"Medical Marijuana Battle in Seattle"

Mark Miller (HIGH TIMES):

In a high-stakes ‘race’ to protect medical marijuana dispensaries before a statewide ban across Washington goes into effect next week, Seattle took measures on Wednesday to quickly create and pass a new medical marijuana ordinance.
(SNIP)
Equally encouraging was the announcement from King County Executive Dow Constantine (the highest ranking public official in King County, which includes Seattle) that he’ll consider expanding Seattle’s ordinance throughout the county. Constantine has already instructed the county sheriff and prosecutor to ignore small-scale dispensaries. MORE...

(Updated) WA: "Gregoire Guts Medical-Marijuana Bill" (with audio)

Photo by Cienna Madrid-Gregoire: "I am acutely aware of how important this is for medical patients."

UPDATE: The story in the seattlepi.com adds a few details. For example:

The Washington Federation of State Employees said in a letter Friday that workers were concerned they could be subject to federal prosecution under the law and asked Gregoire to veto the bill, The Associated Press reported.

The Seattle Times story picks up another angle: "Gregoire vetoes bill but vows to push feds on medical marijuana." In an editorial, the Times says:

"Gov. Chris Gregoire needs to be reminded why Washington voters overwhelmingly approved a 1998 law to allow the regulated use of marijuana. People wanted relief from grievous medical conditions and treatments.

Her artful veto Friday of the Medical Use of Cannabis Act stranded those citizens, and their loved ones, who sought to play by the rules. MORE...

Dominic Holden (SLOG-The Stranger)

Nixing far more of a medical-marijuana bill than she had telegraphed that she would, Governor Chris Gregoire vetoed nearly every section of an omnibus bill today that was intended to clarify a messy tangle of ambiguities in a 13-year-old law for sick people and their care providers. Arrest protection for patients (who can currently be arrested and only raise a defense in court), cultivation licenses, and dispensaries were all scratched by the governor. In explaining her decision, Gregoire reiterated her concern that the bill's edict to license dispensaries would subject state Department of Health employees to federal prosecution. But, in addition to vetoing dispensaries, she ultimately removed a patient registry and its ensuing arrest protection because it "is intertwined with the other parts of the bill," she said in her Capitol Building office.

What's left is "window dressing," said Alison Holcomb, the drug policy director of the ACLU of Washington.

Gregoire added a twist to her familiar argument—that federal charges "would" be raised against state employees, an argument that has been roundly debunked—by saying, "The landscape is changing." She cited letters from federal prosecutors in Rhode Island, Colorado, and Oakland in recent months similar to one issued in Washington this month.

Gregoire was resolute. "We cannot assure protection to patients in a way that subjects another group to prosecutions," she said. "That is not acceptable to me." Asked three times if she had any example of a state employee being prosecuted for administering one of the many medical-marijuana licensing programs in the US, Gregoire said, "No, no, no."

Her position was immediately denounced. Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes announced that Gregoire's argument was a "red herring at best" and added, “I am profoundly disappointed that at the 11th hour and 59th minute Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed the central operative sections of the medical cannabis legislation." Meanwhile, Mayor Mike McGinn said in a statement that the veto would "leave us with the same problems that we currently face: too many patients have to take unnecessary risks to obtain their medicine, confusion for law enforcement, a proliferation of dispensaries across Seattle, and an inability to regulate dispensaries properly."

What remains in the bill? Permission for patients to grow up to 45 plants in collectives of up to 10 people. Gregoire said her veto allowed 20 days for the legislature to pass another medical marijuana bill—perhaps one that allowed for arrest protection.

Wearing disdain in her expression, Gregoire insisted that she hadn't vetoed the bill as an appeal for future work with the Obama Administration but was based on her—again, frivolous—argument that state workers would be prosecuted. "This is about me being the governor of the state of Washington," she insisted. "It has nothing to do with me or my future or anything else."

Holcomb, who is also a former defense attorney handling medical-marijuana cases, is intimately familiar with the current medical marijuana law and the memo issued by federal prosecutors. She says the landscape hasn't changed. "On the one hand, Gregoire wants to provide patients safe access to medical cannabis. But on the other hand, she offers an excuse for gutting the legislation that holds no water."

"What is concerning to me is Gregoire's repeated statement that patients would remain exempt from prosecution," Holcomb continues. "Under state law, that has never been the case. By stripping out the regulatory section... patients continue to be subject to arrest and prosecution under state law."

