Washblog

#3 - Peter Holmes - Stood out a bit, and called on the Council to choose the most qualified candidate - not a "caretaker". (Whoever is selected will have the job for 10 months - until November, unless they decide to run once in 11/06, and again in 11/07 - when the term was originally going to expire - and one popular option floated by various council members was choosing someone whose only ambition was to fill the role for the initial 10 months)

#4 - Angel Belanos - Angel is passionate about the job - so much that he's running again after a painful loss not 3 months ago.  He quoted Gandhi - `nuff said.

#5 - Douglas Mays - (not a direct quote) "If I don't get the position I'll still go to every public meeting, and be that weird guy in the front row".  I loooooove that.

#6 - Dolores Sibonga - Sorry, I meant the "Honorable Dolores Sibonga" - former Seattle City Councilmember in the 70s and 80s.  She's running as a "caretaker", and claims that she still has the energy needed because she can "go to breakfasts in the morning, meetings throughout the day, and still boogie at least half the evening".  She received a bunch of applause, and then all the people who clapped for her left with her.

#7 - Chris Blanchet - Gotta love the first person who ended before their time was up.  Oh - and he says that he "works well with others".  I never got that one on my report cards...

#10 (no, not sure what happened to 8 and 9) - Robert Sondheim - Must be nuts, as he called the current council "already a great council".

#11 - John Manning - Council President Drago introduced him, then realized that she forgot to say "Honorable" before her name, and corrected herself (Manning was on the council for a year or so a while back, and had to leave amidst domestic violence accusations - his leaving the council led to the last set of these hearings, which resulted in Richard McIver getting on the council).  He doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell - so I'm not going to talk about him.

#12 - Darryl Smith - He lost in the Primaries in 2003 in the Judy Nicastro race (which resulted in Councilmember Jean "cute license plates" Godden).  He's an absolutely wonderful candidate, but lacked fundraising in his last run.  If he were to figure out the fundraising thing (or hire a fundraiser) he would be a formidable opponent for more than one of the incumbents - and giving him this open seat would be a convenient way for the incumbents to keep Smith out of their race in the future....

#13 - Orin O'Neil - is a "normal guy with a pet cat".  That's all I caught.

#14 - Al Runte - A nice guy who is way out of his depth.  Ran for Mayor against Nickels last year.  He wants the job, but doesn't realize that he doesn't stand a chance.

#16 - Bob Zappone - Labor labor labor, union union union.

Zoned out through the next couple.

#18 - Javier Valdez - Former Chair of the 43rd Dems.  Has worked for almost every department in the City sometime in the last decade.  Supported by Sens. Prentice and Jacobsen.  Very wonky, and is supported by a Latino PAC.

#19 - Ed Potharst - ran against Larry Phillips (?!?).  Lost.

#20 - Gail Ciarello - Treasurer for the 46th Dems.  Touted her work as a NIMBY neighborhood activist as a qualification (short story - Magnuson Park was slated to get 11 lit fields - Seattle has a dire shortage of field-hours, and Magnuson is one of very few places where Seattle could add multiple fields - Gail and a group of NIMBYs in the neighborhood raised "concerns" about noise - never mind that Magnuson Park used to be Sandpoint Navel Airbase, where the neighbors referred to the sound of planes and helicopters as the "sound of freedom" - and because of the current council's lack of spine got the number of lit fields reduced to 7).  On the upside, she does want a tunnel for the Alaska Way Viaduct, and is pro-Downtown density (with guaranteed green space, of course).

#21 - Harriet Walden - She's a bridge builder.  `Nuff said.

#22 - Dr. Ed Song - The most, um - how to say this nicely, interesting candidate.  He asked the current council members to walk down his diamond road.  No, I don't know what that means.

More zoning out.

#25 - Larry Hettick - He's a fast-learner, and a "get-it-done'er". `Nuff said.

#27 - Sally Clark - She's a former Legislative Aide to both former Seattle City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski and King Council Councilmember Bob Ferguson.  She's done a lot of work in the GLBT community, and currently works at Lifelong AIDS Alliance.  Actually sounded good!

