The Seattle Times reports this morning that state Sen. Pam Roach (R-31) did not participate in this year’s candidate ratings by the King County Municipal League because, she said, the group that does the evaluations is biased toward Democrats.
The ratings were just released this morning. Of 11 people on the league’s evaluation committee, seven identified themselves as Democrats, two identified as conservatives, one identified as “center,” and one gave no political affiliation. None said they were Republicans.
In recent years, Roach’s evaluations have gone from “very good” to “adequate,” the lowest rating above “not qualified.”Although she (along with several other Republicans) didn’t participate in this year’s ratings, the League again gave her a rating of “adequate.”
A survey of this year’s legislative rankings does reveal that Democrats receive higher rankings in general: Of 53 Democrats evaluated by the League, the average score was close to “very good,” the second-highest ranking below “outstanding.” Republicans, on average, fell midway between “good” and “adequate.”
However, Republicans’ rankings were pulled down by a couple of factors: First, 13 of the 44 Republicans the League evaluated received rankings of “not qualified,” the lowest rating. League board co-chair Gabe Meyer says a “not qualified” ranking is “a pretty high standard” that indicates a candidate hasn’t met any of the League’s four criteria (involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge).
Specifically, “not qualified” candidates are those who have not “been engaged in ways that prepare them for public office”; have “a record that casts doubt on his or her ability to be productive”; who have “not demonstrated the ability to deal reliably with the responsibilities of elected office” and who have “a narrow focus, an inflexibility of attidude or [are] otherwise troublingly limited in their approach,” Meyer says. “We saw a lot of that last one this year,” Meyer continues. “Sometimes people are mad about something, so they run, but they haven’t really done a lot of the work it takes to prepare them for office.
Looking at the questionnaires filled out by “not qualified” candidates is illuminating. For example, one candidate for state rep in the 11th District, Jackie Moore, listed “surviv[ing] an entire season as a Girl Scout camp counselor with my sanity intact” as her proudest accomplishment. Another, annexation opponent and Tim Eyman supporter Jerry Galland, described building his house without the use of contractors as his most important personal characteristic. A third, perennial candidate Stan Lippman, calls himself a “Davidian who has not lost his way” and writes that allowing women to do whatever they want is the root of society’s problems.
Second, about half of the Democrats were incumbents, a factor that probably confers an advantage under the League’s criteria, which include things like proven effectiveness, knowledge of the office, and involvement in the community.
Roach is being challenged by two Democrats and one Republican. Democrat Raymond Bunk was rated “very good”; the other Democrat, Ron Weigelt, and the Republican, Matt Richardson, were ranked “good.” Roach, who was temporarily booted from the Republican caucus this year for “hostile behavior,” is suing Richardson over language in his voters’ guide statement suggesting the sanctions were permanent. This Seattle Times profile has a good overview of Roach’s odd behavior over the years, which includes throwing a tantrum when someone took flowers off her desk, suggesting that teachers should be allowed to carry guns to school, and allegations that she had pulled a gun on a former aide.
Some highlights of the ratings, which are available in full here:
In the race to replace Sen. Darlene Fairley in the 32nd District, state Rep. Maralyn Chase only received a rating of “good,” while her two opponents, Democrat Patty Butler and Republican David Baker, ranked “very good.” Chase was first elected to the House in 2002.
In the race to fill the state House seat being vacated by Sharon Nelson, who’s running for state Senate, only Joe Fitzgibbon received a ranking of “very good.” The other two Democrats, Mike Heavey and Marcee Stone, were ranked “good,” and the lone Republican, Geoff McElroy, was ranked “adequate.”
In the 41st District House race, Republican challenger Peter Dunbar ranked higher than incumbent Marcie Maxwell, with a “very good” rating to Maxwell’s “good.”
Also in the 41st, Republican Senate challenger Steve Litzow received a “very good ranking,” just one point below incumbent Democrat Randy Gordon’s “outstanding.”
In the 47th District, incumbent Geoff Simpson was ranked merely “adequate,” while his two Republican challengers, Mark Hargrove and Nancy Wyatt, were ranked “very good” and “good,” respectively. Earlier this month, Simpson was charged with domestic violence against his ex-wife—the second time she has accused him of assaulting her.
Finally, in the Seattle Municipal Court races, incumbent Edsonya Charles ranked merely “adequate”; her challenger, assistant city attorney Ed McKenna, was ranked “very good.” Earlier this year, the King County Bar Association gave Charles the lowest ranking of any district or municipal court judge.
