Goldy talks with Ed Murray on Podcasting Liberally (with audio)

HA Seattle-Darryl, with audio (21:26):

The podcast emerges from it’s summer hide-away in the San Juan Islands for a special one-on-one edition with Washington State Senator Ed Murray. Goldy kicks off the podcast asking Sen. Murray about his decision not to run as a write-in candidate for Seattle Mayor. The mayoral topic naturally leads to the proposed deep-bore tunnel replacement for the viaduct and other regional and statewide transportation issues. The discussion touches on the status of the SR520 floating bridge replacement, that other tunnel idea, and transit over the bridge.

Sen. Murray then offers his reflections on Referendum 71, and what needs to happen to ensure passage of the referendum that will preserve the “everything but marriage” law. (Please visit Washington Families Standing Together to find out what you can do to help.)

Murray says "no" to write-in campaign---"not happy" with the other candidates

Chris Grygiel (Strange Bedfellows-Seattle PI):

State Sen. Ed Murray said Tuesday he would not run as a write-in candidate for Seattle mayor.

"While I am deeply concerned for the future of our city and Michael and I are honored to have been approached by so many people and organizations we admire and respect, I am also a realist: write-in campaigns are extremely difficult, and time is short," Murray said in a statement. "Also, the recognition yesterday that Referendum 71 will appear on the fall ballot galvanized my decision."

R-71 is an effort to overturn the state's new "everything but marriage" same sex domestic partner law. Murray has been a long-time advocate for gay rights.

A Murray write-in candidacy threatened to further shake a race that is already as mixed up as one of James Bond's martinis. Two-term incumbent Greg Nickels failed to make it out of last month's primary election. The two men who did - environmentalist Michael McGinn and businessman Joe Mallahan - have never held public office before. Both were already vying for support from business and labor, Nickels' core supporters. Had Murray entered the race it would've fractured the already split interest groups even more.

In his statement Murray rebuked both McGinn, who opposes the viaduct tunnel replacement, and Mallahan.

"I considered a write in campaign because I was concerned that one candidate wanted to reopen a fight with the state when we need to work together. The other candidate who seeks to become our civic leader has failed to engage in civic activities including on the most basic level, voting, something Americans in the south have died for in our lifetime.

I considered running because I believe Seattle is greater than the selfish conversation in the Mayor's race. Missing are issues and leadership on social justice. Issues of poverty and civil rights. This campaign to date has been about one bridge and one neighborhood. Issues such as our schools, neighborhoods and diversity are missing from this debate.

I urge the candidates to broaden their messages and address the critical issues facing our city and look forward to working with one of them as our next mayor."

While Murray is best known statewide for his support of gay rights (he sponsored the state's original same-sex domestic partnership law) he is also one of the leaders in the transportation debate. In the House he chaired the Transportation Committee for four years.

However write-in candidacies are notoriously difficult. It had been estimated that Murray and his supporters would have had to raise at least $300,000 to publicize his run.

McGinn said he respected Murray's decision.

"In his statement today, Sen. Murray called for a broader discussion on issues like social justice, poverty, civil rights, schools, neighborhoods and diversity," McGinn said in his ownstatement. "He's right. There is a wide array of complex issues facing our city. Over the next several weeks, I will be meeting with leaders in these communities, listening and proposing a clear set of positions and plans."

McGinn added he would work with Murray to make sure expanded same-sex domestic partner rights are upheld. "...it will take a smart and dedicated campaign to pass R-71. I look forward to closely working with Sen. Murray and other leaders in our city to make sure we do everything possible to maximize the vote coming out of Seattle for this important measure."

Mallahan said he has "great respect for Sen. Ed Murray and the leadership role he played to provide domestic partnership benefits for everyone in Washington state. I respect his decision to not run and look forward to working with him in the future."

Howie P.S.: Emily Heffter's story in the Seattle Times, "Murray not happy with either mayoral candidate," spells out Murray's gripes with Mallahan and McGinn. Wanna hear more from Murray? Goldy says

State Sen. Ed Murray will be stopping by Drinking Liberally tonight (8PM onwards at the Montlake Ale House).