#28 - Sharon Maeda - She wants "women to get their rights".  No, I'm not sure which rights she was referring to.  If she is chosen, she let us know that she would be the first Japanese American on the council.  If they don't choose her, she would prefer that they choose a woman, and preferably a woman of color.

#29 - Venerria Lucas Knox - She was in a head-on collision a couple of days ago, and still managed to show up and talk.  I like that!

More zoning out.

#31 - Howard Monta - endorsed John Manning (#11).  Confusing, no?

#32 - John Comerford - He's loud, and he thinks that this would be a great way to get involved in city government.  Like, duh...

#33 - Russ Brubaker - "It's nice to be 33 again".  So he has a sense of humor, which is a good start.  Is also endorsed by the 34rd Dems, Marianne Tagney-Jones and Karen Marchioro.  I'm pretty sure he was a Deaniac also - so needless to say, I like him.

More zoning out (it's getting harder as it goes on).

#36 - the Honorable Sue Donaldson - former Councilmember, and wants to be a "caretaker".

#37 - Jack Whisner - "Thanks for this opportunity to speak to you, and get out of the rain".  What would Jack be doing if he wasn't here speaking?  Just standing outside in the rain??  He also got good marks from his Kindergarten teacher Ms. Peterson.  He did have some very extensive policy initiatives (make mother-in-law apartments easier to permit), and twice promised the council a lengthy email from him later in the evening with his full plan.  Very ambitious and well thought out.

#38 - Alec Stevens (zoned out)

#40 - Lisa Kagan - Younger than the average applicant, and wanted to represent the 20% of Seattle that is young.

#41 - Timothy Durkin - "I think I'm the only one of my siblings that will be here today"

#45 - Robert Rosencrantz - as Erica C. Barnett said over at SLOG: "There's something sad, and a little icky, about standing in front of the council and asking for a job the public has twice declined to give you."

(At this point I had to leave for caffeine and to stretch my legs)

#71 - Michael Fitch - Was motivated to "do something" by JFK's assassination.

#74 - Susi Burdick - She loves the city (don't they all?), and claimed that our "bus system is amazing".  Riiiight...

#76 - Sam Sperry - I like him, because he said that he only intended to be a "caretaker", because it would be wrong for him to be running a political campaign during his first 10 months in office.  He also said that he would decline to make any major policy initiatives, as he felt as if that should be left to the "duly-elected, fully-franchised" council members.

#77 - Laura McAlister - "I'm the `why not' candidate, as in why not me?"  Riiiiiight.

(zoned a bit)

#96 - Cindy Simmons - Is the "only belly dancing feminist to apply".  She also called this process a "reality show".  She also promised to make her colleagues "laugh every day".  Needless to say, I like her.  

#101 - Fred Jacobs - His application was lost in the city email system.  Drago decided to pipe up at this point saying "I know what happened, our spam filter finally started to work!"

(now we reach the candidates who were "late" - but mostly because the hearings were running way ahead of schedule)

#51 - Jo-Ann Christen - Is a classically-trained musician, and used Italian musical terms to go over the personality traits that make her right for the job (whereas I believe that using Italian musical terms to describe yourself in a public hearing shows that you are wrong for the job)

#64 - Susan Harmon - (previously ran for City Council) "I applied for this position 27 months ago - it was a much more greuling process, and had a much bigger selection committee"

#87 - Alice Woldt - Had a 10-point list of things she wants in a council member (needless to say, she met all 10).  As Erica pointed out on SLOG, Woldt's want for a council member from NW Seattle makes sense - there hasn't been a council member from NW Seattle in decades.

#79 - Ross Baker - zoned a bit, even though I've heard his name as a frontrunner.  Bad Willis, BAD!

#84 - Douglass Adams - He should've been #42, if you ask me.

I zoned through the last couple - I think the realization that we were nearing the end killed what little focus I had.  Anyways, I realize that this was snark-a-riffic, but I hope you'll find it a tiny bit useful.  If you have strong opinions about any of the candidates, feel free to email the Council at position9comment@seattle.gov.