Aug
28
Here’s a blog post I wish I hadn’t read today.
Ralph Thomas, one of the Seattle Times political reporters who works out of the Olympia bureau is leaving the paper to work for the Katz Communications Group. As his co-worker and office buddy David Postman points out in his entry this morning, Ralph is not only one of the best reporters I have seen in the state capitol in two decades, but he’s just a really, really nice guy. It doesn’t even bother me that he kicks my butt everytime we play golf, because he is the first one to compliment you on a good shot and the first one to cheer you up when you duff it.
Not only is Ralph perhaps one of the hardest working and fairest reporters I have been around, he also has an uncanny ability to make you want to talk to him even when you are incredibly stressed out and busy. Reporters call when something major is about to happen or has just happened and if they are calling you, it’s because you are in the middle of it and probably know something. That means you are busy, high strung and worried about saying the wrong thing. Somehow, Ralph always knew how to put you at ease and seemed willing to let you dole out the information at your pace (even though I always knew he was on a deadline and had his own pressures to deal with). Sounds simple but let me tell you, its not that easy to get staffers or lobbyists to really open up. His genuine fairness, accuracy and nice guy approach made him one of the best in the capitol press corps.
He will be missed – but maybe he’s got more time for golf.
Aug
22
The Bellingham Herald reported this week that Western Washington University’s waterfront development plans took another step forward when the Port of Bellingham approved an agreement to partner with the school to create an independent development entity to develop a key portion of the city’s waterfront. Dubbed the “Viking Development,” the move permits the Port to sell or lease at fair-market value 10 to 16 acres of downtown waterfront property to Western. University officials have said that they will use the property to build a new home for the Huxley College of the Environment and is also considering using some of the space to house the College of Business and Economics and the Northwest Consortium for Technological Innovations.
The Kitsap Sun reported last Sunday that one of the options emerging for providing additional baccalaureate education in the Bremerton and greater Kitsap County area is to use existing infrastructure in the area (office buildings, transit centers, etc.) and allow multiple higher education partners to offer degree programs. Higher Education Coordinating Board consultant Bill Chance (who is conducting the study with funds provided in the 2008 supplemental budget) states that the Roanoke Higher Education Center in Virginia uses a former Norfolk Southern Railway building and that six public and eight private colleges and universities offer degree programs there. Olympic College President David Mitchell is quoted in the story as preferring the model used in Washington State where a new building is constructed on a two-year college campus with a four-year institutional partner providing baccalaureate education, such as Highline Community College’s long standing partnership with Central Washington University.
The Senate Higher Education Committee will hold a work session on Thursday September 4 as part of the Washington State Senate Assembly days in Vancouver, Washington September 3-5 at the Vancouver Hilton and Convention Center. Topics at the hearing include the availability of student loans, utilization of tuition waivers, customized training programs and higher education and economic development. The hearing is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Aug
21
Now that I have managed to pour over Tuesday’s primary election results the way I used to read baseball box scores in the newspaper when I was a youngster, here are my highlights (or maybe races worth noting) for you blog readers who just can’t get enough political insider stuff. Enjoy!
Governor
No big surprise here. Incumbent Democrat Gregoire picked up 49% of the primary vote while Republican challenger Rossi received 45%.
Treasurer
The race to succeed three-term incumbent Mike Murphy will be between longtime Seattle democratic state legislator Jim McIntire and current deputy state treasurer Allan Martin. Former state chief economist Chang Mook Sohn, who resigned last February to run for the office, placed a distant third.
Lands Commissioner
In what may be a closer than expected contest, two term incumbent Republican Doug Sutherland garnered 50% of the primary vote while Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark picked up 49% of the vote.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Three term incumbent Terry Bergeson outpolled former state legislator Randy Dorn 41% to 31%. The two will square off in the November general election in this non-partisan race.
Attorney General
Incumbent Republican Rob McKenna picked up 56% of the vote while former Pierce County Executive John Ladenberg grabbed 44% as the Democratic challenger.
Other State Elected Officials
Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Secretary of State Sam Reed, State Auditor Brian Sonntag and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kriedler all outpolled their primary opponents.
State Senate
In the closely watched 10th District (Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties) race, longtime incumbent Mary Margaret Haugen picked up 52% of the primary vote. She will face Republican challenger Linda Haddon (an Oak Harbor businesswoman) who received 42% of the vote.
In the 11th District (Renton, Tukwila, Seattle) longtime incumbent Margarita Prentice had two Democratic candidates challenge her in the primary. Prentice picked up 49% of the vote while her two challengers – Juan Martinez and Scott McKay received 26% and 24%, respectively. Martinez (most recently interim co-director of the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition) gets the nod for the general election contest.
