Seattlest Voters' Guide: City Council Position 9

Hello, and welcome to another edition of the Seattlest Voters' Guide for the August 16 primaries. On Monday, we discussed City Council Position 1, a deep field with several potentially great contenders. This week, we're going to take a look at the the hopefuls for Position 9. Of course, there are other City Council races occurring in November, but during the primaries, Seattle-area voters will only be casting ballots to narrow down the races--including Positions 1 and 9--which have more than 2 candidates. The other City Council races just have 2.

Again, we won't be endorsing any of the candidates, but we can tell you what we know about them, what they want you to know about them, and any other information we think is relevant. You, of course, are encouraged to draw your own conclusions, and check out the websites of each candidate.

City Council Position 9:
Incumbent: Sally Clark
Challengers: Dian Ferguson, Fathi Karshie

About the Candidates:

Sally Clark: Prior to joining the Seattle City Council in 2006, Sally Clark worked as a development manager for the City's Department of Neighborhoods, and went back to school to receive her Master's in Public Administration. Some of her accomplishements include security funding for additional homeless shelters and helping to protect low-income individuals from predatory lending with banking equity measures and services. She's got a fairly strong track record of encouraging sustainable, job-creating development within the neighborhoods, which she says is one of her main focuses if she is re-elected. However, she's been criticized for her middle-of-the-road stances, and her frequently non-controversial votes. She is also pro-tunnel. At Candidate Survivor, she swore she'd be more progressive, and stand up for more pressing issues, like public transportation. She's endorsed by 11 democratic districts, as well as the Seattle Gay News, Washington Conservation Voters, the Stranger and Dow Constantine.

Dian Ferguson: Dian Ferguson is no stranger to the City of Seattle's way of doing things. She's worked for the City both in the Strategic Planning Office, as well as the Department of Human Services. She's also worked in Seattle Public Schools, and managed city planners--which is likely why one of her main campaign messages one of frustration with inefficient government. Her main talking points are preserving funding for and improving public schools, providing affordable housing, increasing police accountability, and encouraging small business growth. She is also pro-tunnel. She is, like many other challengers in your pamphlet, voicing a need for change in City Hall, stating that there is too much "process" and not enough pay-off for citizens, which certainly isn't an unfounded statement to many. Of course, not being slowed by protocol and process is easier said than done. However, Dian's copious experience with the ins and outs of real city issues--parks, development, human services--seems to have prepared her for this race. At Candidate Survivor, her answers were sharp and eloquent. Also, her talent in the competition was slam poetry, which was a bold move, and helped her communicate her desire to make changes happen quickly. She's endorsed by several retired members of Seattle's Public Schools, as well as King County Council Chair Larry Gossett, and former City Council Members Judy Nicastra and David Della.

Fathi Karshie: We'll be honest--there's not a lot of information about Fathi Karshie. He (and the other candidates) did an interview on Weekday, during which Fathi offered a lot of complaints about the current City Council, but very few concrete solutions. He was not present at Candidate Survivor, so we've never had a chance to see him in person, or watch him answer questions or face opponents live. According to public records, he's raised (or at least declared) no funds since July 17, while both opponents have been fundraising like crazy. None of this would matter if he were a sure-thing on the November ballot, but his fate as a challenger is being decided in about 2 weeks, so lagging at this point is definitely cause for concern. However, what information there is about Fathi is definitely interesting--born in Ethiopia, he came to the U.S. as a refugee. Despite leaving school early to work, he is now the Director of Global Aid Against Poverty, runs a small paralegal business, and seems to have some strong leadership qualities. But on the issues, he remains vague, leaning heavily on his "outsider voice." He has, however, voiced a need for increased police accountability, and a desire to keep Seattle an affordable place to live. He has no endorsements that we could find.

Conclusion:
Dian Ferguson's extensive work within City Hall makes her a strong contender for Position 9. However, her push to increase the City Council's efficiency and cut down on process may be more difficult to exact as a new-comer. Sally Clark has a pretty good record of doing things that keep the City running, and rarely angers anyone, but if she seems pretty intent on changing her ways and becoming a more memorable member of the Council. Sally and Dian share similar goals: public safety, affordability and community-driven neighborhood planning. But it remains to be seen how different their methods are at attacking these issues. Fathi Kashie, however, is a wildcard on all of these matters. We'd like to see him give a speech or attend a City Council meeting, to see what he can actually do when pressed. We'd also like to see an "Issues" page on his website, so we can actually know what he thinks about things, and what his plans are.