political leader talking that way who themself lacks the political will. Grammatical gestures of powerlessness don’t cut it when you’re the goddamn Senate Majority Leader.

  • http://www.fattailed.com Fat-tailed

    @1 I love when people like Lisa Brown use a “we” without antecedent to point to a vaguely defined group people — including the people they’re talking to — who don’t have political will when it is in fact the very political leader talking that way who themself lacks the political will. Grammatical gestures of powerlessness don’t cut it when you’re the goddamn Senate Majority Leader.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @2,

    Judging from her statements to the press re: income tax last year, I’d say “we” means the Democrats. And, specifically, she meant the House side.

    So, in fact, she wasn’t talking about herself, but rather, House Speaker Rep. Frank Chopp.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @2,

    Judging from her statements to the press re: income tax last year, I’d say “we” means the Democrats. And, specifically, she meant the House side.

    So, in fact, she wasn’t talking about herself, but rather, House Speaker Rep. Frank Chopp.

  • Michael M.

    @3

    House Speaker Frank Chopp :-) Lynn Kessler is Majority Leader.

  • Michael M.

    @3

    House Speaker Frank Chopp :-) Lynn Kessler is Majority Leader.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    Thanks. I always goof that.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    Thanks. I always goof that.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Constantine looked forward to renewing the fight in Olympia for new taxing authority for the county.

    Ross Hunter mentioned the struggles counties are having and the need for short term flexibility. So, expect Hunter to push the bills from last session.
    I expect the Senate version of his hb2252 (Murray/Kohl-Welles sb6116) to return for another try (sans Husky Stadium, heavy on affordable housing and arts and heritage funding.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Constantine looked forward to renewing the fight in Olympia for new taxing authority for the county.

    Ross Hunter mentioned the struggles counties are having and the need for short term flexibility. So, expect Hunter to push the bills from last session.
    I expect the Senate version of his hb2252 (Murray/Kohl-Welles sb6116) to return for another try (sans Husky Stadium, heavy on affordable housing and arts and heritage funding.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Hunter mentioned the county at the end of the state budget news conference.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Hunter mentioned the county at the end of the state budget news conference.

  • Kathryn

    Lisa Brown is my hero for starting the discussion. It’s most of the rest of the Dems, including the Guv, who shot her down. “We” was an objective assessment of last year. WE have to get our friends around the state to push for progressive taxation as a funding source…

  • Kathryn

    Lisa Brown is my hero for starting the discussion. It’s most of the rest of the Dems, including the Guv, who shot her down. “We” was an objective assessment of last year. WE have to get our friends around the state to push for progressive taxation as a funding source…

  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    @2:

    @1 I love when people like Lisa Brown use a “we” without antecedent to point to a vaguely defined group people — including the people they’re talking to — who don’t have political will when it is in fact the very political leader talking that way who themself lacks the political will. Grammatical gestures of powerlessness don’t cut it when you’re the goddamn Senate Majority Leader.

    Would you have preferred that she be confrontational and accusatory by saying “they” in reference to Chopp and Gregoire?

    It’s well known that Lisa Brown has been pushing for, and even introducing proposed legislation for, a rational income tax. So she would have been completely justified if she’d included herself out. But she’s also politically astute, and she knows that you don’t start building bridges with other portions of the government hierarchy by burning bridges.

  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    @2:

    @1 I love when people like Lisa Brown use a “we” without antecedent to point to a vaguely defined group people — including the people they’re talking to — who don’t have political will when it is in fact the very political leader talking that way who themself lacks the political will. Grammatical gestures of powerlessness don’t cut it when you’re the goddamn Senate Majority Leader.

    Would you have preferred that she be confrontational and accusatory by saying “they” in reference to Chopp and Gregoire?

    It’s well known that Lisa Brown has been pushing for, and even introducing proposed legislation for, a rational income tax. So she would have been completely justified if she’d included herself out. But she’s also politically astute, and she knows that you don’t start building bridges with other portions of the government hierarchy by burning bridges.

  • http://www.fattailed.com/ Fat-tailed

    @many of you – Yes, Lisa Brown took some strong public positions on revenue last session. Then she shepherded through a budget that had zero new revenue.

    Could she have pushed through an income tax on her own? Of course not. But she could have done something meaningful to move the process forward.

    And no, updates to her facebook status about the need for revenue don’t count if it’s not matched with legislation that’s even brought to the floor.

  • http://www.fattailed.com Fat-tailed

    @many of you – Yes, Lisa Brown took some strong public positions on revenue last session. Then she shepherded through a budget that had zero new revenue.

    Could she have pushed through an income tax on her own? Of course not. But she could have done something meaningful to move the process forward.

    And no, updates to her facebook status about the need for revenue don’t count if it’s not matched with legislation that’s even brought to the floor.

  • http://www.fattailed.com/ Fat-tailed

    @9 How exactly is saying that revenue isn’t going to happen next session an example of building a bridge towards making that same thing happen?

    Maybe if some of the wimpier Ds had to take votes on the record revealing themselves, we could be rid of them. Instead, they all exchange gestures and status updates and vaguely point fingers — and get called heroic for it?

  • http://www.fattailed.com Fat-tailed

    @9 How exactly is saying that revenue isn’t going to happen next session an example of building a bridge towards making that same thing happen?

    Maybe if some of the wimpier Ds had to take votes on the record revealing themselves, we could be rid of them. Instead, they all exchange gestures and status updates and vaguely point fingers — and get called heroic for it?

  • onionbag

    If we’re playing the #s game on votes-for, try Prop 1 the 2009 Seattle Housing Levy renewal: 134,336 affirmative to-date.

  • onionbag

    If we’re playing the #s game on votes-for, try Prop 1 the 2009 Seattle Housing Levy renewal: 134,336 affirmative to-date.