White Center Now: The blog about White Center

At the 34th District Democrats‘ meeting in West Seattle tonight, one of the highlights was the endorsement vote in the State House Position 2 race. Before the vote, one of the three Democratic candidates, Mike Heavey, withdrew from the endorsement process, leaving the 34th DDs to choose between West Seattleites Marcee Stone and Burien’s Joe Fitzgibbon. The membership and PCO votes both went for Stone. The three Democrats are in the race with one independent, White Center entrepreneur Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy; the top two vote-getters in the August primary will advance to the November general. Earlier in the night, State Sen. Joe McDermott formally kicked off his campaign for King County Council, with an event preceding the 34th DDs’ regular meeting.

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.

2 pm at Seattle City Hall, the Regional Development and Sustainability Committee – same one that heard two weeks ago that Mayor McGinn was no longer pushing for an annexation vote this fall – will take up this resolution. It outlines potential interest in a November 2011 annexation vote, depending on how the financial outlook goes. The meeting will be live online at Seattle Channel.

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.

So far, you have five candidates to choose from this August in the State House Position 2 race for the 34th District: Burien resident Joe Fitzgibbon, who’s been working for Rep. Sharon Nelson (who’s giving up the seat to run for State Senate), just announced his candidacy. More details on partner site West Seattle Blog.

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.

One week from today, Democrats from around the 34th Legislative District – which includes White Center, West Seattle, Vashon Island, and parts of surrounding communities (map above is from Sen. Joe McDermott‘s website) – are invited to Mount View Elementary School in WC for the district caucus. In an e-mail announcement, Tim Nuse, chair of the 34th District Democrats, explains: “We will accomplish a number of responsibilities during our 2010 Caucus. We will elect 35 delegates and 18 alternates to the King County and Washington State Conventions, who will bring forward the issues and concerns of neighborhoods throughout the 34th District. We will develop our district platform, identifying and highlighting those issues and concerns in platform items and resolutions. And we will likely hear from candidates running for election this November. The Caucus is your chance to meet your Democratic colleagues old and new and weigh in on those issues and policies that are most important to you and your neighbors in the 34th District. Come share your voice and lend democracy a hand.” The caucuses start at 1 pm. Republicans in the 34th District, meantime, have their district caucus coming up at 9:15 am March 27 at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle (map).

Chances are that you’re in the 34th Legislative District. Your legislators, State Sen. Joe McDermott, Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, are having a town hall meeting in nearby West Seattle this morning – 11 am at High Point Community Center (here’s a map).

Dropping by Cafe Rozella on Saturday, we learned from proprietor Leticia that a new neighbor was moving into their building in the Delridge Triangle. And we’ve just gotten confirmation – the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Salazar says they’re indeed opening an office next to Cafe Rozella, probably within the next two weeks. Debra Churchill added in e-mail, “Our campaign is all about reaching out to communities in the inner cities. This is a campaign office for us to stay connected with ‘The People’.” Salazar is a Mountlake Terrace chiropractor, running for the seat held by Democratic U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who’s finishing her third 6-year term.

From a comment on our earlier report about last night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting – NHUAC president Greg Duff says new County Councilmember Jan Drago has accepted the invitation to be at the next NHUAC meeting, 7 pm March 4, North Highline Fire District HQ. (Also to be attended, as we mentioned earlier, by Kenny Pittman, who’s the current point person for Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn on the proposal for the north section of North Highline to vote on Seattle annexation this November.)

(1:56 pm note – will continue to add more as the day goes on – just now adding the PPT from today’s briefing)

11:35 AM: Lots of information in the briefing that just wrapped up before the Seattle City Council – first formal briefing since it was revealed last week (we broke the story at WSB) that Seattle’s new Mayor Mike McGinn wants White Center annexation to go to a vote this fall.

