White Center Now: The blog about White Center

If you are in the recently annexed North Burien (North Highline) area and have lived there at least a year, you’re eligible to run for the suddenly opening Burien City Council seat, according to this news release:

The City of Burien is accepting applications for City Council Position 6 which is being vacated on Dec. 31, 2010. Incumbent Councilmember Kathy Keene recently announced she is leaving the position in order to retire in Florida next year.

Applicants must be a registered voter and have lived in the City for at least one year. Residents of the North Highline area that was annexed to Burien in April 2010 are eligible if they have lived in their North Highline residence at least one year.

Prospective Councilmembers should have an interest in City government and in serving their community. Councilmembers typically attend three or more evening Council meetings a month and participate on local and regional governmental organizations. Councilmembers are paid $600 per month.

The City Council will review the applications and interview top candidates. Councilmembers will vote the appointment at the Jan. 3, 2011, Council meeting after which the successful applicant will be sworn into office. The newly appointed Councilmember will fulfill Keene’s term which expires on Dec. 31, 2011. The Councilmember will have to run for the office at the next General Election, in November 2011, to continue in the position.

Applications are available at City Hall, 400 S.W. 152nd St,, Ste. 300, online at www.burienwa.gov or by calling (206) 248-5517. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Their original endorsee Marcee Stone -a former White Center resident – didn’t make it to the general election, so tonight in West Seattle, the 34th District Democrats had a decision to make: Endorse Burien’s Joe Fitzgibbon, or West Seattle’s Mike Heavey, for the State House Position 2 seat? The result was Fitzgibbon – 96 votes to 31 votes. That was the biggest of many endorsement votes during tonight’s meeting, which we chronicled as-it-happened on partner site West Seattle Blog – above, our brief interviews with both candidates afterward.

(crossposted from partner site West Seattle Blog)
A change at the top in the 34th District State House Representative Position 2 results, after the latest vote count made public by King County Elections: Now Joe Fitzgibbon of Burien is ahead of Mike Heavey of West Seattle, by 186 votes out of more than 22,000 counted in this race so far. Again, the finishing order won’t change what happens next – both Fitzgibbon and Heavey are going to the general election, since it’s extremely unlikely that the 3,000-plus-vote gap between them and #3 Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy would completely close – but for politics-watchers, it’s interesting to keep an eye on the daily updates until the election is certified at month’s end. No change in the King County Council District 8 race, which has gaps big enough that none are likely – it’ll be Joe McDermott vs. Diana Toledo (both West Seattleites) in November.

So says King County Elections. Two races in this area are true primary contests, with more than two candidates in the running – 34th District State House Position 2 and King County Council District 8. The former race is the most hotly contested; at partner site West Seattle Blog, we have published recent “candidate conversation” stories on all four candidates – here are the links:

*Marcee Stone
*Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy
*Mike Heavey
*Joe Fitzgibbon

King County Councilmembers say it’s in the hands of voters now – approve a two-tenths of one percent sales-tax increase in November (that’s two cents for every $10 spent) or face big budget cuts, particularly in criminal-justice services. We’ve got details on the announcement, and reaction, on partner site West Seattle Blog.

We published this report early today at partner site West Seattle Blog – but you’ll want to know, because you’ll be voting on them in August too: Two local races have candidates who hadn’t previously gone public – a South Park man is the fourth contender for King County Council District 8, and a West Seattle man is challenging Rep. Eileen Cody (34th District House Position 1). Full story here.

Just hours after the voting, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council has posted news of Thursday night’s winners on its website:

District 1: Pat Price
District 2: Stephen Porter
District 3: Jessica Stoneback
District 4: Christine Waldman
At Large: Rebecca Lopes, Barbara Dobkin, Richard Miller.

They will be seated at the next meeting, June 3, 2010.

That meeting, like other NHUAC meetings, will be at 7 pm on the 1st Thursday of the month at the North Highline Fire District‘s HQ.

Tonight’s 34th District Democrats meeting in West Seattle includes a candidates’ forum with the three Democrats who are among four declared contenders in the 34th District State House, Position 2, race this fall: Burien’s Joe Fitzgibbon and West Seattle’s Mike Heavey and Marcee Stone. The group’s also considering a change to its endorsement rules, among other items on a busy agenda (see it here), 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW; map).

The three Democrats who are still in the race for 34th District State House, Position 2, are expected to be at the next candidates’ forum for the race, during the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting this Wednesday night (7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle): Joe Fitzgibbon, Mike Heavey, and Marcee Stone. They’re vying for State Rep. Sharon Nelson‘s seat because she’ll be running for the seat that State Sen. Joe McDermott is relinquishing to run for County Council (which in turn is the seat to which Jan Drago was appointed but has reiterated she won’t run for). Here’s a page on the 34th DDs’ site with info on the candidates; here’s the full agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.

The State House Position 2 race in the 34th District, which includes White Center and environs, has four candidates now – Sabra Schneider has dropped out because of a serious injury that she says would limit her campaigning. The full story’s on partner site West Seattle Blog.

Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy, one of five candidates so far for State House Position 2 in the 34th District, is planning to kick off a “West Seattle Listening Tour” – first stop, though, is in White Center, not far from his Triangle Pub. He’ll be at Full Tilt Ice Cream, 9629 16th SW, 7-9 pm, on Tuesday, April 6.

Yet another candidate joined the race for 34th District State House today – West Seattle resident Mike Heavey, who works on County Councilmember Jan Drago‘s staff, and is the son of Judge (former State Senator) Michael J. Heavey. Others who’ve declared or indicated their intention to run for the Position 2 seat that Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) is leaving include White Center entrepreneur “Mac” McElroy, running as an Independent, Burien Democrat Joe Fitzgibbon, and West Seattle Democrats Marcee Stone and Sabra Schneider. Highland Park Action Committee chair Dan Mullins says all candidates running for the seat are invited to athe first candidates’ forum of the season in the district, next Wednesday, March 24, during the 7 pm HPAC meeting at Highland Park Improvement Club HQ. (For the second month in a row, a northern North Highline annexation presentation is scheduled at the meeting too – this time from Burien annexation supporters Liz Giba and Barbara Dobkin.)

(all photos by Dina Johnson – thank you, Dina!)

Participants at Sunday’s Democratic caucus for the 34th Legislative District had so many decisions to make, some got extra-comfortable to make them. The gathering was in the cafeteria at White Center’s Mount View Elementary School – part of the unincorporated area that might be in Seattle’s sights:

Liz Giba brought her sign to the event, and spoke with inquiring parties about her belief that Burien would be a better match for all of North Highline. Meantime, the caucus’s 70 or so participants heard from all three of their state legislators:

That’s Rep. Sharon Nelson, who intends to run for the State Senate job that Sen. Joe McDermott wants to leave to run for County Council – he was there too:

The only 34th District legislator not currently planning to run for something else is Rep. Eileen Cody:

Others who addressed the caucus participants included a 34th District-residing Democrat who currently has a mega-high-profile job, King County Executive Dow Constantine – we got his entire three-and-a-half-minute speech on video for earlier coverage on partner site West Seattle Blog:

In addition to choosing delegates to the state convention, caucus participants heard from candidates in upcoming elections. Among them, Kirk Prindle – a West Seattleite who is one of five people running for one seat in the King Conservation District board election this Tuesday:

The KCD election isn’t conducted like other countywide votes. No voting by mail; no close-to-everyone polling places. You have to go vote in person at one of several polling places; the nearest are Des Moines and Downtown Seattle – they’re all listed here. Back to the caucus: The 34th District Democrats’ website should have the final results of voting up soon.

Just a bit over 50 percent yes in the early going for the King County Library System ballot measure – this is the one and only count that will be out tonight – see it here.

The White Center Library drop box is gone – they’re all gone, except downtown and Tukwila. So unless you can make it to one of those boxes, you need to get your ballot in the mail – with a stamp – by tonight. The King County Library System levy is the big deal today – read about it here.

About a month into the New Year – February 9, 2010, to be exact – you’ll be voting on a levy-lid lift for the King County Library System. Without it, KCLS says, it’ll have to cut at least 10 percent across the board. If it passes, taxes for a home worth $400,000 will go up about $32. According to library info, this is operations money, not construction money (notable given the Puget Sound Park controversy).

Complete election results over at partner site West Seattle Blog – but one item of special note, this area’s King County Councilmember has just been elected the new King County Executive. The video clips at the top and bottom of this item together constitute Dow Constantine‘s entire victory speech at Tuesday night’s party at the Edgewater. His opponent Susan Hutchison hasn’t conceded, but Constantine’s lead can be said to be fairly insurmountable.

Another vote tally will be made public Wednesday afternoon.

Two notes re: King County government – First, Monday is the next “furlough day,” so most offices will be closed. More details here about what’s open and what’s not. Second, Wednesday is when King County Elections plans to mail ballots for the November 3rd election – so voting will start as soon as the end of the week. Election info is online now.

Four weeks till Election Day, but voting starts a lot sooner, and if you want to be part of this election but aren’t registered yet, Monday is the deadline to do it by mail — this King County page has all the info you need on getting registered.

For those who missed it, KUOW today broadcast an interview with, King County Executive, Susan Hutchison.  You can find the interview at KUOW Weekday.  In a prior post I had made the following observation which sparked a fair amount of discussion:

Ms. Hutchison has never held public office.  She has never had to struggle with the political realities of governing a complex political entity whose ambits include not only roads and sewers but social services, neighborhoods and law enforcement.  It is difficult to see how her experience on the board of the Seattle Symphony prepared her, in the slightest way, for such a weighty role.

If anyone had any doubt about Ms. Hutchison’s lack of specificity on issues, policies or even advisors, it is worth a listen (available on podcast).  Pressed by the moderator to name a single advisor who she consults, or who she would bring to her administration, she flatly resisted naming anyone, except to say bus drivers.  Her conclusion was “trust me” they will be great people.  I have nothing against bus drivers, but maybe she could have named a couple of the guys that she intends to bring to the Hutchison administration that will “bring people together.”  I’m sorry but calling Hutchison a “lightweight” does not begin to describe the chasm that is her lack of qualification to hold such an important post.  Listen for yourself.