Free Press Candidate Endorsements
Just in Time for The primary

We're giving WFP editor/gasbag Mark Worth a rest this month and using this space to tell you who we like in the upcoming Sept. 14 primary.

All King County races are partisan - that is, Democrats and Republicans each run against themselves in the primary and the winners go on to the Nov. 2 general election. Where only one Democrat is on the ballot, that person automatically advances to the general, so in those cases we made no endorsement. (We didn't bother with the Republican candidates because we didn't like any of them.)
All city of Seattle races are non-partisan, meaning that everybody is thrown into the same pot in the primary and the top vote-getters face off in November. There's no primary vote in two city races: City Attorney Mark Sidran is running unopposed and only two people signed up to run for Position 2 on the City Council. Those races will be settled in November.
Here goes:

King County Executive
While it is admirable that he rides his bike to work every day, Republican Tim Hill should not be re-elected as the administrative leader of a county as liberal as King. As an alternative, we like state Rep. Gary Locke, chair of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the sharpest lawmakers we have. Local labor leaders have said good things about Locke, so have folks from the 34th District, where Hill lives. Locke also co-sponsored the malicious harassment bill that passed the Legislature this year.
Free Press says: Locke

King County Council - District 1
In this race for an open seat, we like career Democrat Michael Brownstein over his other Democratic rivals. Brownstein, chair of the 32nd District Democrats and an active participant in the Initiative 120 campaign, is being backed by the Washington Environmental Political Action Committee (WEnPAC) and labor leaders.
Free Press says: Brownstein

King County Council - District 3

No primary vote.

King County Council - District 5

No primary vote.

King County Council - District 7
Federal Way Mayor Bob Stead, known as a "regular guy" in the south part of the county, won an endorsement from WEnPAC and is well-versed in the issues that are critical to this district.
Free Press says: Stead

King County Council - District 9

No primary vote.

King County Council - District 10
With three well-known Democrats up for this seat, our endorsement committee went through a few cups of coffee on this one. We finally all agreed on Larry Gossett, executive director of the Central Area Motivation Program and one of the most popular and well-respected community leaders in his neighborhood. A former Black Panther, Gossett has worked consistently in minority and community issues since he helped start the Black Student Union at the UW. Challengers George Fleming and Barbara Stenson are running strong campaigns, but the word is that these professional candidates are just looking for something to do between campaigns.
Free Press says: Gossett

King County Council - District 11

No primary vote.

King County Council - District 12

No primary vote.

King County Council - District 13

No primary vote.

Seattle Mayor
While not as popular as he once was, Mayor Norm Rice has put a lot of energy into balancing concerns over human services and the environment with keeping Seattle financially healthy. His positions, however, on such issues as Weed and Seed and the downtown anti-urinating policy, and his connections with developers cause us some discomfort. But what Rice has done in the areas of comprehensive land-use planning (urban villages), boosting Seattle's image, cutting government spending and attending to the city's diverse populations does make us happy. However, one gets the impression that Norm, who claims to have attended more than 2,000 community events since 1990, might be better suited as the King of Seattle instead of its head of state. Ever heard him speak? Heavy on the syrup. Light on the substance. I guess what we're saying is that we like the guy well enough, but we'd prefer a mayor who was more interested in the nuts-and-bolts of running government. Ad man David Stern - who hates it when you say that he invented the 'smiley face' button - says interesting things about helping the homeless, conserving energy and scrutinizing the Seattle Commons plan, but we don't trust the guy. As a protest vote, we recommend pulling the lever for Christopher Hoeppner of the Socialist Workers Party. Hoeppner, who took part in the recent aid-package caravan bound for Cuba, wants to help the homeless and unemployed, and cut the work week without slashing pay to create new jobs, he told The North Seattle Press. Sounds good where we sit.
Free Press says: Rice or Hoeppner

City Attorney

No primary vote (though we're hoping for write-in candidates to challenge incumbent troglodyte Mark Sidran in November).

Seattle City Council - Position 2

No primary vote.

Seattle City Council - Position 4
In this race of seven candidates, former Seattle City Comptroller Norward Brooks has the highest name recognition. But that's not enough for us. We'd like somebody on the City Council who's actually worked for community change. Activist Puni Hokea is that person. His work at the Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the Maple Leaf Community Council and with Latino farmworkers has given Hokea the human-based perspective that's needed on the council. Plus, Sherry Harris endorsed him.
Free Press says: Hokea

Seattle City Council - Position 6
We were curious about what challenger Rudy McCoy meant when he said: "I, myself, must listen, practice and learn to give to others as others give to me." This scared us. And due in large part to the lack of experience of McCoy and the five other challengers, incumbent Tom Weeks gets our somewhat reluctant endorsement. Weeks has been insensitive to housing issues and he was behind cutting overtime pay for city workers. But he has had a busy first term on the council, dealing with human-service, criminal-justice, public-transportation and budget-cutting issues, among others. Endorsed by Vision Seattle and the Rainbow Coalition, Weeks deserves a chance to show us what he can do with a second term.
Free Press says: Weeks

Seattle City Council - Position 8
Here's a surprise: We're not endorsing incumbent Cheryl Chow for re-election. Why? One big reason is challenger Jordan Brower's virtual single-handed effort have Barry Ackerley take down his illegal billboards. (We all know what Barry's son did as a response ...) Chow comes across as a nice and sincere enough woman, and we like what she's done as the council's point person on parks. But she's been accused of being aloof; for example, she didn't respond to an interview request from The North Seattle Press, which does some of the town's best local political coverage. Why the snub? We like Brower's attitude: "Not only am I persistent, I'm not afraid to call a council member or mayor on the carpet." Tell it, Jordan.
Free Press says: Brower

Port of Seattle
In this crowded race (11 candidates), there are two distinct camps: those who favor continued Port expansion, and neighborhood activists hoping to preserve fresh air. Incumbent Paige Miller belongs to the first camp. Challenger Mary Locke, who has stirred up grass-roots opposition to Port industrial expansion in West Seattle, would help make the Port Commission a bit greener.
Free Press says: Locke



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Contents on this page were published in the September , 1993 edition of the Washington Free Press.
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