"R-71 may open race for mayor to write-in bid by Ed Murray"

Emily Heffter and Jim Brunner (Seattle Times):

If state Sen. Ed Murray launches a write-in campaign for Seattle mayor, a referendum on a gay-rights law likely would bring extra attention to his candidacy.

Murray could announce his decision on the mayor's race as early as today. Meanwhile, gay-rights supporters are mobilizing to retain the law — passed by the Legislature this year, and championed by Murray — that grants same-sex, registered domestic partners the same state benefits as married couples.

Referendum 71, apparently headed for the November ballot, seeks to undo the law.

On Monday, Murray wasn't willing to discuss why he was considering running for mayor. He had R-71 on his mind.

"I'm not having that conversation now," he said. "I just heard R-71 qualified, and I have to shift gears."

But more is involved in the decision to run than R-71. Successful write-in campaigns are rare, and Murray would have to overcome skepticism from business and labor leaders who question whether he could win.

Mayor Greg Nickels' loss to Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn left some of the city's biggest political interest groups without an obvious candidate for the fall.

Labor and business groups skewered Mallahan in the final weeks of the primary campaign for his lack of civic experience. His work as an executive at T-Mobile, a company that labor groups view as anti-union, also drew criticism. McGinn opposes replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel — a project heavily supported by business and labor.

McGinn said Monday he would welcome Murray into the race. "Seattle deserves a great debate," McGinn said.

But Mallahan said he would be disappointed. "I think it would be distracting for the campaign, and would make it harder to focus on the issues that we've discussed in the campaign so far."

A Mallahan supporter noted the difficulty of write-in campaigns.

"Senator Murray, of course, is well-known and well-respected," said Tayloe Washburn, a board member of the Alki Foundation, the political arm of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. "However, I think history suggests that it would be very, very difficult for a write-in candidate in a general election to be successful, and that's one of the things he has to consider."

Dave Freiboth, executive secretary of the M.L. King County Labor Council, said voters might see it as condescending to have a third candidate foisted on them after the primary.

"I'm not sure that the vast majority of Seattleites are saying, 'Oh my god, what have we done?' " he said.

Dwight Pelz, chairman of the Washington State Democrats, agreed that voter sentiment might not be ideal for a write-in.

"Write-in campaigns require anger, and I don't know that there is anger in the city over this choice," he said.

Unlike McGinn and Mallahan, Murray is an established politician. He was appointed to the state House in 1995 and elected the next year. He won a Senate seat in 2006.

Murray was a key player in ushering through an $8.5 billion transportation tax package in 2005, which included the largest gas-tax increase in state history, and is considered the lawmaker largely responsible for pushing through the state's first gay-rights law in 2006, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. Murray pressed for the law for more than a decade.

This year, he sponsored the legislation to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said Murray could grab support as a gay candidate when voters will be considering R-71.

Even though Murray's campaign could compete with the anti-R-71-campaign for funding, state Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said having the referendum on the ballot "would be a positive for him, on balance."

Murray would have a base of support beyond the gay community because of his work on transportation and other issues, Pedersen said.

Significant write-in campaigns often require some unusual event to galvanize voters.

In 1994, Linda Smith won a write-in campaign in the Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District, representing Southwest Washington.

Smith succeeded, in part, because the leading Republican candidate, Tim Moyer, had withdrawn from the race. Moyer's name remained on the ballot, but he did not campaign.

Smith went on to defeat Democrat Jolene Unsoeld in the general election.

In San Diego in 2004, a write-in candidate nearly was elected mayor.

Donna Frye, a City Council member, looked to be on the verge of defeating incumbent Mayor Dick Murphy, but a judge refused to count thousands of ballots on which voters wrote in Frye's name but neglected to fill in the small, oval-shaped bubble next to it.

"There are relatively few candidates who can pull it off. I think Ed Murray's one of them," said David Rolf, president of Local 775 of the Service Employees International.

"Chamber, labor officials skeptical about a Seattle write-in campaign"

Emily Hefter (Politics Northwest-Seattle Times):

State Sen. Ed Murray is expected to decide this week whether to run a write-in campaign for mayor.

The idea that started floating around the business and labor communities soon after Mayor Greg Nickels conceded the primary election to two political newcomers, Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn.

But at least two key players in the Seattle political scene are skeptical.