In the 28th District (Lakewood, Steilacoom), Republican incumbent Mike Carrell received 50% of the vote but has a strong challenge from Democrat Debi Srail (a teacher and community activist) who also received about 50% of the primary vote.
In the 40th District (San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom) where longtime incumbent Harriet Spanel is retiring, San Juan county councilmember Kevin Ranker (29%) defeated four other Democratic challengers and will face former Republican state representative Steve Van Luven (37%) in the general election.
In the 41st District (Bellevue, Mercer Island) race to replace retiring Democratic incumbent Brian Weinstein, Democratic house member Fred Jarrett picked up 59% of the vote and will face Republican Bob Baker (a pilot for Alaska Airlines) who received 41% of the vote in the November election.
State House
In the 5th District (Issaquah, Fall City), Republican incumbent Glenn Anderson received a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat David Spring who is an educational researcher at the University of Washington. Anderson picked up 51% of the vote while Spring earned 49% of the tally.
In the 6th district (Spokane), Republican incumbent John Ahern received a strong challenge from Democratic challenger John Driscoll (a nonprofit health care director). Both garnered 50% of the primary vote and will face off in the November election.
In the race to succeed retiring Rep. Bob Sump in the 7th District (NE Washington counties), Republicans Sue Madsen (a partner in a local architectural, design and construction management firm) and Shelley Short (a former staffer for both federal and state officials) will face off in the general election. Madsen received 27% of the vote while Short picked up 25%.
In the race to succeed retiring Rep. Shirley Hankins in the 8th District (Benton County), Democrat Carol Moser (former Richland councilmember) will face Republican Brad Klippert who works for the Benton County Sherriff’s Office. Moser, the lone Democrat secured 40% of the vote while Klippert beat three other Republican candidates earning 19% of the vote.
In 14th District (Yakima) where Republican incumbent Mary Skinner is retiring, Democrat Vickie Ybarra (a public health nurse) was the leading vote getter with 32% while Republican Norm Johnson, a Yakima City Councilman, outpolled five other GOP candidates with 21% of the vote.
In the 17th District (Clark), embattled incumbent Jim Dunn who was stripped of his committee assignments last session, came in last place with 18% of the vote in a three person primary and will not be able to run for re-election. The November contest will be between Democrat Tim Probst (CEO of the Washington Workforce Association) who received 49% of the vote, and Republican Joseph James (a local businessman) who garnered 33%.
In the 25th District (Puyallup) where Republican incumbent Joyce McDonald is stepping down, a close race between two newcomers is shaping up. Republican Bruce Dammeier, a local business owner and school board member, picked up 48% of the vote tally. He will face Democrat and local fourth generation farmer Rob Cerqui (47%) in the November general election.
In the 26th District (Gig Harbor, Port Orchard) where longtime incumbent Democrat Pat Lantz is retiring, Republican Jan Angel, a commercial banker, picked up about 53% of the vote while former Port Orchard mayor Democrat Kim Abel polled 47%.
In the 33rd District (Des Moines, SeaTac) where longtime Democratic incumbent Shay Schaul-Berke is retiring, Democrat Tina Orwall (a social worker and housing advocate) picked up 62% of the primary vote. She will face Republican Todd Gibson (an owner of an advertising agency) who received 38% of the vote total.
In the 35th District (Mason, Kitsap) where Democratic incumbent Bill Eickmeyer is retiring, Democrat Fred Finn (a local businessman) who picked up 38% of the vote, and Republican Randy Neatherlin (a local entrepreneur and community volunteer) who received 31% of the vote. The two will face each other in November.
In the 36th District (Seattle) where longtime incumbent Helen Sommers is retiring, the November contest will feature two Democratic challengers Reuven Carlyle (a wireless industry executive and citizen activist) and John Burbank (founder of the Economic Opportunity Institute). Both candidates received about 42% of the primary vote.
In the 45th District (Kirkland, Woodinville), Democratic incumbent Roger Goodman (51%) received a strong challenge from Republican Toby Nixon (49%) who previously held the House seat before stepping down in 2006 to run unsuccessfully for the state senate.
In the 46th District (Seattle) race to replace incumbent Jim McIntire, Democrats Scott White, chief of staff for the King County Council picked up 48% of the vote and Gerry Pollet, a public interest attorney and environmental advocate received 36% of the vote. The two will face off against each other in the November election.
In the 49th District (Clark County) where Democratic incumbent Bill Fromhold is retiring, Democrat Jim Jacks who is Governor Gregoire’s SW Washington representative picked up 58% of the primary vote. He will face Republican Debbie Peterson, a teacher and community activist, who outpolled another Republican challenger 27% to 15%.
