Why Is Everyone Running Against Godden?

I think your logic here is a little flawed. The Sinderman-factor certainly explains why Classen is running against Godden: if Classen was committed to hiring Sinderman, HE could only run against Godden. But it doesn’t necessarily explain why Godden has attracted all of the other candidates. The inference is that people are afraid of running against Sinderman’s clients. However, his clients frequently have challengers. Remember the last mayor’s race?

I think Godden’s drawn the most challengers because she’s seen as the most vulnerable. And remember that poll from last year? She was the City Councilmember with the highest negatives.

But what if Jean is *secretly* paying Sindeman to *not* represent anyone with a chance in hell of beating her? Ever think of that? I’m just saying….

emerging from my cigar smoke filled bunker, i’ll offer a couple thoughts on this novel theory…

first, gidge is right that the other challengers in the godden race had their pick of incumbents and settled there independently. and with respect to maurice, he was of course free to pick any race that interested him. obviously, i could only help him in position 1, which was where he decided to run, since it offered the greatest contrast.

second, while a happy (or potentially unhappy) coincidence that i have a number of incumbents on the ballot this year, the current lack of challengers against tom and sally, and relatively modest challenge against tim has more to do with them than anything i bring to the table. each has earned a strong reputation as effective leaders, reflected in broad community support and fundraising strength.

bruce harrell also has deep community roots and is a strong fundraiser, and as the only person of color on the council represents important viewpoints that many would-be challengers have decided against pursuing.

jean godden, who i personally respect and like a great deal, is clearly perceived as more vulnerable. for maurice, a smart and well-spoken 33 year old and rising star in civic life,the choice in position wasn’t about the hired hack, but the contrast in style and focus.

and that’s how it should be: candidates are defined by their vision, their record, and their experience, not their consultant…

the man behind the curtain is really just a geek with a laptop, hardly a scheming king maker…

I notice you mentioned how young Maurice is without mentioning how old Jean is. But we could read between the lines and that was kind of slimy.

But he did mention how Harrell represents important viewpoints that many would-be challengers have decided against pursuing.

We old people say: Good.

@sarah– i only note Maurice’s age because he is indeed young, which some may feel to be a negative as well as a positive… but he has accomplished a great deal for a young candidate.

last year i worked with now state rep joe fitzgibbon–who at 24 make maurice seem like a seasoned pol– and age was a compelling part of the narrative despite that fact that his worthy opponent in the general election was also under 30.

Does your laptop lack a SHIFT key?

Does anyone besides Ms. Godden have Cathy Allen on their payroll? I will not vote for any candidate who hires her.

(But I also won’t be voting for any of the incumbents this time. Their support of the DBT is inexcusable, in my book.)

Is it just me, or is Christian Sinderman just dreamy?

I’ve seen a picture of you, and you’re dreamier than all the people you’ve called dreamy.

And I say this as a het. A confirmed het.
(or whatever we’re called these days.)

Christian has the Council pretty locked up, but there are plenty of other good consultants out there.

maybe he’s texting on his droid…or dinovo mini

perfect, let’s keep a DBT council in place, it’s not as if we as a nation, state and city need to make some fundamental changes or have new economic realities….and certainly what with all the extra money lying around and our hiring of more cops and teachers and strengthening the safety net, now’s a perfect time to build a two mile stretch of freeway that will cost $1500 a year to ride on every day. It’s really useful for fairly well off folks with business in seattle say bond lawyers and property owners shuttling around town, the kind who can throw down $8 a day in tolls, no problem. The kind who donate $300 to several city council candidates each cycle.

A bit specious, Christian. 33 isn’t usually termed “young”. No one would consider him young enough for his age to be a negative. But if the word “young” is said, then Jean’s age pops into mind.

And I don’t say that because I’ll vote for Jean, which I likely won’t.

Apparently it’s not possible to have a comment thread without the tunnel being mentioned.

Good one. The DBT is such a wrong headed decision…

Not till it’s built or dead.

No there aren’t. Christian is the only consultant who is both a proven winner and demonstrably in his prime.

@Sarah – Actually, when it comes to elected officials, PARTICULARLY women, 33 is young. A quick scan of the bios of state and local electeds will show that the average age is much closer to 60 than 30.

Running for office is hard at any age, but particularly for younger individuals who don’t have as extensive of a network or name recognition, but bring an equally valuable (and I would argue more relevant) voice to the table when it comes to land use, public infrastructure, human services, homeless issues, etc.

It is also worth noting that currently NO councilmember is under 40 on the Seattle City Council, so a bit of youth would be refreshing, especially when it is accompanied with experience and intellegence.

Anti-DBT platform has no traction.

I proclaim “Batchelder’s Law”. All Seattle blog threads eventually mention the tunnel.

Maybe so, but that fact speaks more to the voters’ perceptions and knowledge than to the merits of the decision.

Specious? I hardly think so. In terms of public office, anyone under 50 is often described as “young”.

Sarah – what’s the average age of people on Council? I suspect it’s the oldest council in the history of Seattle. While I’ll make no judgment on that since we have some very good people on the council regardless of age, it is a little sad that more qualified younger people aren’t entering politics.

Oh good heavens, I wasn’t complaining about young people. My point was that if you are talking about someone quite old (which Godden is; she’s not 60) in the same paragraph with a challenger and you use the word “young” regarding that challenger, you are speaking in code. Which I still maintain is kind of slimy.

Wouldn’t the relevant question actually be, “What has Jean Godden done for Seattle in the past few terms?”

Isn’t that the Will in Seattle Law? Zing!

None of the incumbents deserve a free ride. Based on their leadership skills and past performance all should expect a viable challenger in this year’s election.

I think John Wyble and the folks at Winpower would disagree

Not to be nitpicky, but in his original statement Christian didn’t use the word “young”. He said Maurice is “…a smart and well-spoken 33 year old and rising star in civic life…” and “..candidates are defined by their vision, their record, and their experience”.

I know Christian is the Darth Vaser-ish head of an evil political consulting empire and all, but “slimy”? c’mon….

and my point isn’t that you were complaining about young people, but that it’s fair commentary in this election to discuss a candidates age, because we have a comparatively very old, council. True?

She was the deciding vote against the Nickels/ Carr Nightclub Ordinance which was a pretty great vote on her part.