I spoke to Tayloe Washburn, chairman of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. The political arm of the chamber, the Alki Foundation, has yet to take a position in the mayor's race. (They endorsed Nickels and Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago the first time around).

But Washburn said: "Generally speaking, it is troublesome for someone to wait until very late in the race to get started. ... Senator Murray is well-known and clearly would bring some attention to a race, but it's very difficult to contemplate anyone, including him, being successful as a write-in candidate."

Not exactly a vote of confidence.

On the labor side, I spoke to Dave Freiboth. He's executive secretary of the King County Labor Council.

Regardless of the candidate, he said he was skeptical a write-in candidate could succeed. Worse, he said, voters might find it "condescending" if they're offered a third choice after they already selected their top two.

"It's kind of saying, 'you voters are so damn emotional, do you know what you did?' That's kind of patronizing. As a voter, I don't want to be treated like that."

Howie P.S.: Some may consider the source and dismiss this report. And they may be right to do so.

Poll from nowhere touts Ed Murray in Seattle mayor's race

Publicola: "Poll Looks Good for Murray, P-I Reports."

Howie P.S.: This is pretty bad, even for the blogosphere. An unsourced, unreleased poll is leaked, unexamined and (jeepers!) touts a write-in campaign for Seattle mayor. This reeks of media manipulation. The candidate, Ed Murray, is a great guy who I have praised previously on this site. But polls are notoriously vulnerable to distortion by the framing of the questions and the sampling techniques. In this case we are told very little about the poll, other than its "results." Credibility-wise, this is bullshit.

"Neighborhoods said 'no!' to Mallahan co.'s cell tower plans"

Chris Grygiel:

Neighborhood activists cheering for Mayor Greg Nickels?

It may seem strange now that Nickels has lost his bid for a third-term, but in 2003 Nickels had many fans when he pushed back against cell phone companies trying to install cell towers in residential areas.

People thought the towers that could rise to almost 60 feet were "big and ugly." And the city heard concerns companies may have been targeting poor people and those who didn't speak English well, trying to convince them to accept monthly payments to put the towers or associated materials on their property.

Among the companies that wanted to put the structures in neighborhoods was T-Mobile, where mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan is a vice president.

In March of 2003 Nickels proposed legislation banning cell towers from areas with single-family housing. "He did right by us," said Sharon Nakamura, a Beacon Hill woman who was involved in the group Residents Against Cell Towers in Our Neighborhoods.

Nickels' legislation was ultimately amended and the 13 towers that companies wanted to build in places like West Seattle and Beacon Hill weren't banned. However single-family neighborhoods were made the "least preferred" options for cell towers by the city.

"We believe for the most part they can locate in other areas, like commercial and industrial," said Diane Sugimura, director of the city's Department of Planning and Development.

Worries about aggressive tactics

Sugimura said prior to the change in rules the city heard complaints from neighbors that cell towers would impact property values and there were also health concerns about living next to the structures.

There were other issues, as well.

"Some people felt there were predatory practices, in terms of trying to convince property owners that they should have (cell towers) on site and get a monthly payment," Sugimura said. "There were some people that were saying it appeared they might be targeting low income people, or people that maybe English was a second language. Those are the kinds of stories we heard."

Sugimura didn't name specific companies, but in media reports from the time residents complained that T-Mobile was moving ahead with deals with neighbors, despite the fact that the agreed-upon public comment period to voice concerns about such projects had yet to expire.

Like his general election opponent in the mayoral election, environmentalist Michael McGinn, Mallahan has never held public office. During the primary he touted his managerial experience with T-Mobile, the Bellevue-based cell phone giant, saying he would run the city better than Nickels.

Charla Neuman, Mallahan's campaign spokeswoman, said as a vice president for corporate strategy during the early part of this decade Mallahan was focused on how to best further the company's goals on a national level and wouldn't have been involved in discussions about individual neighborhoods in Seattle.

"Joe had input on national market network investments and strategy," Neuman said Monday. "He had input on how much investment you put into Seattle, or D.C. or Houston or other areas. Certainly not at the micro level….He had no say on actual site, data or implementation."

In a statement, T-Mobile said it was responding to "unprecedented" demand for cell service in Seattle and across the country.