Is there any hope that a Democratic governor wouldn't veto a bill so broad?

Dow Constantine, the King County Executive who may run for governor next year, "supports the purposes of the bill," says his spokesman Frank Abe. "He agrees we need to bring the production and distribution of medical marijuana above ground and into the light of day."

Howie P.S. Here's a detailed analysis of the "partial veto" by the Cannabis Defense Coalition. There is also a link there to audio (22:27) of Governor Gregoire's statement on the medical cannabis bill.

"King County Executive Dow Constantine calls for immigration reform" (video)

oneamerica08, video (03:24):

King County Executive Dow Constantine calls for comprehensive immigration reform. The April 10 Rally in Seattle for immigration reform in Occidental Park drew a diverse group of between 7,000-9,000 people from across the state. The rally was sponsored by Washington Immigration Reform Coaltion (WIRC).

"Labor cool to McGinn; Constantine says 'stop the dithering'"

Construction workers and union members gather in Westlake Park for a rally to demand the 520 bridge project, the Viaduct replacement project and a convention center expansion begin as voters have asked on Wednesday March 17, 2010. Union leaders said that jobs the projects would create are needed now. (Joshua Trujillo/Seattlepi.com)

Chris Grygiel (seattlepi.com):

Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday spoke to a crowd of dozens of union workers at Westlake Center.

Not surprisingly, they got different receptions.

The rally staged by the Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council/AFL-CIO was designed to highlight the problems faced by the local labor community in this bad economy.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn stands by as construction workers and union members gather in Westlake Park for a rally. (Joshua Trujillo/Seattlepi.com)

McGinn said he knew people were hurting.

"The highest priority of city government has to be jobs and it will be my highest priority," the mayor said.

But McGinn, who was opposed by most unions last fall, was interrupted several times during his brief remarks by chants of "What do we want?" - "Jobs!"

McGinn said he was committed to asking Seattle voters to expand light rail in the city within two years and touted his role in getting the "Bridgng the Gap" infrastructure levy passed - projects that have and could create work.

But McGinn's reticence about replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel - and his objections to the preferred 520 bridge replacement plans - have angered labor and others, who say the projects need to be built sooner rather than later. The state and county and Eastside political leaders oppose McGinn's 520 plan, preferring a six-lane option with two dedicated HOV lanes.

McGinn talked to the crowd about 520. "We're working to get light rail over that bridge," he said. "If we're going to ask people to pay tolls to cross it, we should give people a good transportation alternative. We think if we can get a bridge that has light rail on it, that that's something that could get public support and we could get that passed. I'm going to work to get that done."

Many in the crowd booed McGinn at that point.

Constantine, who enjoyed significant labor support in his election last year, spoke after McGinn and took a not-so-subtle swipe at the Seattle mayor. Constantine wants to build the viaduct tunnel and likes the six-lane, preferred option for 520 that McGinn dislikes.

He said there were transportation projects (520, tunnel) that "address legitimate safety, transit, freight mobility concerns, but these projects sit idle."

"I believe there's always room for discussion of the details," Constantine continued. "But our economy cannot survive years of job-stopping delays. I say, let's get going....it's time to stop the dithering and hand wringing."

"Phillips Reportedly To Join R’s in Vote for Drago" (Updated)

Jan Drago joins KC Council/Photo by Erica C. Barnett.

UPDATE: Erica C. Barnett (Publicola) confirms the earlier "report."

Josh Feit (Publicola):

I’m heading down momentarily to the county courthouse, where King County Council members are reportedly close to breaking the deadlock on appointing a replacement for Dow Constantine, who left the council to take his new position as King County Executive last year.

Multiple sources say Larry Phillips, a Democrat, now plans to switch his vote and side with Republicans, who want to appoint former Seattle City Council member Jan Drago as a “placeholder” until an election can be held in November. Drago lives in Pioneer Square; Constantine lives in West Seattle.

Phillips has not returned a call for comment.

Howie P.S.: I don't want to cynical or anything, but may there be some deal in the works here between Jan and Larry?

Tim Nuse on Dow's Replacement

34th District Dems Chair Tim Nuse on the King County Council appointment process for replacing King County Exec Dow Constantine:

“It’s very disappointing. The district needs representation. We’ve got the right choice with Sen. McDermott … (for now) they’ve clearly put politics ahead of the interests of the public. But we stayed here all night, we’ll be working for the next two weeks, and when they reconvene, this room will be packed.”

