I often get queries about how I’ll vote in the upcoming election. I sent a message to our mailing list giving a lot of detail about how I’ll mark my ballot on the election for Mayor and to replace the retiring Tim Burgess. Here they are. 

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Greetings,

If you are a Seattle voter you likely have received your ballot for this year’s primary election. You’ll need to return that ballot (postmarked) on or before that day. Here’s my general answer on the question “How should I vote?” I think it’s pretty much the same for, “Who should I support financially.” I think the primary will sort out many things for us; there will be fewer candidates and we’ll have a better sense of where the conversation will go until November. Meanwhile these are my thoughts on the question about voting.

My first involvement with a campaign for City office was in 1993 when I managed a City Council campaign for a lawyer named James Fearn. Fearn was a supporter of the Seattle Commons, a project that ended up being voted down by the city a year later. Subsequently I managed Peter Steinbrueck’s campaign in 1997 that started out as a campaign for Mayor, but he switched to a Council run. I could go on about that year’s election. I’ve been around this town and its politics for close to 25 years, and I’ve never seen the city in so much trouble as it is today, especially when it comes to issues related to growth and housing.

One note before I talk about candidates. I don’t vote anymore for candidates unless I believe that they are likely to do what I want them to do. I don’t vote for the least bad candidate or the candidate that’s “close.” And please don’t vote for a candidate because, “she’s a nice lady,” or “we had lunch one time” or “she seems really smart.” One of my mentors, Larry Kenney, asked me when I said a candidate was a smart guy, “yeah, but how does he vote?” All that matters to me anymore is whether a candidate will hurt or harm the cause of housing production in Seattle. If I can’t answer that confidently I will leave my ballot blank rather than vote for the least bad option. You should too. Voting “present” is participation; voting for bad candidates is giving assent to bad policy.

For City Council the only candidate out there I can vote for is Sarah Nelson. I’ve known Nelson for a while including her days as staff for Richard Conlin. Nelson, with an editorial in The Stranger, finally came out as an actual supporter of business and basic economic fact rather than fantasy. The Affordable HousingCouncil (AHC), the Political Action Committee for the Master Builders Association, also endorses her. I am betting on Nelson because I hope that she’ll encourage her colleagues to make better decisions and that she’ll work behind the scenes to moderate the rhetoric and process on the Council. I am also hoping she’ll communicate with us, listening to what we say and taking it seriously, something nobody seems capable of doing on the second floor of City Hall. She was the first person on City Council staff to alert understand the gravity of the downzone of the low-rise zones that was proposed by then City Councilmember Sally Clark, legislation we eventually appealed.

UPDATE: It was pointed out to me yesterday that Nelson was a supporter of the One House, One Lot movement, an effort to squash small lot development. It is true that Councilmember Conlin and Nelson favored ending the increased production of housing on small legacy lots. This is problematic and one more thing to consider. However, I’d say that since that time Nelson’s help with low-rise zones and her eventual embrace of our efforts to make small-lot development easier, along with her subsequent record reflects maturity and evolution. And all of the other candidates are rent control supporters and are likely to support making Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning (MIZ). This isn’t to suggest that Nelson is the “least bad option,” and her record is worth considering when marking your ballot or making a contribution.

When it comes to Mayor, I have thoughts in a long blog post up today. There isn’t any candidate I can enthusiastically endorse. I will say that Mike McGinn is most likely the candidate, if he gets through the primary and gets elected, that could slow down or stop the imposition of Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning (MIZ).

In other City races on the ballot and on the Port I have no recommendation and I’ll leave my ballot blank on the seat currently held by Lorena Gonzalez.

Email or call with any questions or comments. Thank you for the work you do to make this a great city.