Endorsements Cheat Sheet

Friends of Seattle's picture

 

Mayor of Seattle

Endorsement: Michael McGinn

Michael McGinn

  • Michael McGinn is a courageous voice of change---the candidate we need to get the politics we deserve instead of the politics we have.
  • Mr. McGinn's vision is a Seattle that lives up to its environmental ideals, invests in the needs of neighborhoods across the city, and strikes a fairer balance between biking, walking, transit, and driving.
  • That is why Mr. McGinn opposes the $4.2 billion tunnel to replace the Viaduct, a plan which he correctly describes as a missed opportunity to invest in alternative transportation. Further, Mr. McGinn wants the city to partner with Metro to improve local bus service, and as we saw in last winter’s snowstorm, the way the City manages its streets greatly impacts the County’s ability to provide bus service.
  • His civic experience was important to us, because while we are excited about the possibility of change at City Hall, we wanted someone who understands the issues, has experience working with Seattle’s diverse community groups, and has a track record of success in community involvement.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Elizabeth Campbell

  • Ms. Campbell's spirit of public service is admirable, but she offers retrograde and anti-progress perspectives on almost every point we asked her about.

Jan Drago

  • We are not convinced that she has different enough skills or policy positions from a successful incumbent to justify dislodging him.
  • Also, we are looking for more leadership and political courage than what Councilmember Drago appears ready to provide.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

James Donaldson

  • Mr. Donaldson is almost singularly focused on the business climate in Seattle, and we think this perspective has elevated the dialogue during the primary-election campaign.
  • Most troubling for us, however, was his lack of familiarity with his own policy proposals.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Kwame Wyking Garrett

  • Mr. Garrett is a long-time activist in the community and deserves praise for urging a comprehensive approach to ameliorating youth violence, but making the jump to the mayor's office requires high-level experience.
  • For the first couple months of Mr. Garrett's declared candidacy, we couldn't even find a website outlining what he hoped to do as mayor.

Joe Mallahan

  • Mr. Mallahan's inexperience and his shallow understanding of city issues and politics make him the wrong person to address Seattle’s pressing needs. He has some proposals (e.g., that Metro become an independent agency again) that show little knowledge about public policy and institutions, and his proposals are often too small-bore (e.g., improving Puget Sound's health by sweeping the streets more) to meet Seattle's big challenges.
  • Even where Mr. Mallahan thinks big, he is wrong. He supports the $4.2 billion plan to replace the Viaduct with a tunnel. He supports cutting the commuter tax (“head tax”), which will cost Seattle’s communities $5 million per year in needed sidewalks, bike infrastructure, and street maintenance.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Greg Nickels

  • Although we find Greg Nickels has an inadequate environmental record and has given too little attention to the quality of growth in our neighborhoods, he has accomplished much as mayor.
  • His candidacy would have excited us more if there weren’t a better candidate in the race.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Norman Sigler

  • Mr. Sigler offers many ideas, especially for transit, and we agree with him that the community benefits when public and private groups work together for the common good.
  • But many of his plans are still half baked, and we don't see a track record of civic participation that tells us he is ready to be mayor of a city.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Seattle City Council

 

Position 8

Endorsement: Mike O'Brien

Mike O'Brien

  • Mr. O’Brien will be a visionary leader on City Council---someone who is politically courageous and well-equipped to deal with the practicalities of budgeting and policymaking. His interview with us was outstanding.
  • He convincingly argues that the mobility structure needed for the 2020s and 2030s and beyond does not include a multibillion tunnel that will divert resources from other more important transportation, housing, and educational investments.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Bobby Forch

  • Mr. Forch is affable and seems as if he would be a collegial member of the City Council.
  • But this is an election when we need change in city government (Mr. Forch is a city employee) and innovation.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

David Miller

  • Mr. Miller’s positions on the issues aren’t always clear, because although he is known by some as a policy wonk, his questionnaire was sparse and his campaign website says almost nothing about his policy positions.
  • Still, we learned enough to be very concerned, particularly with regard to his transportation and land-use policies.
  • Read more of Frends of Seattle's analysis.