Full gory details here, on the West Seattle Blog (posted here yesterday).

KC Council Deadlocked on Dow's replacement (with video)

West Seattle Blog:

(this is in its 6th hour now … running updates at the bottom of this report)

(photo added 8:42 – all eyes on the door to one of the areas where council members strategized)

ORIGINAL 3:34 PM REPORT: We’re at the King County Council’s chambers on the 10th floor of the County Courthouse downtown, where county councilmembers are about to move on to the agenda item that will result in their vote on a new councilmember to represent West Seattle and other areas of the 8th District, now that Dow Constantine has become County Executive. You can watch live on Cable Channel 22 or online at the county website; councilmembers have just called a recess until 3:50, at which time they will take up this agenda item. We will publish word of the decision as soon as it’s made, as well as any in-progress toplines, depending on what happens before the vote is taken. 3:53 PM UPDATE: It’s just been announced the recess will continue till 4:30 – they’re waiting for an absent councilmember to arrive. 4:35 PM: And the recess is extended to 4:45. A sizable 34th District Democrats contingent is here to show support for State Sen. Joe McDermott, who the group supports for the job – they’re handing one of these buttons to everyone who arrives to join the show of support:

5:25 PM UPDATE: They’re now out of recess. Joe McDermott’s name has been proposed as the appointment, for starters. Councilmember Julia Patterson is saying, “This was a difficult choice.” She says that one of the things that made the difference for her is the fact that Sen. McDermott has lived in the 8th District for his whole life, and “the people of the district have leaned on (him) to represent him” over the past 9 years (in his legislative roles). She describes McDermott as a skilled consensus-builder. Now Councilmember Larry Phillips says he concurs with Patterson regarding Sen. McDermott, and appreciates everyone who came forward “to help us sort through this.” Councilmember Larry Gossett expresses appreciation for McDermott’s advocacy for racial and sexual minorities. Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer is now speaking and says he’s been very impressed by Sen. McDermott and even more impressed by all the people who have expressed support for him. But he says he will vote for the caretaker position (which would mean either Drago or Nelson), not “against” McDermott. And the vote to appoint McDermott failed – 4-4 tie (no one spoke against his appointment before the vote).

(that’s video of the first vote, the first deadlock re: appointing McDermott)
There is now a recess (with several councilmembers having gone behind closed doors). In addition to Rep. Nelson and Sen. McDermott, Councilmember Drago is now here.

5:56 PM: It’s just been announced the recess will continue till 6:15. Several other journalists are here; from the politics-watching-specialty world, Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola says the 4 Republican-leaning councilmembers (though the positions are now technically nonpartisan) want to give the job to Drago as a one-year caretaker. We talked with Drago for a few minutes after the recess started; she had just completed her last meeting on the Seattle City Council, after 16 years (she ran for mayor instead of running for re-election). The gallery’s abuzz with how a tie will be broken if the councilmembers stay deadlocked.

6:21 PM: They just announced the recess will continue till 6:45. The lone TV photographer here is packing up.

6:30 PM: Now they are out of recess, and they are nominating Jan Drago. Chair Reagan Dunn says he is leaning toward the caretaker role and believes Drago has the experience. Councilmember Larry Phillips restates his support for Sen. McDermott. The Drago vote deadlocked again. No one proposed an amendment so they’re going to recess again. “Has anyone talked to Greg Nickels?” someone quips, stirring laughter from the otherwise somewhat nerve-wracked audience.

6:54 PM: Still in recess – here’s our video of that second vote, in which the councilmembers deadlocked on the Drago nomination:

7:13 PM: They are out of recess. Chair Dunn is now nominating Dr. Arun Jhaveri , former Burien mayor, “one of the applicants who went through the committee process.” There is a call for another recess, to confer. Someone in the back row suggests frequent candidate Goodspaceguy.

7:22 PM UPDATE: They’re out of recess to discuss this, the third nomination motion. Councilmember von Reichbauer is asking if Rep. Zack Hudgins had ever said definitively whether he would run for the permanent job. “That opens a whole new view of the candidates,” he said. They’re taking a quick break to call him to clarify whether he’s interested in the caretaker role or not. Meantime, here’s more context on Dr. Jhaveri. Much buzz in the gallery about whether pizza should have been ordered for delivery – some of the 34th District Democrats members here to support Sen. McDermott have been here since the council meeting began at 1:30 pm (McDermott was here at 9:30 when the council Committee of the Whole first took up the motion).

