Our three endorsements in the primary election remain:
- Sen. Marko Liias, running for re-election (State Senate, District 21)
- Jesse Salomon (State Senate, District 32)
- Joe Nguyen (State Senate, District 34)
Six Representatives, five Democratic and one Republican, stood up for Sound Transit against the MVET rollback efforts this year:
- Jacqueline Maycumber (District 7, Position 1)
- Beth Doglio (District 22, Position 2)
- Joe Fitzgibbon (District 34, Position 2)
- Noel Frame (District 36, Position 1)
- Gael Tarleton (District 36, Position 2)
- Nicole Macri (District 43, Position1)
All six have our gratitude and endorsement. They are essentially unopposed, so lets move on to some more interesting races.
State Representative, District 5, Pos. 1: Bill Ramos, a member of the Issaquah City Council, worked for the Federal Transit Administration from 2005 to 2013 as a Community Planner with emphasis in developing and managing the Tribal Transit Program and Rural and Small Urban Area Transit Systems. As Federal Tribal Liaison, he worked with 56 Tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska to help start or improve public transit on Tribal Lands.
State Representative, District 10, Pos. 2: Dave Paul has environmentalism, affordable housing, and homelessness as three of his top priorities. In particular, he has a great planning idea that should have already been in place: “Ensure that counties and cities are assessing their housing needs for the future; We must ensure that localities are regularly assessing their housing needs and zoning appropriately to accommodate expected growth.” Moreover, he says nothing about widening highways. The incumbent, Rep. Dave Hayes, is a hardline opponent of highway tolls and other road user fees.
State Representative, District 25, Position 1: Jamie Smith says the right things about the transition to a green economy, repairing road infrastructure, and the need for more rapid transit. Her opponent, Kelly Chambers (not an incumbent), has little to say on any issue on her campaign websites.
State Senator, District 30: Claire Wilson, Federal Way School Board Member, is a roads-and-transit advocate, including streamlining light rail construction. The incumbent, Sen. Mark Miloscia, wants to reduce car tabs. We need more senators who will honor the will of the voters who passed ST3.
State Senator, District 42: Pinky Vargas, a Bellingham City Councilmember, lists affordable housing (i.e. increasing the supply) and climate change (i.e. working to mitigage it) as two of her top priorities. She is running against the Ranking Republican on the Senate Energy, Environment, & Technology Committee, Doug Ericksen, who goes out of his way to defend the fossil-fuel industry.
State Representative, District 42, Position 2: Sharon Shewmake lists climate change and affordable housing as her top two priorities. She advocates for smart growth and points out that we are building new housing much more slowly than the population is increasing. She also mentions she is a member of Walk Bike Bus Bellingham. The incumbent, Rep. Vincent Buys, is hung up on getting a 2/3 majority vote requirement in each chamber to raise taxes.
The STB Editorial Board currently consists of Martin H. Duke and Brent White.
To see even one Republican on the list of standing up for Sound Transit is utterly shocking. But, I re-read the previous post on the topic, and it does not appear to be a typo.
Marko Liias represents the 21st legislative district (my own district), not the 24th.
Thanks. Fixed.
“He went on to graduate from Antioch University Seattle with dual concentrations in Labor Relations and Organizational and Social Change…..also received a Masters of Public Administration from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington.[3] He holds an AA degree in Labor Studies from Shoreline Community College and studied information technology at Seattle Central Community College.”
“… worked as a commercial truck driver, is a certified transport operator, and is a journey-level heavy construction equipment operator. He holds a Class A-Commercial Drivers License, with endorsements for hazardous material, doubles and triple trailer, tank cargo, non-air brake, and pilot car driving. He is also DHS and FAA certified for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and Boeing Field.”
“….longtime labor and social justice activist from Seattle. He was elected head of the largest Teamsters trucking local workers union in the Pacific Northwest (Teamsters Local 174) for three terms (nine years), and was also a leader in the national Teamsters pro-union democracy reform movement, TDU (Teamsters for a Democratic Union). He was an Executive Board Member of the King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO representing the transportation trades. ”
Resume like that will always get my vote, if only to read wider number of similar before future elections. Also hurts a Senator none if I think he looks at car tab issue the way I see a theft charge for a wrong card tap. If you don’t keep repeating customer information in a loud voice, you’re using fine print to lie. Creating an electorate that’ll elect somebody with a woodchuck for a toupee to get even. Or if they’re really mad, even electing you Chairman of an elected board!
So here’s how it is, Senator Hasegawa. You’re presently working ‘way below your grade and skill sets. And Metro’s desperately hiring. So far KCM’s artics only have one trailer, but in Sweden they’ve got two of them so your destiny is right around the next length of speedwire . I used to drive the 36 and don’t think you’ll need another certificate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmcMmYdF6lA
Too late for I-90, but perfect way to get the 36 to Kirkland on SR 520. Meantime, Legislature can pressure for the 574 to stop at Capitol and 11th while ST is working on a ten minute longer train ride from Dupont to Lacey. And tell Steve O’ban that since Steilacoom used to have a streetcar to Tacoma, he needs to face the fact his district will soon be south terminal of Tacoma LINK.
http://www.steilacoomhistoricalphotos.com/From_Steilacoom_to_Tacoma.pdf
Relax STB and ST-3. I won’t be able to vote in District 11 ’til somebody gerrymanders I-5 into a beer-bong with Thurston County Courthouse for a bowl. But one effect of the refugee crisis caused by the Seattle real estate market is ambiguous. Since this isn’t anybody’s grandfather’s Olympia anymore, Sound Transit will be in here in fewer than ten years. So when that happens, am I going to have to lie and pretend I’ve still got a car so I can show my support by buying overpriced tabs anyhow?
Mark Dublin
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I think you still have it wrong on the 34th Senate. One candidate has a long history of working on transit measures and that is Shannon Braddock. Your endorsed candidate simply says go faster on rail despite not bothering to vote on several transit measures in the past.
It is comforting to read no deeper mud than that a candidate missed voting in some public elections, disconcerting as that may be.
OTOH, if working for Executive Constantine, and previously Councilmember Joe McDermott, count as working for transit measures, then working for them also counts as working for mega-highway projects of questionable value and high carbon footprint.
Both Joe Nguyen and Braddock are great candidates. One just did a better job in setting the agenda in the contest.