Robert Rosencrantz

  • He preached the necessity of setting budget priorities, but he did not tell us enough about what his own priorities are, other than to say he doesn’t support two-way Mercer Street or the South Lake Union streetcar.
  • Our policy views are not aligned; Mr. Rosencrantz opposes the green bag fee, advocates for a tunnel or a Viaduct retrofit, has an inflexible approach to land use, and more.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Jordan Royer

  • Mr. Royer is supportive of transit-oriented development, smart growth, and alternative transportation, and he also rightly urges the city to do more about polluted stormwater seeping into our lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound.
  • Mr. Royer’s most significant civic experience appears to be as a City of Seattle employee, and We’re looking for something different this year---a time when we need fresh perspectives and new leadership on the City Council.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Rusty Williams

  • Mr. Williams not only wants a tunnel to replace the Viaduct, but a tunnel with three lanes in each direction---and who knows how much that would cost.
  • Further, Mr. Williams does not have much of a track record in Seattle’s civic life, as far as we can tell
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Position 6

Endorsement: Jessie Israel

Jessie Israel

  • Ms. Israel is a dynamic candidate of change whom we are excited to endorse. Other than the incumbents, she was the most knowledgeable and well-prepared candidate we interviewed.
  • We were impressed by Ms. Israel’s ideas—all of them specific, concrete, and innovative—for securing funding toward transit oriented development, sidewalks and affordable, walkable communities.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Marty Kaplan

Nick Licata

  • Nick Licata is a solid incumbent, and we appreciate his 12 years of service to Seattle.
  • But we are ready for a new leader at Position 6. It’s time for a councilmember who has innovative and constructive ideas for diversifying our transportation network, lightening our environmental footprint, and building more walkable communities.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Position 4

Friends of Seattle chose not to make an endorsement in the primary election.

Sally Bagshaw

  • FoS was impressed with Sally Bagshaw, former chief of the civil division of the King County Prosecutor’s Office, a candidate who describes herself as someone who avoids the limelight by bringing others together.
  • But at times we are not yet clear on how specifically Ms. Bagshaw’s vision will be transferred into policy. We also have some lingering policy disagreements
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

 David Bloom

  • Mr. Bloom's eye always looks to social justice---a viewpoint that could benefit the Council during this period of growth and change---but we are not yet ready to overlook his thinking on the Viaduct (support for a retrofit or the Frank Chopp elevated plan) or his opposition to last year’s ballot measures for light rail and the parks levy.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Brian Carver

  • Mr. Carver's questionnaire was generally supportive, and we admire Mr. Carver's interest in public service.
  • But he has little experience in local politics and is not ready to serve on City Council.

Dorsol Plants

  • While Mr. Plants brings fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the race, we had trouble understanding some of Mr. Plants’ stands on some issues.
  • Further, Mr. Plants displayed a lack of knowledge in some key areas.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Thomas Tobin

  • We did not receive a questionnaire response, and we chose not to interview Mr. Tobin.
  • We recommend not voting for Mr. Tobin.

Position 2

Friends of Seattle chose not to make an endorsement in the primary election.

Richard Conlin

  • Richard Conlin, the incumbent, has a twelve-year list of accomplishments on City Council, and there's no denying that he has been a progressive and environmentally conscious leader.
  • But we aren’t yet confident that Councilmember Conlin, who would likely be Council President again if re-elected, will commit to a serious plan for funding transit, bicycle infrastructure, and pedestrian infrastructure.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

David Ginsberg

  • Mr. Ginsberg is thoughtful and informed, and he seems ready to change the status quo.
  • His aggressive expansion plans for rail-based transit and his stated prioritization (and willingness to fund) bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure are perspectives we can support.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.

Referendum 1 (Green Bag Fee)

  • Friends of Seattle endorses the green bag fee as a step towards making Seattle a more environmentally sustainable city by reducing waste, greenhouse gases, and other negative environmental impacts.
  • By focusing on waste reduction, Seattle Public Utilities can avoid raising rates as they move toward building new capital projects (such as a Georgetown transfer station) to handle a growing number of customers.
  • Read more of Friends of Seattle's analysis.