7:41 PM: Council chair Dunn came out to the Chambers and muttered loudly, “They’re going down the list.” (Here, by the way, is the original list of 11 nominees, culled to 4 by a panel of community members – Rep. Nelson, Sen. McDermott, Rep. Hudgins, Councilmember Drago, all of whom were interviewed by the council last Monday.

8:03 PM: Still in recess … 8:11 PM: Most of the council came out of the door to the right of their half-moon dais, and trooped over to go into the door at the left. … 8:26 PM: After 7 hours, Rep. Nelson just left (has to catch a ferry home). No hint of how much longer the recess will last. Meantime, Councilmember Drago has just gone into the closed-door gathering. 9:02 PM: Members are trooping back and forth between the left and right doors. Chair Dunn just strode from left to right smiling, wagging his finger and proclaiming “I got an idea!”

Howie P.S.: These King County "non-partisan" Republicans are acting like their thug brothers in the U.S. Congress.

County Executive-elect Dow Constantine thanks 34th District Democrats (video)

West Seattle Blog, video (05:56).

Howie P.S.: Dow thanks his homies in West Seattle.

Election Night: Dow Constantine (video)

Seattle Times, video (01:54):

Dow Constantine and his supporters react to early election results on the evening of Tuesday, November 3.

Poll Analysis: Seattle Mayor and King Co. Exec.

Darryl Holman is a UW professor who knows his numbers. Apparently, in order to get his Ph.D. in anthropology, he had to take a bunch of math classes in college:
Poll Analysis--Seattle Mayoral Race:

A new KING-5/Survey USA poll in the Seattle Mayoral Race was released today. This race has Mike McGinn facing off against Joe Mallahan. Just last week, a Washington Poll poll had Mallahan leading McGinn by 44% to 36% with 20% undecided. The results suggested that Mallahan had an 89.9% probability of winning.

Today’s poll of 586 people (taken over the weekend) shows a tighter race with Mallahan leading McGinn by 45% to 43%. A Monte Carlo analysis (methods) consisting of 1,000,000 simulated elections using the proportions and sample size observed in this poll shows Mallahan winning 635,831 times and McGinn winning 352,638 times. Statistically, the results are a tie. But Mallahan has a small edge with a 64.3% probability of winning; McGinn has a 35.7% probability of winning.

The distribution of election outcomes from the simulation says it better than numbers (see chart above).

The red bars on the left are Mallahan wins, and the blue bars on the right are McGinn wins.

There are a number of possible confounders here that make this extremely close race even more uncertain. Most obvious is the age discrepancy in support which The Stranger’s Eli Sanders points out may lead to some systematic (statistical) bias:

Remember, too, that SurveyUSA only reaches voters with land-lines, and that some of McGinn’s strongest support is among younger voters—who frequently only have cell phones.

Who knows….

Poll Analysis--King Co. Exec. Race:

The non-partisan King County executive race has proud Democrat Dow Constantine squaring off against bashful Republican non-partisan Susan Hutchison. Last week’s Washington Poll gave Constantine a 47% to 34% lead over Hutchison.

A new King-5/Survey USA poll released today essentially confirms last week’s findings. The poll of 614 likely or actual voters gives Constantine a 53% to 43% lead over Hutchison with 5% undecided.

As usual, I’ll use the poll numbers and sample size to assess the probability of each candidate winning (methods are given here). The Monte Carlo analysis of a million simulated elections gives Constantine 962,298 wins and Hutchison 35,378 wins. That is, the poll result provides evidence that Constantine will win Tuesday’s election with a 96.5% probability. Hutchison has a 3.5% probability of winning. Here is the distribution of outcomes from the simulated elections (see chart above).

The red bars are wins for Hutchison, and the blue bars are Constantine wins.

This is the first big test since last November’s initiative made the Executive a non-partisan position. And it sure looks like the electorate won’t be fooled by this non-partisan stuff.

Howie P.S.: As if things aren't complicated enough, here's "King County's Ballot Scanners can't handle close Mayor's race?"(Washblog).

KING 5: "Constantine surges ahead of Hutchison in King Co. Exec. race" (Updated)

UPDATE II:It's back now. I think they scooped themselves for few hours.
UPDATE: KING 5 has taken down the link (below). I don't know why.

KING 5:

In the final KING 5 News poll before votes are counted on Tuesday, Dow Constantine has surged ahead of Susan Hutchison in the race for King County Executive.

