the stranger endorsements

We need an authentic liberal with a taste for the jugular to take Hutchison out and then steer the county out of its budget crises and other myriad problems. Licata also fought to provide better public defense for indigent people in the municipal court system while raising standards for judges. Dow stepped up, took a risk, and reminded us that he not only has great lefty politics—strong on the environment, an ally of the local music and club scene, a leader on transit—but the kind of daring, cunning, and grit required to beat Hutchison in the November election and keep the county executive's chair in Democratic hands. Takedown Policy. This election may not be historic, but your hangover will be. Interesting races should be at the top. Endorsed By: Cascade Bicycle Club, SEIU Local 925, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, The Stranger, The Urbanist, Washington Bikes, Washington Conservation Voters, Washington Trails Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Lands, Seattle Parks Foundation, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and many local Democratic district organizations. It was an unusually hellish week getting back from Las Vegas and getting the paper out and then immediately going to work on next week’s big issue (endorsements). She's pushed for onerous nightlife regulations and a smaller levy to build affordable housing. Did we say we wanted to see fresh blood on the council? Washington CAN! On the other hand, plastic-bag companies want more money! That's Rob Holland. Democrat Suzan DelBene Share Rep. Suzan DelBene is running for re-election in the 1st Congressional District. Reply. If a progressive candidate takes her place, it will tip the council's balance leftward. Nicole Macri is a housing champion and Democrat running for election in the 43rd Legislative District. The only problem we currently have with Macri is that there’s only one of her. The Stranger does not endorse in uncontested races—which, for this primary election, means races with two or fewer people in them. Terms of Use | For example, she said she was voting for mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan, a dud when we met him, who props his campaign on a thin résumé with T-Mobile. Box 1460, Silverdale, WA 98383 Email your comments or fill out our form. Plants wants to expand alternatives to incarceration for low-level drug offenders and grow the youth-violence-prevention initiative. 6 thoughts on “ Open Letter to The Stranger about Its Erratic Endorsements — and Why It Should Endorse Maralyn Chase for State Senate ” Alex says: October 14, 2018 at 8:30 pm. The combination of idealism and realism is refreshing, and we think O'Brien's approaches to increasing density and transportation represent the sort of forward thinking Seattle needs more of. | And frankly, city council meetings already look like an AARP bridge club. Vote Macri. But some of what we heard from Israel stinks. He used to practice business and employment law. This race came down to two qualified candidates: Betty Patu, a three-decade veteran teacher in Seattle schools, and Charlie Mas, wonkiest wonk of all school-district wonky-wonks. Do yourself a favor and skip ahead to our endorsement for mayor, which comes next because that's the order of the races on the ballot, which is insane. ... Additionally, Washington Bikes makes endorsements of ballot measures which will benefit Washington communities through bolstering transportation choices, supporting outdoor recreation, and working to safely connect neighborhoods and cities. McGinn is the only candidate who disagrees with Nickels about one very big issue: blowing billions (more than $900 million from the city) on a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the aerial freeway on the waterfront. What do we got instead? We do. The port needs a business-minded person who isn't evil. (Ditto.). When considered along with his career on the council—where he secured funding for pre-arrest diversion programs, led the first council discussions on reforming drug policy, and called City Attorney Tom Carr on his bullshit—Licata has proved to be the strongest council member on issues of civil rights and smarter criminal justice. Licata, a devout lefty with some latent anti-growth/NIMBY tendencies, has been on the lonely end of 8–1 votes lately, and, in 2002, he fought light rail. He believes Seattle must build much more housing within city limits to combat suburban sprawl—to reduce the region's carbon footprint and bring down housing prices—and we wholeheartedly agree. So we listened closely to his primary challenger, Jessie Israel, an employee of King County Parks and Recreation who says Licata is "bogging things down" and promised to make Seattle "more livable.". Mas, who maintains a creepily obsessive school-board blog, is clearly well-versed and interested in the überboring intricacies of school-board bureaucracy. In 2007, at the Sierra Club, he led the fight against the ballot initiative that bundled light-rail funding with highway funding. Others in this crowded race ranged from scary (Robert Rosencrantz wants to "give neighborhoods more authority" over nightlife) to bland (Jordan Royer loves Greg Nickels and doesn't present any particularly interesting ideas). LD37-2: Kirsten Harris-Talley Of the dozens of candidates we interviewed for state legislative seats this cycle–and certainly among the non-incumbents, who as a rule tended to speak in hopeful generalities rather than hard-learned specifics–Kirsten Harris-Talley was among the most impressive. One year later, we're still here. McGinn argued that if voters rejected the roads-heavy measure, the light-rail component would come back to the ballot the next year and win. The Stranger is Seattle's only newspaper. You know who helped pay to encourage voters to make it a nonpartisan position last year? Votingforjudges.org includes ratings and endorsements from numerous organizations. Licata, on the other hand, has consistently pushed