"To meet this demand, T-Mobile is constantly improving its coverage areas and expanding its network capacity to handle the growing number of customer calls and data transmissions," the statement said. "The company works closely with communities and neighborhoods to understand their needs and any concerns they may have. The company also complies with all local regulations as we consider new sites and expand the coverage and services we provide to the Seattle area."

Sugimura, the head of the city's planning department, said cell companies must now show that they tried to find other locations in Seattle before they try to move forward in residential neighborhoods. There's also now an independent, third party review of such proposals for single-family zones. The changes appear to have appeased neighborhood groups.

"It's been a long time since I've received a complaint," Sugimura said.

Howie P.S.: Does this story tell us how the local media will cover this race: big business versus the Sierra Club? And every libruls' favorite journalist, Emily Hefter, has this one: "State Sen. Ed Murray: a write-in for Seattle mayor?"

"Ed Murray Checks the Box for Dow Constantine"

Ed Murray:

I got to know Dow Constantine years ago, when he first came to the legislature. Even then he stood out as someone with real leadership skills and a progressive vision for moving this region forward. You could see that he had the whole package: talent, charisma, smarts, strong Democratic values and an ability to bring people together to get the hard work done.

My respect for Dow has only grown over the years. I think of him as less a politician than a good government guy, someone who really takes the time to learn the details of policy and to develop and refine good ideas to turn them into real results. Dow believes in offering solutions, not mere sound bites.

It takes a while to notice, because he is so easy to get along with, but underneath his ordinary guy exterior Dow has a core of exceptional toughness. We saw that last week, when Dow called out Susan Hutchison for running a stealth campaign intended to hide her conservative Republican beliefs from the voters. Yes, it’s true that all elected officials like to claim that they are strong and principled, but Dow has demonstrated time and again that he is willing to walk the talk.

On the issues that really matter, he is tenacious, even in the face of long odds. Back before the reality of global warming was so widely accepted, Dow introduced the state’s first climate change legislation in the state legislature. For a decade, he has led the charge to stop an international mining company from destroying sensitive shoreline habitat in the Maury Island Aquatic Reserve. It has been a tough battle, but Dow has stuck to his guns in the face of the company’s hardball tactics.

When Dow learned that the historic first United Methodist Church building in downtown Seattle was going to be razed, he got to work. It seemed hopeless at first, but after years of dogged effort Dow brought the parties together and forged a deal that saved the building. I was proud to speak at his kick off event there a couple of weeks ago. It is a beautiful space, and if Dow had not acted it would gone today.

I have spent years working on increasing transit in King County, and Dow has been there with me in the trenches. While others sought headlines, his quiet, effective work on the Sound Transit board played a major role in the recent vote to expand mass transit across this region over the next 15 years. He really is a work horse rather than a showboat.

And yes, I am proud of Dow for standing up for the gay and lesbian community. He has always been a strong champion in the legislature and at the County for civil rights and social justice. I’ll never forget that he stood by my side when we fought the passage of the state’s discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. We know that if Dow is elected, we in the gay community will have a friend in the Executive’s office, and that the County’s progressive policies on gay issues will be safe.

Specific issues aside, Dow understands that King County needs to change. He has been on the Council long enough to know what needs to be done – and to grow frustrated by the slow pace of reform http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif– but not long enough that he has become beholden to the status quo. He was the first Executive candidate to raise the issue of County benefit costs, and to offer a plan to address the issue without penalizing lower-paid, front line workers. The Seattle Times called his plan “a dose of economic reality.”

He is also the only candidate who represents suburban cities, rural areas and Seattle neighborhoods. He’s beloved by his constituents, because he is a true champion for ordinary people. We need an executive who rejects the tired political divisions that pit communities against each other. I think Dow is the candidate who can do that.

For all of these reasons, I endorsed Dow in the race to become the next Executive. He has the vision to lead King County through difficult times, and I look forward to working with Executive Constantine to advance a progressive agenda over the next four years.

Howie P.S.: To be honest, what sticks in my mind about Ed Murray is that when Michelle Obama came to Seattle for a fundraiser in July, 2007 Murray was the only elected officisl I can remember seeing in attendance.