That is because the races are supposedly "non-partisan."
But Seattle is a one-party town.
Pretty much, both incumbents and challengers are socialist lefties.
Lenin in Seattle.
Posted on 11/05/2003 12:17:19 AM PST by BurbankKarl
A political shake-up appeared to be under way in Seattle, as early returns last night showed three incumbent City Council members and two School Board members trailing challengers.
However, a ballot measure that would require council members to run from geographic districts in the future was slightly behind in early returns. If that measure does pass, all nine council members would be up for re-election in 2005 when members would run from the new districts.
Voters were rejecting the council's most veteran member, Margaret Pageler; first-term populist Judy Nicastro; and Heidi Wills, who set a new fund raising-record for a council race. Challengers capitalized on "Strippergate," the controversy over political donations tied to a strip club that was seeking a rezone; what some saw as poor council oversight of City Light; and a perception that the council was fiddling with political statements about circus animals and the war in Iraq instead of dealing with the city's growing problems.
If the early results stand, this election would create the biggest upheaval in city politics in decades. Since the 1950s, only once has more than one City Council member lost a re-election bid. That was in 1989, when two members — Virginia Galle and Jeanette Williams — lost their seats.
"I'm stunned. It's almost the worst-case scenario," said City Councilwoman Jan Drago, who was not up for re-election this year.
Former newspaper columnist Jean Godden was leading Nicastro, while David Della, a United Way official, was leading Wills. Tom Rasmussen, who manages city programs for senior citizens, was ahead of Pageler.
Incumbent Jim Compton held off a challenge from former Councilman John Manning, who resigned from the council in 1996 after being convicted of domestic abuse.
Council President Peter Steinbrueck was winning easily against Zander Batchelder, who raised no money for the race.
After a year of upheaval in the Seattle School District, voters apparently were replacing at least two of the three School Board members who were on yesterday's ballot. In early returns, challengers Sally Soriano and Darlene Flynn were well ahead of board members Barbara Schlag Peterson and Steve Brown, respectively. Board President Nancy Waldman was in a close race with Brita Butler-Wall.
Incumbents had been on the defensive throughout the campaign, trying to explain the board's role after massive budget errors were revealed, public clamor led to the departure of Superintendent Joseph Olchefske, and a national search for his successor unraveled.
Turnout was light in yesterday's election. Dean Logan, King County's director of records, elections and licensing services, estimated that about 35 percent of registered voters cast ballots, either at polling places or by mail.
That's a lower turnout than in 2001, when Tim Eyman's property-tax limitation Initiative 747 was on the ballot. About 38 percent of county voters participated in that election.
Election officials originally had projected a turnout of more than 40 percent, but lowered the forecast as absentee ballots came in slower than expected. Absentee votes are expected to outnumber poll votes 2-to-1, but the total number of absentee ballots may not be known until next week.
For 93 years, Seattle voters have elected City Council members citywide. Charter Amendment 5, trailing in early returns, would create geographic districts. Voters had twice before rejected similar plans.
Elsewhere in the state:
Clallam County yesterday became the first county or city in the country to elect its planning director, or director of community development. Bob Martin, who holds the job as an appointee, narrowly trailed Rob Robertsen, a former county building official backed by development interests, in early returns.
In the Spokane mayor's race, Senate Majority Leader James West was leading journalist Tom Grant. If West wins he would be forced to resign his Senate seat.
Frustration leads to overhaul on City Council, School Board
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
By NEIL MODIE AND MATT CRAFT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS
It was a tough night to be an incumbent.
Seattle City Council and School Board members were being swept from office by voters who apparently had had enough of the same old thing.
"It's definitely that the voters are in a foul mood, to say the least," said veteran Seattle political consultant Cathy Allen, who had candidates on both sides of the angry-voter divide. "They are not easily persuaded to continue on the path we're on; that's what this election is telling me."
The political landscape was being significantly changed, especially on the nine-member City Council.
As of late last night, council incumbents Judy Nicastro, Heidi Wills and Margaret Pageler were being ousted. Joining them in the losers' circle were School Board President Nancy Waldman and members Steve Brown and Barbara Peterson.
The incumbent carnage wasn't just limited to Seattle races. In Marysville, members of a School Board beset by the state's longest strike were on their way out, and some incumbents on the King County Council and Port of Seattle Commission were in tight races.
Allen's clients included former newspaper columnist Jean Godden, who was ahead of Nicastro in early returns; Pageler, who was trailing her opponent and Councilman Jim Compton, one of only two out of five council incumbents who were comfortably leading their foes.
Considering those races, the Seattle School Board incumbents who appeared likely to lose, and the Seattle City Charter amendment requiring district elections of council members running close, "there's a message there," Allen said.
"It's more a message that 'we dislike all of you' as opposed to just one (incumbent's) indiscretions," she said.
Queen Anne resident Steve Bauer voted to oust several incumbents.
"The council has been a mess," he said last night as he walked his beagle, Zoe.
"I've lived here my entire life. It's traditional that the mayor and council don't get along," Bauer added, but he said the current squabbles are particularly bad.
Rick Giombetti said he voted for City Council candidate Tom Rasmussen over incumbent Pageler because "he wanted to get rid of the stodgy old incumbent." Giombetti was sorry to see that Nicastro was losing, though. "I'm a renter. She did more than just pay lip service to renters."
Pollster Stuart Elway polled city voters after the primary elections and found, "most people thought the council was focused on the wrong things."
Even though the monorail and light rail projects are proceeding, he said people felt, by an overwhelming margin, that the City Council was not focused on transportation.
"It looks right now with three incumbents losing ... voters are pretty dissatisfied with the way the council's been running," Elway said.
Allen said the depressing tone of the issues didn't help people already in office.
"With the economy still in the dumps, and the national (economic) numbers not getting better, the backdrop is a negative one," Allen said.
Giombetti said he thought too many City Council members ignored the concerns of neighborhoods.
"One thing they all lack is the ability to pay attention to neighborhoods outside downtown," Giombetti said.
P-I reporter Kery Murakami contributed to this report.
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to guess...
(steely)
That is because the races are supposedly "non-partisan."
But Seattle is a one-party town.
Pretty much, both incumbents and challengers are socialist lefties.
Lenin in Seattle.
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