Yay voting!!! Okay. So I have my Seattle voter's pamphlet right here next to me, and about six hundred browswer windows open full of candidate endorsements and other info. Let's go through this stuff together. I'm not going to tell you what to think, but I might make some recommendations based on the tons of resources that we can use to figure this stuff out. This might take a while, but it will totally be worth it. Ready???

King County Executive
I hate to start with a flat-out recommendation here, but I'm going to. Vote Ron Sims. I am not always a big fan of his, but you gotta think strategy here. David Irons, the Republican candidate, is going to be tough as fuck to beat. Someone with no name recognition and no political experience is going to be able to win in November. Plus, even if you think the Republican candidate seems like sort of a reasonable person, remember that all of the people he hires to help him make policy are going to be conservative too... and they might not be nearly as reasonable as their boss.

King County Council Dist. 1
This race is happening because we voted to cut the KC Council down a couple of seats-- both Bob and Carolyn had their own Council seats, and now they have to mud wrestle to see who'll win. Or um, we'll just vote. The Stranger, Weekly, and PI all endorse Bob Ferguson, but honestly they seem like the same person. I'm closing my eyes and choosing!

King County Sheriff
Everyone is holding their noses and endorsing Sue Rahr, the Sheriff appointed to replace Dave Reichert. The PI went so far as to say "There will be another election in four years"-- not the strongest endorsement I've ever read. But at least Sue has a buncha buncha other endorsements-- Fuda, the guy with no contact information, only mentions one, and Schmidt, the other guy, doesn't list any.

Port of Seattle Position 1
The Port of Seattle is an enormous corporation that brings tons of cash into the city through air and sea... and is controlled by you and me because we vote for its leaders, and we subsidize it with our tax dollars.

I listened to these three talk on KUOW, and honestly John Creighton almost fooled me into thinking he's a progressive. And it's hard to tell with these nonpartisan races, but don't be fooled! Incumbent Lawrence Molloy is the real progressive. Wen Wu Lee has some good ideas, but I'm not sure if she's managed enough money or people in her lifetime to be able to handle the Port and its billion-dollar budget.

Port of Seattle Position 3
So many candidates! All the papers are endorsing Lloyd Hara, but if you like endorsements from politicians, vote Coates. Want a union man? Berkowitz is your guy.

Port of Seattle Position 4
Patricia Davis is the incumbent, and she's been around for-- hold your breath-- twenty years. Time for a change, perhaps? Jack Jolley has hella financial experience, but is also on the board of Bastyr University and has an endorsement from the Sierra Club. So well-rounded! I'll admit it: I heart him.

City of Seattle Mayor
I don't mean to say that only people with previous political experience can handle elected office, but maybe if you're going to run an entire city you should work your way up a little. A balance between knowing how government works, and remembering that you're a citizen like anyone else, is probably perfect.

It's a sad story. Mayor Nickels is the only mainstream candidate in this race. Richard Lee is that guy who hosts Kurt Cobain Was Murdered on cable access, and the other candidates have few if any contributors.

Seattle City Council Position 2
Richard Conlin is the incumbent, and I have a soft spot for him because he is such a huge wonk. Paige Miller may have a lot of endorsements, but in my opinion she's been using her power as Port Commissioner to fake us out and trick us thinking she's as green and pro-transport as Conlin. Nice try.

Seattle City Council Position 4
The incumbent in this race is Jan Drago, it seems like she's done an okay job (though whenever you hear her talk, she's all about her record, and not about what she wants for the future-- hmm...) and I'm pretty sure she'll be one of the two people we'll see again on the November ballot. So. Who do we want her to run against? Here's a hint: not Casey Corr. He's got a reputation as the Mayor's buttboy, and as The Stranger pointed out, we've got a strong council and strong mayor in Seattle. Disagreement between the two offices strengthens accountability.

Seattle City Council Position 8
I love this race. Or is it that I love Dwight Pelz? He is such a firey liberal! Like Conlin on speed. Lots of people seem to love Richard McIver too, including the papers. I also have a little soft spot for Robert Rosencrantz. Maybe it's because of the little runner cartoon on his website... hot pants!! But seriously. More than anything I think Dwight will be a little rowdy and a lot of fun.

Seattle School Board District 5
These Seattle Schools races are super important. Maybe you've seen and heard lately that the school district is totally fucked up? The Board of Directors has the responsibility to oversee the budget and operations of the District. These are less-than-sexy races, but they're probably the most important ones you'll vote in. Kids, yo.

Mary Bass is the incumbent, and Jane Fellner is her only viable opponent. Jane is my doctor and Mary has a degree from my graduate program-- so difficult to choose! But seriously. They're both good candidates. My suggestion is to listen to their archived interviews on KUOW (link down below!) and really really think about your vote.

Seattle School Board District 7
This race is tough, not because it's hard to choose between two good candidates, like in District 5... but because it's hard to choose between a bunch of candidates who impress no one that much. No papers are endorsing Theresa Cardamone, and I wonder if that's because she's turned her candidate statment into an acrostic poem? Puke. Personally I feel like not electing the white guy from Columbia City to this south district post might be the best idea. Vote Cheryl or Linda?

Seattle Monorail Board Position 8
Okay, so, we may be voting on positions that won't exist come November, but let's give them dice a roll. First off, Stan Lippman is a candidate on every ballot every year. Maybe if we stop voting for him, he'll stop running?? So it's down to Beth and Cindi. Cindi was a big Monorail supporter from the start, and she's got some good endorsements-- but she also made some totally wacko anti-Semitic remarks recently that suggest that she could use a time-out from elected office. Beth works in King County's Office of Management and Budget, supervising the transit budget, which would make her an unusual addition to the Monorail staff-- someone with both transit and budget experience!

Seattle Monorail Board Position 9
Whatever you do, don't vote Jim Nobles. He says right in his candidate statement that he's running "for the sole purpose of closing down the project." It's fine if you don't support the Monorail-- but what kind of numb nut interviews for a job because he hates the company!? Dick Faulkenbury is the emotional fav, 'cause the Monorail was his idea; but Cleve Stockmeyer's got some good endorsements both from the papers and from local leaders.

That's all I've got. So. Who are you voting for? What are the most important races to you? Are you having a hard time choosing between candidates? Let's discuss it!! That's what the comments section is for. :)

All the resources you'll ever need:
KUOW Election Coverage Audio Archives
The Stranger Endorsements
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Endorsements
Seattle Weekly Endorsements
Seattle Times endorsements
Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee Endorsements