The three-term incumbent, Jan Drago, has shown leadership in bucking the mayor's unnecessarily confrontational style at City Hall, but we disagree with her on issues, especially the monorail and public subsidies for South Lake Union.
Activist Ángel Bolaños and the Freedom Socialist Party's Linda Averill round out the field.
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SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL, POSITION 8
Richard McIver deserves another term in office. McIver combines decades of institutional memory and a continuing passion for social justice with a gentlemanly manner too absent in contemporary politics. His ascension to chair of the Finance and Budget Committee last year signals his colleagues' ongoing respect. In that post, he earned praise from fellow council members and the mayor for work on the budget, arguably the most important thing City Hall does. In addition, McIver is City Hall's sole African-American elected official, providing sorely needed representation for black Seattle. McIver rightly prides himself on advocacy for poor and disadvantaged communities, including work for $50 million in mitigation for the impacts of light rail on small businesses in the Rainier Valley. Vote for McIver's record of achievement.
King County Council member Dwight Pelz and landlord Robert Rosencrantz are also competing for this position.
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 5 (CENTRAL DISTRICT, LESCHI)
For years, if you wanted to hear a thoughtful take on the Seattle School Board, you'd call Jane Fellner. A doctor with three children in public schools, Fellner used to serve as the chair of a task force advising the district on a program for gifted children. She's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of the district, and she's called it all as she's seen it, albeit in a considered, diplomatic way. In the years when Joseph Olchefske was at the helm, Fellner often had critical words, especially about the district's love-hate relationship with offerings for advanced students. She feels the current crisis calls for a more constructive attitude. How are we going to solve the district's financial woes? While Fellner offers no easy answers, she seems more likely to come up with solutions than incumbent Mary Bass. A hero to some, Bass played a crucial role in recent board history. When fellow board members were rubber-stamping the former superintendent, Bass put her foot down. But she's never been clear about what comes next, and we now need someone who is. Seattle resident LaCrese Green is also seeking this position.
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 7 (BEACON HILL, RAINIER VALLEY)
Why, why, why isn't there the same caliber of candidates in this South Seattle district? As momentous changes loom, South Seattle, where school quality is uneven, needs protection more than any other area. Among four flawed candidates, we think Alan Lloyd will be the strongest advocate for the South End. Most important, he opposes curtailing school choice to save money on transportation, at least in this part of town and until concrete school improvements can be seen. He knows that without choice, many families will be stuck with schools they consider unacceptable, possibly prompting them to either move or leave the district. We wish his experience with the district was greater, but at least he's a parent vested in the system. Former City Council member Cheryl Chow is the best known in this race but doesn't have an inspiring track record. Parent-activist Theresa Cardamone and nonprofit executive Linda Thompson-Black are also running.
SEATTLE POPULAR MONORAIL AUTHORITY BOARD
Two Seattle Popular Monorail Authority board members are running for re-election: Cindi Laws and Cleve Stockmeyer. Unfortunately, these mono-boosters are part of the problem. They and their appointed colleagues have presided over a monumental public fiasco, one that will cost Seattle taxpayers $100 million or more. During their tenure, there has been a complete breakdown of board responsibility. They believed management's lies, enabled their incompetence and deceit, and still refuse to accept reality: This project is fatally flawed. Laws seems to have become particularly unhinged, retreating into conspiracy theories about the monorail being derailed by a cabal of rich downtown Jews. Our support goes to two challengers.
POSITION 8
Beth Goldberg, a budget supervisor for King County and a monorail skeptic, has the combination of fiscal skills and guts necessary to take on the majority of a board still in denial about the project's failure. While we wish that Goldberg had been more involved in the project—she has attended not a single meeting of the board—we are glad that she's willing to devote all her free time to the task. She's a breath of fresh air—a citizen who is motivated by conscience to lend valuable experience to help our city avoid financial disaster. Incumbent Laws and attorney Stan Lippmann are also in this race.
POSITION 9
Jim Nobles is a former monorail supporter who is honest enough to realize what needs to happen: The agency needs to be shut down. Nobles' status as the ultimate political outsider—an environmental Seattle Republican—has prepared him to be a skeptic on a board of true believers. While we wish Nobles had more political experience, at least his rookie passion will help him in carrying out what will be a difficult task. Plus, he's a man with a useful employment history: He counsels street drunks. Jim, empty the Kool-Aid pitcher and get going! Incumbent Stockmeyer and tour-bus driver Dick Falkenbury are this position's other candidates.
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Members of the Seattle Weekly editorial board are: Political Editor George Howland Jr., Editor in Chief Knute Berger, Managing Editor Chuck Taylor, Senior Editor Nina Shapiro, staff writers Rick Anderson and Philip Dawdy, and columnist Geov Parrish. Intern Darby Reed provided research assistance.
