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Today Seattlest welcomes our new political correspondant to the fold. David Swidler is a longtime Seattle resident who recently returned to the Emerald City after some time in LA. He's worked for political consultants in Seattle previously so we're pretty sure he knows a few things.
If you're one of the thousands of people running against Seattle City Councilman Richard Conlin you might want to know why.
Even though it is only early March and most people don't start paying attention to city races until most of their Halloween candy has been eaten, Conlin is receiving quite a lot of competition for his council seat. He already has five opponents, including Port of Seattle Commissioner Paige Miller, King County Councilman Dwight Peltz, and former Mayor Nickles' communications director Casey Corr--yes, that Casey Corr.
Four years ago Conlin trounced the field, including a 62% to 37% margin of victory over former School Board bad boy Michael Preston in the general election. But that was in 2001, when all citywide incumbents without a "Paul" or "Schell" in their name won re-election handily. However, following the 2003 elections when three of the five incumbents were unseated, it appears that those on the council are vulnerable. So far Conlin is the only member to receive any type of formidable opposition.
Mayor Nickels has set his sights on Conlin for showing opposition with agenda (hence the candidacy of Corr). He has also ruffled quite a few feathers with his opposition of the monorail and has been accused of being unable to make up his mind and slowing things down in city hall.
The Stranger reported that: "Both challengers call Conlin indecisive and process-driven." Corr says Conlin has been "an obstructionist or a ditherer" on every major development opportunity in the city, adding that he will "absolutely embrace" his former boss Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' methods and agenda. Pelz claims Conlin is "indecisive and wedded to process…. The solution to every challenge can't be more meetings."
However, a Conlin defeat isn't a sure thing and he definitely won't be a candidate who rolls over easily. His time as chair of the Council's Neighborhoods Sustainability and Community Development Committee as well as his work opposing and helping to defeat the Teen Dance Ordinance during his first term has built positive name recognition and a strong network with those who matter. He is also a strong campaigner and fundraiser, scooping up $140,000 for his last re-election effort.
It is still quite early and there is a feeling that Peltz might switch races and run against Councilman Richard McIvar (candidates have until the end of July to officially settle on a seat). This is clearly the race to quicken Seattle's collective heartbeat and should provide a great deal of interest throughout the summer.
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That is one of the most biased article I've ever read. The reporter fails to mention that Corr disagrees with Nickels on public safety issues like school crossing guards and public education issues like the bookmobile. Of course there will be similarities between the Nickels and Corr agenda. Corr was a key policy advisor the Mayor who helped develop the Mayor's agenda. The author should either get rid of the bias or stay away from city council races.