Sunday, November 04, 2007

Elections 2007: My choices

We’re in the homestretch of the 2007 general election.  Aside from my most recent posting and the campaign icons I placed over there on my sidebar, I haven’t gotten around to stating the entire list of candidates and measures I’m backing.  Not that my decisions are going to change anyone else’s mind—after all, even if anyone actually reads this thing, the majority of King County voters have probably filled out their mail-in ballots already—but I suppose I do need to express my views publicly.

I won’t offer up the entirety of my ballot.  This is about support, not ballot decisions.  In some races, I ended up casting votes even though I supported neither of the choices presented to me.  When faced with two unsavory choices in one City Council race, or two uninteresting and uninspiring candidates in another, the decision I eventually and unenthusiastically made simply isn’t justifiable.  Nor is it worth justifying.

The unprecedented gobs of money pouring into the King County Prosecutor race through the state Republican party have generated a great deal of controversy in the blogosphere, if not necessarily in the mainstream press.  I have to say that the episode sickens me, and not entirely because it’s the Republicans doing it to defeat a good man. 

No, it’s the cynicism of the opposing candidate’s bleats about wanting the office to be “nonpartisan” and accusing Bill Sherman of being “overly partisan”, while he happily accepts money that has been (perfectly legally) laundered through the Washington State Republican Party.  Here’s the statement on the Public Disclosure Commission’s Contribution Limits page (emphasis added):

During the 21 days before the general election, no contributor may donate over $50,000 in the aggregate to a candidate for statewide office, or over $5,000 in the aggregate to a candidate for any other office or to a political committee. This includes contributions to a party committee, as well as a candidate’s personal contributions to his/her own campaign. It does not apply to contributions from the state committee of the WA State Democratic, Republican or Libertarian Party or from a minor party.

Combining that with the unlimited contributions that state parties are permitted to take from individuals, even during the crucial weeks just before an election, there’s a loophole big enough to drive a truck through.  And the WSRP did exactly that.

OK, with that off my chest, here’s my list of favorites, in ballot order:

• State of Washington, Initiative 960 (Tim Eyman’s latest)—NO
• State of Washington, Referendum 67 (insurance fairness)—APPROVE
• State of Washington, Senate Resolution 8206 (forced rainy day fund)—REJECT
• State of Washington, House Resolution 4204 (simple majority school levies)—APPROVE
• County Prosecuting Attorney—Bill Sherman (Democrat)
• County Assessor—Scott Noble (Democrat)
• County Council Position 4—Larry Phillips (Democrat)
• Port of Seattle, Commissioner Position 2—Gael Tarleton
• Port of Seattle, Commissioner Position 5—Alec Fisken
• Seattle, City Council Position 3—Venus Velazquez
• Seattle, City Council Position 5—Tom Rasmussen
• Seattle, City Council Position 9—Sally J. Clark
• Seattle, School Director District 1—Peter Maier
• Seattle, School Director District 3—Harium Martin-Morris
• Seattle, School Director District 6—Maria Ramirez
• King County, Proposition 1 (levy for MedicOne)—YES
• Sound Transit/RTID, Proposition 1 (Roads & Transit funding)—YES