Washington 2020: The Calm Before the Drizzle

[bgwah]

Anyone else sad about the news regarding the P-I? A chill goes down my spine every time I remember the Blethen Times will be all that's left.

[Alcon]

So...Sergio Armijo's kid, and some Broadway shop owners, say that Mike Hecht cruises underaged male prostitutes down by Club Silverstone.

Discuss!

http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topstories/story/591174.html

(I like how the article says that Antique Row is known for prostitution, as if it wasn't all Club Silverstone.  Hot, sexy WWI-era lamps, anyone?)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Michael Hecht? Michael Hecht? What kind of a sick joke is this? I suppose that there's "something of the night about him"?

[Meeker]

LOL

I knew there was something weird about Hecht. Then again, the Armijo/Hecht grudge is the dirtiest feud in Pierce County...

[CultureKing]

I love local politics

[Alcon]

I was just thinking, for all the unending corruption in Tacoma, this is the only pure, consenting sex scandal I can remember.

weird.

[Meeker]

We're not too big on the sexual scandals. Or at least we're not public about them.

Anyways, the slime on the Pierce County Council has just picked Jan "Carbuncles" Shabro to be the next Auditor. I look forward to Katie Blinn crushing her this fall and delivering Shabro her third electoral defeat in four years. Maybe then she'll crawl back under her rock.

[Alcon]

We're not too big on the sexual scandals. Or at least we're not public about them.

Or maybe what they say really is true.

Anyways, the slime on the Pierce County Council has just picked Jan "Carbuncles" Shabro to be the next Auditor. I look forward to Katie Blinn crushing her this fall and delivering Shabro her third electoral defeat in four years. Maybe then she'll crawl back under her rock.

Is there any guarantee that she would crush Shabro, though?  Shabro has the name recognition...

Anyway, I thought this little anecdote sums up the next Gubernatorial race well (and, coincidentally, my opinions on Brian Sonntag and Brad Owen):

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As for Owen, I still most definitely don't regret voting for the Jewish lady who liked the gays.

[bgwah]

Sonntag '12

Too bad he's too old to serve as Governor for five terms

[Meeker]

Is there any guarantee that she would crush Shabro, though?  Shabro has the name recognition...

Shabro has name recognition out in the East, but the voters of this county are pretty good at figuring out who is the most qualified candidate in non-partisan races.

Wait... they just elected Washam.

Hmmm.

Shit.

[Meeker]

McIntire, Dorn and Goldmark have all taken office now. Apparently Goldmark is the first CPL from east of the Cascades.

[bgwah]

McIntire, Dorn and Goldmark have all taken office now. Apparently Goldmark is the first CPL from east of the Cascades.

Politicians from Eastern Washington making it statewide is pretty rare. Eastern Washingtonian Democrats are generally pretty good candidates, though--I doubt Goldmark would have won if he were from King County (but otherwise the same), for example.

Pierce County Democrats are another winning strategy, based on my observations...

[Meeker]

Word on the street is that the Chairman of the Pierce County Republican Party is about to become Deputy Auditor.

gag

[Meeker]

Voting has begun in the King County Elections Director race. If you're a person of faith, prayers for a non-Pam Roach outcome would be appreciated.

[Meeker]

Summary of Sam Reed's top-two reform:

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Sounds good to me.

[bgwah]

Is there any chance Huff could lose this election? As far as I can tell there is one major Democratic candidate and two Republican (not to mention this is a very Democratic county).

[Meeker]

I'm pretty sure she'll win, but then again I thought Dale Washam would get something like 10% of the vote down here. Non-partisan races in this state can get a little weird.

[bgwah]

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/olympia/2009/jan/22/lisa-brown-early-contender-2012-governors-race/

Lisa Brown is thinking of running for Governor, eh...

ohhh, there are so many Democrats I like who might run for Governor in 2012...

[Meeker]

I'd be surprised if Brown runs... she's Queen of the Senate for the foreseeable future.

Two bits:

Larry Phillips (D) has announced his intention to run for King County Executive this fall (or should Sims take an Administration job sometime soon as is rumored). It's not 100% clear whether or not Phillips will stay in the race should Sims run again, but considering their less than warm past relationship I would be surprised if Phillips dropped out.

Also, turnout for the Director of Elections race is at 10.6% thus far. I have no idea what equivalent turnout is for any other election as King County doesn't post that, but there you have it.

[Alcon]

Larry Phillips (D) has announced his intention to run for King County Executive this fall (or should Sims take an Administration job sometime soon as is rumored). It's not 100% clear whether or not Phillips will stay in the race should Sims run again, but considering their less than warm past relationship I would be surprised if Phillips dropped out.

Pretty much everyone who knows Larry Phillips is convinced that, if he doesn't run, it's not deference to Sims but a concession that he'd probably lose.  I think he'd make a race of it, though.

Also, turnout for the Director of Elections race is at 10.6% thus far. I have no idea what equivalent turnout is for any other election as King County doesn't post that, but there you have it.

Not good.  Off-year special election not-good.

Where are you getting that stat?  King County seems to have not even bothered to post it.

[Alcon]

In Pam Roach news, someone noticed that she listed her brokering firm on her F-1 disclosure statement as "Les Schwab"



i'd believe it.

[Meeker]

http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/abstats/

I knew it was low, but is it lower than one would suspect for a special election in the early part of an off-year?

And major LOL @ Roachie. The King County GOP is refusing to phonebank for her (they're just all excited about David Irons and his 18%!)

[Alcon]

http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/abstats/

I knew it was low, but is it lower than one would suspect for a special election in the early part of an off-year?

It's off-year primary low.  Which is kind of pathetic, since the only places where there are more than issue on the ballot are, I think, Enumclaw and Fall City.  It's probably slightly above average for election in the early part of an off-year, but considering how high-profile this race was (relatively) it's kinda low.  It always confuses me how many people vote in most primaries but absolutely ignore even special elections that get media coverage...but early returns are never really that indicative in King County, for whatever reason.

I'm having trouble envisioning Huff not winning at this point.  Who are Democrats going to split off with, the lady who got arrested for lying about ballots and now posts on HorsesAss?

edit: Oh yeah, the enumclaw/fall city thing is on what you linked.  heh.  I should really get eight hours of sleep one of these days.

[Meeker]

I envision it going down something like this:

Huff: 40%
Irons: 25%
Assorted crazies: 20%
Roach: 15%

I might be overestimating crazy potential...

[Meeker]

Did Toby Nixon endorse Kempf? My opinion of him would drop rather significantly if so.