By Erica C. Barnett

I was a guest this week on Seattle political consultant Crystal Nicole Fincher’s “Hacks and Wonks” podcast, where we discussed the news of the week, including:

A report from the Seattle Times suggesting that Department of Natural Resources Director Hilary Franz, who’s running for Congress in Washington’s Sixth District, may have used state resources to promote her campaign by, among other allegations, pushing employees to volunteer for campaign events;

The ongoing stagnation of Seattle Council President Sara Nelson’s legislation to repeal minimum wage standards for app-based delievery drivers, erasing much of a law adopted last year that guarantees reimbursement for drivers’ direct costs plus expenses, such as self-employment taxes, that employees do not have to pay. Nelson rolled out her proposed changes to the PayUp law in January, but has been unable to win a council majority, with Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth and Cathy Moore expressing reservations;

The Seattle transportation levy, which heads to the ballot in November. At the last minute, Councilmember Dan Strauss successfully earmarked $20 million for an alternative that “completes” a long-missing section of the Burke-Gilman trail through Ballard by rerouting cyclists onto a doglegging path along Leary Way, where they’ll mix with regular sidewalk users and cross 13 road intersections (and 33 driveways) before returning to the existing trail along Shilshole. Some versoin of the Leary option has long been favored by industrial businesses in the area, which have spent decades fighting against a direct link between the two sections of the trail.

And more! Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts.