White Center Now: The blog about White Center

I am not endorsing Juan Martinez but I do think that voters should look carefully at Prentice’s record. Your argument is the classic one of the power of the incumbent. If she is so powerful why is it that the best she can offer is a walk in cooler for the Food Bank? Then there are the shenigans involving predatory lenders and her bidding for the Oklahoma Sonics.

As for incumbency, one has to wonder what constituency she is serving. As a Latino, I don’t feel she is particularly effective in advancing issues of interest to me. Nor do I feel that she is particularly keen on addressing some of the difficult economic issues in her district.

As for Martinez, if he is so unqualified how is it that the Municipal League gave him the same rating — “Very Good” — that they gave Prentice? Clearly he impressed some people – never mind the endorsements he has received. I think this race deserves some attention and it may be time to rattle some cages — especially that of a fat cat incumbent.

Ricardo, there seems there might be some confusion here. Sen. Prentice never sponsored any legislation to stop Seattle from getting a sales tax rebate for annexing North Highline. She sponsored SB6686 three years ago for the smaller suburban cities in King County because the smaller cities asked for this bill, which provides them with a sales tax rebate for 10 years if any of the smaller cities annex an area with a population of at least 10,000 people. The City of Seattle never asked to be part of that original sales tax rebate bill
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/Summary.aspx?bill=6686&year=2005 SB668 Many people are confused about this, so let me repeat: Seattle wasn’t left out of this bill, they never asked Sen. Prentice or any other legislator to be included. Please watch the video of the Ways and Means Committee hearing on TV-W http://www.tvw.org/ dated Feb. 29, 2008 where this gets explained. Sorry, I cannot provide you with a direct link to the video, but you can look it up on the archive.

Then, two years ago the City of Seattle got HB1139 sponsored by legislators in 34th Legislative District because Seattle had decided at that they wanted a sales tax rebate for annexation too.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1139&year=2007
The prime reason HB1139 didn’t pass the year it was introduced was that Seattle initially asked for a whopping sales tax rebate of approximately $9 million a year for 10 years ($90 million total) for annexing all of North Highline, when Burien would receive under the original bill only $1.2 million a year for 10 years ($12 million total) if they annexed the same area. The legislators rightly found this to be unbalanced and simply not fair that one city would get so much more money than another for annexing the same area. Please read the fiscal notes on the above link. Since its introduction, HB1139, although it has been amended several times, it currently states that Seattle would get approximately $2.4 million a year for 10 years, which is still twice the amount that Burien would get ($1.2 million a year). Because it is still unbalanced, is the reason it isn’t passing.

I have to agree with private24. Martinez just moved to the 11th Legislative District and hasn’t been engaged or have any history there. There is good reason that 11th District Democrats gave Prentice a sole endorsement. They know her and know she has worked tirelessly and effectively for the people in her District for years. Ricardo, I suggest you consider attending the next 11th District Democrats ttp://www.11thlddems.org meeting on Sept. 16th and talk to the people there.

I’ll propose the same question to Valkyrie that I posed to Ricardo: Suppose you point to one single accomplishment this guy has that would induce anyone to make him a state Senator. I haven’t heard an answer yet, and I don’t expect to.

Margarita Prentice is a champion of smaller cities, while also representing part of Seattle. She represents Tukwila, Renton, and unincorporated areas that face annexation to one city or another under the GMA. Her constituents there look to her to defend their interests, and that’s just what she does. Apparently you think there’s something wrong with that.

Passage of HB1139 would have destroyed all semblance of any level playing field between Seattle and any smaller city in an annexation battle.

My guess is that most North Highline residents don’t want to get rolled by Seattle. You appear to think it’s good if they do. I’m also guessing that will put you in the minority on election Day.

I’ll bet if you polled most of the residents of North Highline on cardrooms and gambling in their area, they would prefer not to have them. Those people are Prentice’s constituents.

I’ve lived in North Highline for three years, and no one has ever telephoned me, written me, emailed me, or come to my door to ask my opinion on annexation. I disagree with you that the percentage is 60-40 in favor of Burien.

Maybe the 11th and 34th districts need to do another poll.
It seems to me that the North Highline UAC did selective polling. Many of the people on that board are special interest people such as firemen and King County police, who would be adversely affected by a Seattle annexation.

Private24, you state that Juan Martinez is totally “TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED” to sit in the State Senate. And you question my right to speak out on this issue as I, per you, have not “earned” the right to be heard on this issue. I’ll forgo the snark on your latter point and focus on substance. Way back when, I was associated with a Latino group who would regularly get solicited for endorsements by political candidates. At one of our meetings we had the pleasure of receiving a novice candidate seeking our endorsement. This person was completely green with absolutely no experience in government or public affairs. In fact her only experience was as a nurse. She did not even have a degree in political science or public affairs and she had never run for public office. She spoke passionately about wanting to work to better the plight of migrant farm workers in Eastern Washington. She seemed earnest in her concerns and so we decided to throw our support behind her despite her lack of experience or education. That was the first election win for Margarita Prentice. She did some work on farm worker rights and then she settled into her career as a lifetime politician. Since then, well let’s say, she has been kind of out of touch with working families.

Today, we have someone who also speaks earnestly about trying to address issues of genuine concern to working families – the overwhelming majority of Prentice’s district. Unlike Prentice, however, Juan Martinez is actually more qualified to seek office today than Prentice was when she began her political career. Martinez actually has experience in public affairs, which Prentice was completely lacking when she initially sought political office. Martinez served as interim co-director for the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition, where he advocated for tax cuts for the working families of Washington. He currently serves as a housing commissioner for the Seattle Housing Authority and is a board member for the Seattle Central Community College Foundation Board.

Martinez also has considerably more knowledge of public affairs than Prentice did when she sought our endorsement. After graduating from Evergreen State College with a degree emphasis of Political Science, he went to work with Congressman Jim McDermott as a Washington State staff member. His work for the congressman focused on housing and labor relations. Prentice had no such experience or education. While working on his degree at Evergreen State College, he worked with homeless families for Washington State Department of Social Health Services. He became active in the union working for better working conditions for his fellow state employees and the union members elected him president. Martinez, like most of the families in the 11th district comes from working class stock. He has an earnest desire to better the conditions of average people, something which Prentice appears to have forgotten.

But what really catches my eye with regard to Juan Martinez is that he is not Senator Margarita Prentice.

NB: I like a lively discussion but nasty, offensive or just plain mean comments will be deleted.

Also, what about Rascals Casino in Boulevard Park, is that in the 34th District or the 11th District where a man was murdered a few months ago? See link.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060114&slug=crimes14web

Private 24, you really didn’t read my post. “Projecting my personal point of view onto an entire population” had the disclaimer (not everyone). How did you get entire population out of that?

You were the one that got specific about Roxy’s casino being in the 34th District. It’s just a fact that a man was murdered at Rascal’s Casino a few months ago. I honestly didn’t know if it was in the 34th or the 11th District.

I will check the police reports. In fact Tracy Record put the links on her post today.

Ricardo, your comment about Prentice forgetting the working class is not borne out by her endorsements. All the labor organizations which have endorsed in this race have endorsed her and not Martinez. She has received the endorsement of the WA State and King County Labor Councils, and the machinists, teachers, electrical workers unions–just to name a few of her labor endorsements.

I’m not suggesting that Martinez isn’t pro-union or pro-working class families because I know he is, but the fact remains that he doesn’t yet have any labor organization endorsements. If it remains that way, that could end up being an important factor for voters in the 11th LD when it comes time to make their decision as to which candidate they will vote for in the general election.

Due to some ongoing misinformation, a lot of electeds in Seattle and the legislature have been given the impression that we all want to go to Burien. I have sat through many Burien and Seattle City Council meetings and its amazing the difference – even if you don’t like a particular councilmember or their stand on specific issues: With one or two exceptions, Burien City Council members have one clear agenda: power with no particular agenda behind it. Democracy, community input, legislation that follows a clear responsive strategy, etc…are clearly beyond their capacity.

In Seattle, by contrast, all of the members are smart – even when we might disagree with specific policies – are working to make Seattle a better, greener, and responsive government. While they have their turf battles with the mayor and are sometimes study an issue to death, they are consistent in what they believe in and work toward solving problems and getting results.

In Burien, I would hear totally different numbers, criteria and rationale for an issue from one meeting to the next. It was like a whole new group of people sitting up there. Granted, the Burien City Council is an all volunteer council, but they are whistling in the wind when they think they can handle a large influx of additional populations.

Oh, and get this: when asked about how Burien was going to address human services needs of annexed communities, I was told that they would “rely on our nonprofit partners.” Well, I know a number of those nonprofit directors and they were stunned to hear that they were being expected to serve additional populations when they are struggling for survival. Now that the economy has adversely affected all nonprofits, it is really unbelieveable.

Take a look at the government pages in the phone book. Seattle has many pages full of programs to serve its people: arts/culture, neighborhoods, housing, human services, small business, environmental, etc…. Then, take a look at the Burien services and offices: a few lines!! That tells the story my friends.

I’ve also heard that some people don’t like the current Seattle mayor. Well, mayors come and go and annexation is PERMANENT………and, if we are Seattle citizens, we an vote in or out a mayor. How about a future mayor or Seattle City Council member from White Center or Boulevard Park or Salmon Creek or Shorewood? Why not!

Don’t let the cabal of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council control your ideas, issues and communities. They were elected by just a handful of their peers. They discredited themselves by the mean spirited, lying and duplicitous ways they treated newly elected members who represented different constituencies. The NHUAC represents no one but their petty selves.

Think for yourselves. Do you want access to City funds to build a safely bump or traffic circle on your street, do you want your youth to have access to summer jobs, do you want access to minor home repairs for elders in your neighborhood that can’t afford new gutters. Do you want arts grants to put on concerts and movies in the parks, do you want access to small business assistance or to grow your own veggies in city gardens, do you want free energy saving supplies and seminars, do you want human services for low income families in your neighborhood? If the answer is yes to any of these few of thousands of programs, you want Seattle, not Burien. Oh, and how about every small business having to change their stationary, business cards and advertising to Burien; the last time changed addresses, that cost alone was over $1,000 just for the printing.

THINK folks. Don’t be the sheep who follow Burien to slaughter.

Sharon Maeda’s comment about small businesses in North Highline having to change the city in their address to “Burien” from “Seattle” and that they will incur a cost for having to do so if annexed by Burien is not correct. Businesses in Burien can use either Seattle or Burien as their city on their letterhead, businesses cards, etc. The Post Office doesn’t care and the mail always gets delivered with whatever city a business wants to use on their mailing address.

For example, some current Burien small businesses choose to use Seattle
http://www.poggibonsigifts.com
http://www.hawthorne-cpa.com/
http://www.londonhousesalon.com

and others Burien
http://www.grassrootsburien.com/
http://www.mickkellysirishpub.com/
http://www.fireweedbeadco.com/

In other words, this is simply a not an issue when it comes to annexation. North Highline businesses, if annexed by Burien, will have a choice. They can continue to use Seattle as the city on their mailing addres or they can choose to use Burien. It is up for each business to decide.

I get tired of hearing about how Seattle was cheated out of its chance to get a sales tax rebate.
The proposal Seattle pushed for would have given the annexing City a rebate based on retail sales tax revenue city wide. Seattle’s sales tax revenue is over 100 times that of Burien. If Seattle was really interested in a ‘fair’ rebate it would have asked for one based on sales tax revenue from the area annexed. That way any city would get the same benefit.
Another thing that has bothered me about this is that if Seattle can provide so much more because it is so much bigger, then why would it even need another 3 million ($3,000,000) per year in a budget of 3.5 billion ($3,500,000,000) per year. That is less than one tenth of one percent of their total budget, or about what they spent on those self cleaning toilets. For Burien on the other hand, $3,000,000 is about one tenth of their entire budget.

Back to discussing Margarita Prentice v. Juan Martinez, I’ve hearned from someone who attended every hearing on the funding legislation for the sales tax credit for Seattle, in Olympia, that 12 legislators agreed to meet with community members. Only one refused to meet or even make an appointment… That was Margarita Prentice. She talked about only one issue at the Senate Hearing about tax funding for annexation…..casinos. Her question was “what will happen to the casinos if Seattle annexes”? But she had no comments about the other 200 businesses.

It would be interesting if the 11th District could sponsor a debate between Prentice and Martinez.

Correction to my post above. The third sentence should read:
“Therefore, they would not be interested in sponsoring a debate between Prentice and Martinez because they have already decided they are supporting Prentice and working hard to make sure she is re-elected.”

Sorry.