1. Okay, this is funny. You know how Speaker of the House state Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Seattle) has this mantra about “One Washington”—meaning he wants the Democrats, East and West, conservative and liberal, to work together for common goals? Well, retiring (resigning in anger), liberal state Rep. Brendan Williams (D-22, Olympia)—who constantly found himself demoralized by what he saw as Chopp’s watered-down agenda—has started a political committee to raise money for progressive candidates.
In what reads as a parting shot FU to Chopp, Williams named the committee the One Washington Political Action Committee.
So far, One Washington PAC has raised $4,000 from another PAC, the Progressive Leadership PAC, which gets its money from the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union among other liberal groups.
2. Speaking of campaign committees, here’s one to watch: Retiring U.S. Rep. Brian Baird’s (D-WA, 3) campaign fund. The latest campaign finance records show that Baird has over a half million dollars on hand and zero debt. Is Baird going to help out any of his shaky party colleagues this year—U.S. Sen. Patty Murray? U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2)? state reps and senators?
Or is his fund going to sit there until 2012 when, he hopes perhaps, the climate for Democrats has changed?
3. At this week’s Stranger-sponsored forum on nightlife regulations, Mayor Mike McGinn said he had not taken any money from cab drivers during his campaign. (During the discussion, bar and restaurant owner David Meinert had suggested breaking up local cab monopolies as a way to spark more night time transportation alternatives—noting it was a heavy lift because of cabbie campaign contributions.)
While we found McGinn’s claim surprising—cab drivers, according to numerous accounts, were one of McGinn’s biggest support bases during last year’s campaign—we checked McGinn’s campaign records against cab-license registrations at the city and found that no city-licensed cab drivers (who are independent contractors) had contributed to his campaign. Additionally, no employees of Seattle-area cab companies were listed as having contributed to McGinn.
4. One thing we did find on McGinn’s contribution list: In addition to a $121 contribution from Stranger publisher Tim Keck during McGinn’s campaign, two Stranger editorial employees gave money to the mayor after he took office in January—Stranger editor Christopher Frizzelle, who gave $100, and Stranger arts editor Brendan Kiley, who gave the mayor $50.
We get that advocacy journalists donate during political campaigns as Keck did. But donating after the guy’s in office? We’re tempted to hand out a PubliCola Eve Harrington award.
5. In response to complaints from industrial and maritime businesses, staff with the Port of Seattle reportedly did an analysis of the controversial Nickerson St. road diet (the city narrowed Nickerson, which used to be two lanes in each direction, to two travel lanes plus a left-turning lane) that confirmed prior analysis by the city’s Department of Transportation: The road diet will not negatively impact Nickerson’s capacity to carry freight trucks or automobiles.
Although Port spokesman Peter McGraw wasn’t aware of any such study, in an email to Cascade Bicycle Club policy director David Hiller, Port Commissioner John Creighton wrote, “Port staff has confirmed SDOT’s modeling, and I think the noise level amounts to little more than demagoguery.”
6. Speaking of industrial interests, North Seattle Industrial Association president Eugene Wasserman, whose group has been a vocal opponent of the completion of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Ballard, had some suggestions for the city at this week’s Bicycle Advisory Board meeting.
First, Wasserman asked the city to complete design work on the south end of the Ballard Bridge, which is “one of the most dangerous intersections in the city” for cyclists; second, he asked for new lights on the Ballard Bridge, to prevent collisions between cyclists and/or pedestrians on the narrow sidewalk both groups must share; third, he asked for better maintenance of existing street lights, which are often burned out; and fourth, he asked the city to complete the Ship Canal Trail, which runs along the south side of the Ship Canal.
One footnote, however: A big reason industrial interests “support” completing the Ship Canal Trail is that they see it as a substitute for completing the Burke-Gilman, which goes missing for nearly a mile and a half through industrial Ballard, forcing cyclists onto bumpy city streets filled with obstacles such as potholes and treacherous railroad tracks.