Despite what information was presented, it wasn’t enough for councilmembers including Council President Richard Conlin, who concluded by saying – “We need to have a LOT more information,” particularly regarding what the annexation would really cost Seattle. And concern also was voiced regarding whether enough information is getting to the White Center residents who would vote – mayoral adviser Kenny Pittman acknowledged he had not spoken to the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council yet, but had received “e-mail over the weekend” and was going to be on their agenda in March (though their February meeting hasn’t happened yet). The timeline is a fast one – it was explained that the Seattle council needs to vote by early March on expressing an interest in putting annexation to White Center voters, even though a final vote on asking the county to put it on the ballot would not happen until August. Between now and that March 8 vote, Council President Conlin’s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee will discuss the issue on February 19, then vote March 2nd on indicating an interest in a vote – again, no strings attached. The big gap between March and August, it was explained, is to pursue the rest of the process, including going before the Boundary Review Board.

ADDED 11:53 AM: A lot of data points from the meeting: Seattle leaders say White Center would get a higher level of police and fire services if annexed, and say that any existing King County Sheriff’s and North Highline Fire District employees who would stand to lose their jobs because of annexation would be first in line, depending on seniority and qualifications, for jobs with Seattle Police and Fire. As for sidewalks – that’s one big question, the capital needs of the potential annexation area.

Interesting note relating to a discussion that’s been ongoing in comments here: Seattle says they’ve been told by Burien that though the Memorandum of Understanding wasn’t officially finalized by Seattle council members, Burien intends to honor it, and not pursue annexation of White Center – if Seattle hasn’t done it by then – until after 2011, per the terms of the agreement. Also, existing card rooms in the area to be annexed would be allowed to continue to operate, though no new ones would be approved, and the revenues Seattle is counting on the area generating, it was noted, depend on those businesses, among others.

The annexation area would NOT include the South Park Bridge – that would remain an unincorporated small sliver under terms of a different city-county agreement sometime back that apparently says that once the SP Bridge is replaced, then the city would consider annexing the area.

And White Center schools would remain in the Highline Public Schools district, until and unless Highline and Seattle decided otherwise (with approval required by the Puget Sound Educational Service District).

The ideal scenario that Pittman described would include the annexation – if approved by White Center voters this fall – NOT taking effect till early 2012, so that the city budget process could proceed with detailed information on how to handle the transition.

ADDED 1:56 PM: After the briefing, we asked for a copy of the PowerPoint that Christa Valles from Council Central Staff had shown – just received it and converted it to PDF; you can see it here. During today’s briefing, Valles repeatedly said she was recommending that the mayor’s office commit more resources to the process – both to get information to the council, and to the people directly affected by the potential annexation.

When we broke the news Wednesday on partner site West Seattle Blog that Seattle’s new mayor wants White Center to vote on annexation this November, we got word that the Seattle City Council would get briefed during its morning meeting tomorrow (Monday 2/1). We now know from the online agenda that the discussion is set for 10:30 am. If you can’t be there, you can watch live online via the Seattle Channel.

(Photo by Dina Johnson)
Only one guest was truly two-dimensional at last night’s lively wake for local activist/advocate Cherisse Luxa: The life-size cardboard version of Howard Dean, for whom Ms. Luxa had served as a delegate during his presidential run (above, that’s Liz Giba with “Flat Howard”). A month and a half after her death from cancer at age 62, she was feted tonight by a standing-room-only crowd at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub in Burien, with friends from West Seattle to White Center to Burien and beyond (in both directions) crowding the pub, like the 34th District Democrats‘ King County Committeeman Ivan Weiss:

(Photo by Dina Johnson)
Dina Johnson took that photo while, as she says, he was “speaking about his admiration and respect for Cherisse as an ally, and occasionally adversary. (He) said the only time she was wrong is when she asserted she could get Dave Reichert to flip parties and become a Dem.” Also in that photo, State Sen. Joe McDermott at right, Liz Giba at left.

