Vote Nov.2!!

Free Press Election Endorsements

For an off-year, the Election Season of 1993 may be one of the most significant for the region in quite some time. With candidates running for city and county office trying to out-tough-on-crime each other, and stingy taxpayers by the hundreds of thousands saying they're willing to trade environmental protection, health-care reform and an improved educational system for an extra $50 a year or so, Western Washington's image as an intolerance- and selfishness-free zone will be put to the test on Tuesday, Nov. 2. (For more on this ugly transformation, see "The Mean Season Comes to Washington".)
Well, if we here at The Free Press can afford to let our hearts keep on bleeding, we think that you can, too. With that in mind, here are our suggestions for the general election:

Seattle Mayor

Rumor has it that David Stern has a bad attitude. Bus tickets for homeless people? Curfews for teen-agers? More cops? Move to Idaho, buddy.
Norm Rice, a.k.a. the Fresh Prince of Seattle, has his problems. What with having to decide whether or not to run for Senate, and all. He also needs to realize that not every voter in the city owns a downtown business. Let's give Norm one mor e chance - only time will tell how much he'll sell out.
Free Press says: Rice

Seattle City Attorney

Please turn to "Free Thoughts" on page 5 and "The Mean Season Comes to Washington" on page 8 for details on why you may want to avoid voting for incumbent Mark Sidran, who for some reason is running unopposed. Please ... please ... pick a write-in candidate. (It must be a lawyer).
Free Press says: NOT Sidran

Seattle City Council - Position 2

While Gerry Lovchik is running on a platform of proportional representation (which many of us here like), we feel uncomfortable with the rest of his views. That leaves incumbent Jane Noland, who has a disturbingly inconsistent voting record and apparently no firm philosophy.
Free Press says: No Endorsement

Seattle City Council - Position 4

The only reason we're endorsing Jan Drago is because her opponent, Norwood Brooks, while publicly pro-choice, has an office-full of Human Life of Washington (anti-choice) people working for him. Drago, though she has a reputation of being difficult to work with, was endorsed by the Harvey Muggy Democrats, among others.
Free Press says: Drago

Seattle City Council - Position 6

Incumbent Tom Weeks is a friend of the gay/lesbian/bisexual community and has the backing of the Rainbow Coalition and Harvey Muggy Demos. He also voted against the ridiculous drug-loitering law. A one-termer, he deserves another shot.
Free Press says: Weeks

Seattle City Council - Position 8

Incumbent Cheryl Chow is a nice woman and talks a lot about parks, but as we said last month, she doesn't really get us excited. Some of us here like challenger Stephanie Summers' position on proportional representation, but the freshly-out-of-school Evergreen grad needs to show us more involvement before getting our endorsement.
Free Press says: No Endorsement

King County Executive

As we said in our last issue, we believe that incumbent Tim Hill, while a moderate Republican, may not have the sensativity and technique to deal with the scads of problems now facing the county, all of which likely will get worse before they can be solved. State Rep. Gary Locke is our clear choice to replace Hill. Locke's politics are less offensive, more inclusive and more befitting of King County.
Free Press says: Locke

King County Council - District 1

Endorsed by the Washington Environ-mental Political Action Committee (WEnPAC), Democrat Maggi Fimia - a transportation, human-services and children's activist - is a clear choice over Republican "common sense" candidate Stan Hess.
Free Press says: Fimia

King County Council - District 3

Not to reduce the King County Council elections to environmental issues, but Louise Miller is so out of it, and Gail Harrell is so together, that Harrell is the obvious choice in this race.
Free Press says: Harrell

King County Council - District 5

We have no reason not to support unopposed incumbent Democract Ron Sims for reelection. His record speaks for itself.
Free Press says: Sims

King County Council - District 7

Federal Way Mayor Bob Stead's no-nonsense approach appeals to us much more than that of conservative Repub-lican Peter von Reichbauer. Stead, a Democrat, is backed by WEnPAC.
Free Press says: Stead

King County Council - District 9

Incumbent Eastside Republican Kent Pullen has a terrible environmental record. We like the idea of having someone like former Jerry Brown campaign leader John Sliwa in office.
Free Press says: Sliwa

King County Council - District 10

Larry Gossett's incredible primary victory over two well-known opponents was a tremendous victory for the voters of this district. A Seattle native, Gossett is among the best King County has to offer. Republican challenger Drake "Ducky" Sisley shoudn't have bothered registering to run.
Free Press says: Gossett

King County Council - District 12

Moderate Republican incumbent Brian Derdowski has gotten some surprising support from progressives, including WEnPAC and prominent Democrats who like how he has stood up to developers.
Free Press says: Derdowski

King County Council - District 13

Former Democratic state legislator Mike Todd is strongly pro-choice and had a great environmental record while serving in Olympia, while former Republican state Rep. Chris Vance got a putrid 25 percent environmental rating from WEnPAC.
Free Press says: Todd

Port of Seattle

Incumbent Paige Miller ran six years ago promising to shake up the establishment. Unfortunately, she has been standing watch while taxes and debt service have soared and the Port has lost business. Progressive Mercer Island businessman George Tamblyn would bring the right mix of environmental concern and business sense to this undernoticed yet crucial agency.
Free Press says: Tamblyn

Initiative 593

Life in prison for three "violent" crimes? Not hardly! Though worrisome offenses, extortion and second-degree manslaughter (which often involves an accidental death) are not the sort of crimes for which people should be sent away for life. The "three strikes you're out" folks are using cheap scare tactics in a debate that should focus more on the causes of crime and not the means to punish criminals. Let's start this discussion over, and leave out the tough-on-crime grandstanding.
Free Press says: No


Vote 'No' on 601 & 602

Corporate Lobbies, Misguided Intentions Lurk Behind Tax-Revolt Initiatives

Well-financed initiative campaigns are becoming experts at fooling most of the people most of the time. Tax rollback Initiatives 601 and 602 are good examples. Like TV commercials for fast-food burgers, the initiatives are designed to look very appealing, but the actual product will harden Washington state's arteries.
I-602 would repeal all new taxes that were passed in last spring's legislative session to help to balance the state's budget. I-601 would limit state spending and make future taxes more difficult to pass by requiring a two-thirds vote in the Legislature, a recipe for gridlock. In the spirit of confining the debate over the initiatives within the realm of rational discussion, here is why we oppose both measures:
601 and 602 are dangerous for the health of Washington. On the other hand, opponents of the initiatives must admit that there is a budget crisis and recommend better, more productive ways to solve it. A start would be passing comprehensive, loophole-free campaign-finance reforms that would help put challengers on a level playing field with incumbents who are cozy with big-money interests that benefit from budget-busting tax breaks.
A spokesperson for the Committee for Washington's Future, the organization leading the fight against I-601 and I-602, could give no better recommendation than to "vote for different legislators if you are not happy with the current ones."
We can worry about that next year. For now, vote NO on 601 and 602.




[Home] [This Issue's Directory] [WFP Index] [WFP Back Issues] [E-Mail WFP]

Contents on this page were published in the October/November, 1993 edition of the Washington Free Press.
WFP, 1463 E. Republican #178, Seattle, WA -USA, 98112. -- WAfreepress@gmail.com
Copyright © 1993 WFP Collective, Inc.