underdog legislation that the SECB supports. Despite compelling arguments from the staggeringly disingenuous anti-bag-fee spokesman, whose organization, the Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax, has raised an absurd million-plus dollars from chemical companies and trade associations like the American Chemistry Council (but "one guy in Ballard gave $25!" Privacy Policy And that fresh brand of crazy—plus Smith-Blum's mind for spreadsheets and track record of strong public-school advocacy—is just what this position needs. Plus, two of the three city-council races on the primary ballot are up in the air. Vote the FUCKING SHIT out of her! Biden: All Adults Must Be Eligible for Vaccine by May 1. Drago also recently said she wants to "establish and enforce a norm for acceptable and safe behavior on the streets," which sounds like the last thing that happens before anti-democracy tanks come rolling through Westlake Park. Sign up for the latest news and to win free tickets to events, The easiest way to find Seattle's best events, All contents © Index Newspapers LLC While the Seattle Times editorial staff maintains that its goal is mostly to inform, hugging objectivity as closely as it can, The Stranger happily rams its endorsements down your throat. Owens sided with the minority of pro-gay-marriage justices in 2006, she secured greater consumer protections against … The Stranger of course too some heat -- and rightfully so -- for telling readers to vote for some real nice folks but, let's face it, folks who can't win. And he's opposed Mayor Nickels on issues before and won. The group appears to support diverting low-level, nonviolent offenders into less expensive, more effective treatment programs. But none of this year's candidates seems equipped for the job. During our endorsement interview, Albro's opponent Max Vekich was short on specifics, long on rhetoric, and occasionally incomprehensible. Our Endorsements Website. Enter Kay Smith-Blum, co-owner of the "European specialty store" Butch Blum, longtime do-gooder-about-schools (creating and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for public-school "annual funds," for example). SEAMEC, the Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee, has been interviewing, educating, and rating candidates on issues of importance to the LGBT community since 1977. The only thing duller than port races is the Seattle Channel. Some hero needs to march into the port and straighten shit out. You don't have to read our endorsements in Port of Seattle races. But today, too many students don’t receive high-quality, inclusive, medically accurate education about sex and healthy relationships, putting them at risk of sexual assault, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections. The story of how Justice Charles Johnson landed on the high court is an odd one. And Bagshaw's campaign-contribution filing reports read like a roster of Rainier Club members—and those people have enough friends at City Hall already. 1: Janet Garrow. It is the opposite of the Nickels campaign and the Nickels machine. Despite these landholding numbnuts, Macri frequently corrals Dems into supporting her agenda. Justice Position No. By voting in the primary, you can help the best candidates in each race advance and send the worst candidates packing. Simultaneously, McGinn is the only candidate for mayor who calls bullshit on nonissues (like everyone's sudden opposition to the head tax, which requires businesses to pay $25 for each employee who usually drives solo to work and helps pay for transportation projects—he thinks it should stand). The issues we disagree with Licata about—sometimes favoring a less dense city, his idiotic stance on retrofitting the viaduct—are votes he doesn't have a shot of winning. Washington needs a statehouse full of Macris, but until we can get some undertaxed tech giant to make us a cloning machine, we suggest you reelect the one Macri we have. We were making history. Betty Patu, we will literally do anything you say. While we've supported Bass in the past, her challengers are right. In his most recent term, Licata created a group to study whether the city could avoid building a new $200 million jail. That's Tom Albro. More than ever, we depend on your support to help fund our coverage. Terms of Use | He's assembled a battalion of supporters and speaks passionately about the issues facing the city. He's got the strongest environmental record. He has dozens of smart ideas, including rewriting neighborhood plans to accommodate more density, especially around light-rail stations, and supporting targeted human services to help people avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. Young people deserve accurate information to help them make good decisions, to protect themselves, and to protect their futures. Everyone else making endorsements should be held to the same high standard, and that should apply to all six declared … If The Stranger is an essential part of your life, please make a one-time or recurring contribution today to ensure we're here to serve you tomorrow. Washington state renters have few allies like two-term incumbent Rep. Nicole Macri, who has repeatedly introduced bills to repeal our statewide ban on rent control. Full disclosure: Smith-Blum owns a business that advertises in The Stranger. (We hope.) Hutchison. Plants lacks the experience of his competitors, but in the few months since launching his campaign, he's demonstrated organizing skills and the nimble mind required by a city council member. Meanwhile, the two leading candidates in every other race—thanks to our "top two" primary system—will move on to November's general election. Hey, any black lesbian Jews with scary middle names running for mayor? (Except that "piece of shit" bit—that's our thoughtful analysis.) He's got the strongest civic résumé among the candidates who've never held elected office (founded the nonprofit Seattle Great City Initiative, chaired the local Sierra Club). Privacy