(Photo by Dina Johnson)
Dina also made and photographed that collage of scenes from Ms. Luxa’s life (given to her family). We took a photo of one of the snapshots you see in that collage – one from her years with the King County Sheriff’s Office:

(WCN/WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
Reminiscences of Ms. Luxa’s law-enforcement work were shared, too, says Dina: “… we found out she loved ‘bones and bugs’ forensics that date the death of a corpse.” And an emotional moment: “A short video was shown of her testimony about annexation at a public hearing, from just a week before she was hospitalized. I felt, being familiar with her normal voice, that she spoke with some difficulty, but it was not obvious. That made me tear up.” Last night’s wake took the place of the monthly Drinking Liberally event, at which Ms. Luxa had long been a fixture.

The topic of White Center annexation came up when we covered a brownbag lunch meeting with Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce offices today. WS business lawyer Jerome O. Cohen (at left with Godden) opened the subject by nothing that the WS Chamber, where he leads the board of directors, is trying to build stronger ties with White Center. Godden described WC as a “lively area” and mentioned a recent visit to Salvadorean Bakery. She then recalled last year’s vote in which a majority of councilmembers voted not to approve the Memorandum of Understanding that had been worked out by then-Mayor Greg Nickels as well as other parties interested in the area, giving Seattle a certain period for first right of refusal on White Center annexation. “I don’t often brag about the 8-1 votes where I’m the 1 – and there are few,” she said, indicating that one, in which she supported approving the MOU, was different – she believes her fellow councilmembers were trying to send a message, but not the one that she thinks the rest of the world drew from what happened. She says it’s up to new Mayor Mike McGinn, as well as the people of White Center, to indicate they would like to talk about annexation, but notes the legislation is still in effect with the tax changes Seattle wanted and needed for annexation to be possible. One sticking point right now, she indicated, is the South Park Bridge – if Seattle annexed all the unincorporated area to its immediate south, the bridge would become the city’s $110 million problem. But federal help might be on the way, she noted. (She is vice chair of the council’s Transportation Committee, now chaired by West Seattle’s Tom Rasmussen.) Overall, she said, White Center “seems like something that ought to be part of the city” – provided its residents agree.

Liz sent us this with a reminder of the event coming up a week from tomorrow:

As we’ve said before, though we didn’t know Ms. Luxa for long, she was a tremendous help with coverage of complicated White Center/North Highline issues here on WCN, and while covering 34th District Democrats meetings for West Seattle Blog and WCN, we saw what a tremendous force she was there. So we appreciate her contributions as well as everything else for which she has been and will be feted.

An announcement from the King County Assessor’s Office:

The King County Assessor’s Office invites you to its first Open House!

Please join King County Assessor Lloyd Hara at the King County Administration Building, 7th floor conference room, on Thursday, January 28th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The open house provides a great opportunity for citizens to meet their County Assessor and his staff in an informal setting. Cake and coffee will be served. Please rsvp your attendance to Edna Shim, Special Assistant for Community Relations at edna.shim@kingcounty.gov by Monday, January 25th.

Who:
King County Assessor Lloyd Hara

What:
Inaugural Open House hosted by the King County Assessor’s Office

When:
Thursday, January 28, 2010
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Where:
King County Assessor’s Office & Conference Room
King County Administration Building, 7th Floor
500 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104-2304

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RSVP BY MONDAY, JANUARY 25TH !

(Councilmember Drago sworn in by Superior Court Presiding Judge Bruce Hilyer, official county photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT FROM 12:17 PM: Once again today, the King County Council is scheduled to take up the matter of choosing a temporary replacement – till this year’s election – the seat representing White Center, West Seattle, Vashon and other areas has been open since Dow Constantine became County Executive; the first attempt to decide on a replacement led to a seven-hour meeting with two deadlocked votes three weeks ago. We’re covering today’s meeting on partner site West Seattle Blog; you can follow the coverage here. 3:53 PM UPDATE: Councilmembers have voted unanimously to appoint former Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago. State Sen. Joe McDermott says he’s disappointed not to have gotten the appointment, but already campaigning to win the job in November.