Some called it the Brawl at Town Hall. Ol’ Josh Feit at Publicola called it at the time a “non-sequitur.” Others thought is was a bad idea to engage with the Socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant during an election year on a dangerous topic. In the end, it was a hot evening in Town Hall but the debate didn’t change much. Sawant handily won reelection in spite of many dollars wasted trying to defeat her, Jonathan Grant a champion of rent control was defeated, and probably because of the businesses community’s ill advised obsession with Sawant and it’s wasteful campaign spending, rent control friend Lisa Herbold was elected in Council District 1. But the debate itself didn’t seem to move the dial at City Hall on time wasting, duplicate and bureaucratic measures in the name of protecting tenants.

A lot hangs in the balance this fall however, since rent control is not allowed by State law. The next chapter of this debate may play itself out in Olympia, especially if Democrats capture a decisive victory in both legislative chambers. The hazard is clear, if the Senate becomes more Democratic that it has been, there is a much better chance that Speaker Frank Chopp’s efforts to allow Seattle to impose rent control could become a reality. Meanwhile Sawant’s anecdote inspired legislation to tie rent increases to more inspections of rental property is already a form of a rent control. And we can expect more chipping away at the preemption of rent control in years to come whether Olympia acts or not.

But if you missed it last year, I’m posting the full debate. You’ll miss the effect of the cheers and jeers and the heat, but I think the issue was fought out well by both sides.