1. Some follow-up on our Wednesday night 36th District candidate debate (coverage here and here.) Last night, the 36th District Democrats' Executive Board made its recommendations (which the full group will consider at its endorsement meeting next Wednesday night). In the crowded field to replace retiring Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, Ballard), the board made a dual endorsement:
- Progressive Majority leader Noel Frame. Perhaps the Dems liked her bad-ass answer on Wednesday night? After her opponent Evan Clifthorne, responding to our question to name a recent change in the district he didn't like, said he wasn't happy with the expanded Fred Meyer, Frame contradicted him, saying it gave her cousin a union job.
- Seattle Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton. Maybe they liked that she was so annoyed with Republicans that she couldn't name a single GOP legislator she would work with on expanding access to health care when 36th District Rep. Reuven Carlyle asked her (a practical question, we thought) to name a Republican co-sponsor she'd reach out to to pass an important bill?
But seriously, despite picking on Tarleton on Wednesday for things like her support of local industry's lawsuit against fixing the Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail (she's gotten $1,000 in contributions from Ballard Oil), we too were impressed with her detailed answers, particularly when she namechecked several environmental programs that had been slashed in the recession — cutbacks that she would fight to restore. For example, she said would restore funding for the Model Toxics Control Act, including fighting for stronger clean air standards than the feds require.
Speaking of Tarleton, she called to correct our report yesterday, telling us she did not hold up her "Yes" sign when asked if she would accept the Stand for Children endorsement. (She says she wouldn't even fill out the hardline ed reform group's questionnare.) We checked the photo. We stand corrected. She also says she mistakenly held up the wrong sign — a "Yes" sign — when we asked her if she would have voted — like Dickerson and Carlyle — for the Republican pension reform bill. She says she's a "No" on that.
And speaking of Stand for Children: The group has just endorsed Republican Rob McKenna for governor.
2. One more bit of news from the 36th District recommendations: Another snub to local son, former mayor Greg Nickels. The board went with Olympia's Kathleen Drew, the former Gov. Chris Gregoire aide, in the race for secretary of state. (As Fizz noted yesterday, Drew won the sole recommendation of the Seattle's 43rd District earlier this week.)
3. City Council member Nick Licata — who has said that if Mayor Mike McGinn doesn't reach an agreement with the towing industry to prevent exorbitant towing rates by July, he'll introduce his own legislation — says he and McGinn met with the towing industry earlier this week to work out a proposal that's acceptable to both the city and industry.
"We want to see something done, and the mayor does too, but I want to make sure it's done in a positive way," Licata says. Licata said the preliminary discussions narrowed down on a base towing rate of about $300 — 135 percent of the state patrol's $177-per-hour towing fee.
4. Jack Connelly, a Democratic Tacoma lawyer who's running against current state House member Jeannie Darnielle for the open 27th District state Senate seat being vacated by Debbie Regala, is squishy on several Democratic Party litmus-test issues, including access to contraception, a woman's right to choose, and gay marriage.
Although attempts to connect with Connelly have been unsuccessful so far, we're basing our assessment of his views on his web site. There, he takes a Rob McKenna-esque approach to abortion (abortion is a "federal issue which cannot be changed in the Washington state senate," but all abortion cause "pain and anguish"); expresses support for religious "crisis pregnancy centers," which attempt to talk pregnant girls and women out of getting abortions ("Women can be empowered by provision and support of organizations that provide services for pregnant women who want to carry their children to term and/or direct women to adoption centers"); expresses support for religious groups that refuse to cover contraception ("Just as individuals should take notice when government actors attempt to restrict someone’s right to contraception, all Americans should be concerned when various groups are directed toward action, which violates their religious precepts"); and uses coded anti-gay-marriage language ("the traditional concept of marriage was changed in the legislature in 2012.")
5. In honor of the Seattle International Film Festival, Fizz offers this bit of film analysis: Awesome local indie filmmaker Lynn Shelton = awesome local architect Liz Dunn and awesome local architect Liz Dunn = awesome local indie filmmaker Lynn Shelton.
Shelton's film Your Sister's Sister opened the festival last night. Dunn's firm, which excels in urban design, has remade Capitol Hill.
Still don't get the analogy? Read something Josh wrote about urban design and the arts last year.