Aug
19
Today of course is Tuesday August 19 — primary election day and the unofficial beginning of the state 2008 political season. You might think the most controversial issue in the state capital would be the impending Gregoire-Rossi rematch for the Governor’s office, or perhaps which of three candidates for State Treasurer will come out ahead today, or maybe even how some close legislative races will play out. Sorry, none of the above.
The most controversial issue in Olympia today involves the potential development of a thin strip of land (isthmus if you will) that connects Olympia’s downtown with the Fourth Avenue bridge and separates Budd Inlet from Capitol Lake. In the 20 years I have lived here, the area has remained virtually unchanged, a mix of office buildings, a grocery store, a vacant lot and more recently, a refurbished Olympia Oyster House and a popular fountain that acts like the most powerful kid magnet in the world when the temperature reaches more than 70 degrees.
For the past year or so, the city council has been hotly debating a proposal from a local developer to demolish some of the now vacant and underutilized office buildings on the west side of the isthmus and replace them with market rate condos. The council has tried unsuccessfully for years to encourage more market rate housing development in the downtown area, but with the exception of a few new units for seniors, most downtown housing is low cost rentals. Now, a local Vietnamese-American named Tri Vo wants to bring in exactly what the city has asked for. The problem, however, is the location he has chosen is perhaps the most coveted view corridor in the city and opponents have emerged in droves to implore the community to oppose the plan.
You can’t drive anywhere in the neighborhoods near Olympia’s downtown without seeing “Don’t Wall Off the Waterfront” signs with huge skyscrapers looming on either side. The issue has really divided the community and resulted in near shouting matches at recent council meetings on the issue. The condos that Tri Vo wants to build are not skyscrapers, but rather five story units that might sell for up to $1 million. If you know the area, a 10-story office building currently sits empty on the isthmus and used to house the state Department of Corrections. Even though the Tri Vo development wouldn’t be as tall, it has still earned the enmity of a large and very vocal opposition group that would like the entire area to be turned into a park.
Local legislators, former Governors and mayors and a host of others have been drawn into the controversy. There are some alternative compromise plans on the table that call for a mix of condos and parks but at this point, it’s anybody’s guess which way the council will vote on the issue later this year. David Nicandri, director of the Washington State Historical Society penned this column which appeared in Sunday’s Olympian that argues that Walter Wilder and Harry White — the original architects of the Olympia capitol campus actually envisioned multi-story buildings on this site more than 100 years ago. If you have time, take a look at the posted comments to Nicandri’s piece to get a sense of the different positions on this issue.
So if you are heading down to capital city anytime soon on business or pleasure, fair warning. Be careful if you bring up this issue with a local resident. You may get an earful you didn’t bargain for.
Aug
18
Nothing like waking up to the clock radio for the first time in two weeks to ram home the point that vacation is truly over. Looks like I timed the weather just about perfectly too as the thunder and rain rumbles over red square this morning.
Quite a lot going on as most of you all know by now. There is a state freeze on hiring, out of state travel, equipment and other purchases which was announced just two weeks ago this Monday. State revenue collections posted another $60 million loss in July, the second month in a row that they have been that much below expectations. The political season is also heating up with campaign signs, and television and radio commercials in full swing.
With the primary election less than one day away, here’s an interesting story from the Tri-City Herald’s Chris Mulick on how legislative leaders are viewing the importance of tomorrow’s “top two” election.
As soon as I work my way through the backed-up messages and inbox, I’ll get back to more regular posts.
Aug
1
The blog is going on vacation. Well, maybe not the same vacation Jimmy Stewart took in that old movie but I’m looking forward to a couple of weeks of rest and relaxation. I’ll be back to regular blog posting on August 18.
In the meantime, don’t forget to vote in the state primary election on August 19.
Aug
1
Washington State’s population continues to grow, but at a slower pace than in previous years according to a new analysis prepared by the Office of Financial Management (OFM).
Our state’s population has now topped 6.5 million people, an increase of about 100,000 or 1.5% over the past year. Slowing economic conditions has reduced the number of people moving into the state, even though the state economic conditions are better than many other states in the country.
Since the last census in 2000, Washington’s population has grown by about 700,000. Seattle is now the 24th largest city in the nation (right behind Boston) with almost 600,000 residents. Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue are the next four largest cities in the state.
The fastest growing counties continue to be Franklin (in the Tri-Cities area), Clark (in southwest Washington) and Thurston, which now has a county-wide population of nearly a quarter million residents.