Policy | October 15, 2014. | Those bills haven’t passed because “several” of Macri’s colleagues—“mostly Republicans but also Democrats”—are grimy ass landlords. Yes, Albro has some Republicans in his closet, but he's also got the support of Senator Ed Murray, who met Albro and grilled him about "choice, the environment, and gay and lesbian issues." He's also fought against nightlife restrictions. We also don’t endorse in races we totally forgot about because of tear-gas poisoning. Takedown Policy, Contact | The Stranger has repeatedly supported Sawant in its endorsements and was highly unlikely to ever endorse Orion. by Stranger Election Control Board And in 2008, while running Great City, McGinn chaired the campaign for the parks-improvement levy, which won at the polls, despite the opposition of Nickels. The Stranger Endorsements WA STATE SUPREME COURT Supreme Court Justice Position 2: Susan Owens . A closeted-Republican can of hair spray outpolling her openly Democratic rivals in the King County executive race. Bev Tonda is a pink-sweatered ray of strawberry sunshine. Israel talks about change, but it's not clear what revolutionary policies she would muscle through the council. And the shit that pours out Hutchison's mouth about being a nonpartisan running in a nonpartisan race for a nonpartisan position? Except Robert D. Kelly! In his meeting with the SECB, Miller was reluctant to support towers on the Yesler Terrace redevelopment, the best way to produce more low-income housing in the middle of the city, and was reticent to endorse infill development outside of prescribed urban villages. She's seeking her fifth term on the bench, and we see no reason to vote her out. Best of all, she's hard-fucking-core. Join our first online STRANGERCON on YouTube live, March 20 at 10am PST and get a NIOBE: She is Death #1 Convention Exclusive for FREE. Website. Vote APPROVED for Long-Term Care Investments is listed in the Progressive Voters Guide below.The Fuse Progressive Voters Guide compiles the information that allows you to make informed decisions about … By Stranger Election Control Board, July 17, 2020, For full article, see https://www.thestranger.com/news/2020/07/17/44101127/the-strangers-endorsements-for-the-august-4-2020-primary-election#Macri. These are even longer, excruciatingly wonkish, yet more tirade-packed endorsements than appeared in the print edition of The Stranger.. –Love, the SECB. (Israel reversed her position when the plastic lobby threw another $300,000 into the campaign, calling it a "game changer"—please note, wealthy corporate interests, that you'll get a pass from Jessie on the first $1 million, but then watch out!) Perhaps Macri’s ability to unify electeds is what’s stopping significant challengers from entering this race. Bev Tonda is a self-described "Democratic-leaning Republican" who lives in a log cabin she built with her own teeth on the banks of the Cedar River and occasionally says the craziest thing ever ("I was raised Christian, I'm converting to Judaism, and I hang out with Muslims!!!"). ... Additionally, Washington Bikes makes endorsements of ballot measures which will benefit Washington communities through bolstering transportation choices, supporting outdoor recreation, and working to safely connect neighborhoods and cities. Mike O'Brien, who rode his bike to meet the SECB, has a great ass. This was a tough one, as both sides made excellent points. If you need an even longer moment to climb atop your signaling soapbox and let everyone know you're extra righteous by ranting about all the mistakes Clinton's made over her decades of public service, take it now. Our story. Website. Directed by Orson Welles. In addition, in the last few years, he's passed bills to provide more workforce housing, increase standards for pedestrian safety, and get more police on the street. Israel also supported repealing the bag fee, siding with the American Chemistry Council, which was bankrolling the pro-pollution campaign to the tune of $1 million at the time of our meeting. Saul Spady is not actually on the Stranger’s endorsement panel – they were making a joke. The port also needs a reliably lefty, union vote. Seriously. Bev Tonda can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile. Others in the race didn't impress us as much. Who has the time? Those were the days, huh? The port runs the waterfront and Sea-Tac Airport, has a $604 million annual budget, and oversees 4,000 acres in real estate (nobody knows how much it's worth—the port hasn't appraised it all). SEAMEC is composed entirely of volunteers. ON THEIR BIRTHDAY!? After 16 long years on the city council, Jan Drago is vacating this seat to run for mayor. But that's not the only reason we want to see him on the council. And the American Chemistry Council pouring $1.3 million into an effort to repeal a sensible city ordinance that would require supermarkets to charge a small fee for the plastic bags that strangle baby otters in Puget Sound and cause cancer in burlesque dancers. So we're throwing our ink behind Dorsol Plants, a two-tour Iraq war veteran who turns 25 this month. So grab your ballot and a bottle—take a shot every time you read the word "council"—and vote. We've gushed about Nick Licata before (see almost every issue between 1997 and 2007), but, as he runs for a fourth term, we figured his best years in politics might be behind him. The part-time unpaid intern billed the appointment as an interview." Congress. We create stories with a philosophy of quality, where both story and art are sacred and authentic representation matters. But he has been the mayor for eight years, he's not a popular guy, he's waged a clumsy war on bars and clubs, and it snowed a lot right before Christmas. ), We're going with Rob Holland (lefty, uniony, big on jobs) and Tom Albro (an entrepreneur who runs the company that operates the monorail). With the city in distress in so many other ways (schools, gang violence, economic development), we can't afford a tunnel that we don't need.