The poll of 614 likely and actual voters, conducted by SurveyUSA, gives Constantine 53 percent of the vote over Hutchison's 43 percent. Five percent of voters remain undecided.

It's the first time that Constantine, the King County Council president, has led the former TV news anchor in a KING 5 poll. The last survey, taken three weeks ago, had Hutchison with a five point lead – a 15 point swing.

Sixty percent of respondents say they have already mailed in their ballots. Of those who have already voted, Constantine leads by 12 percent. Based on that, Hutchison would need to carry procrastinators by 14 points or more to win.

Women give a 3-to-2 margin to Constantine over Hutchison. The last poll had the candidates split in that category.

Hutchison has an overwhelming edge among Republicans and conservatives in the non-partisan race, while Constantine leads overwhelmingly among Democrats and liberals.

Voters who label themselves as independent slightly favor Hutchison while those classifying themselves as moderate give Constantine a double-digit advantage.

Less educated voters approve of Hutchison while Constantine has a double digit lead among more educated and more affluent voters.

The survey was conducted between Friday and Sunday.

"UW Poll: Constantine leads Hutchison, Mallahan tops McGinn" (Updated)

UPDATE: Darryl is a progressive blogger and professor of anthropology @ UDub and provides "Poll Analysis: Washington State I-1033 & R-71, King County Executive and Seattle Mayor." If you hate statistics, don't go there.

Joel Connelly:

Businessman Joe Mallahan has moved out to an eight-point lead over lawyer Mike McGinn in the race for Seattle mayor, according to the new Washington Poll, while Dow Constantine is ahead of Susan Hutchison in the contest for King County executive.

Mallahan is "stretching a lead out even though the figures leave a whopping 19 percent undecided," said University of Washington political scientist Matt Barreto, who oversaw the poll. Mallahan leads 44 percent to 36 percent.

The survey yielded one fascinating development. Mallahan and McGinn were tied during the portion of the poll taken during Oct. 14-20. After McGinn's aparent flip-flop on the deep-bored tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct, subsequent polling showed Mallahan ahead 45 percent to 29 percent.

The Washington Poll's figures in the county exec's race run counter to findings by two SurveyUSA polls for KING5 news.

The Washington Poll has Constantine at 47 percent, Hutchison with 34 percent with a big 19 percent undecided.

"I think that's going to hold, in large part due to high turnout in the city," Barreto said.

We all knew Seattle was a Democratic city, but the Washington Poll shows just how Democratic. The executive race is officially nonpartisan, but Democrat Constantine has a 70 to 21 percent lead in Jet City. Hutchison is ahead 40-28 in the rest of King County, with a big 32 percent undecided. "They have not circled the wagons for her, at least not yet," Barreto said.

The Washington Poll, which interviewed a total of 724 voters, brings very good news for supporters of same-sex domestic partnerships.

Referendum 71, where an "approved" vote upholds the state's new expanded gay rights law, garners 57 percent 'yes' to 38 percent 'no' with 5 percent undecided. Among voters who say they've already mailed in ballots, R-71 was carrying by a 55-45 margin.

R-71 is ahead by 60-35 in the Puget Sound area and 55-40 elsewhere in Western Washington. But the vote count in Eastern Washington, the most conservative part of the state, breaks nearly even with 46 percent 'yes' and 49 percent 'no.'

The Washington Poll has accurately tracked professional-initiative sponsor Tim Eyman's past victories and defeats.

The latest figures indicate Eyman may be going down to defeat for the first time in an off-year election. Among all registered voters, Eyman's Initiative 1033 is favored by 41 percent and opposed by 46 percent. The measure would restrict spending growth by state, county and local government. Among likely voters, the figures on I-1033 are 40 percent 'yes' and 49 percent 'no,' with about 10 percent undecided.

"The undecideds are starting to trend 'no,'" Barretta said.

The poll was taken Oct. 14-26. It involved actual interviews with voters, unlike the so-called robocalls used in other polls.

The Washington Poll surveyed all regions of the state, but took into account the anticipated higher turnout in King County. It has a margin of error of 3.6 percent and has a pretty good track record in recent elections.

Howie P.S.: Andrew (NPI Advocate) has more instant analysis, from an East King County perspective.

"KCTS 9 Connects: King County Executive Race - Dow Constantine" (video)

KCTS9, video (06:36):

"KCTS 9 Connects" with host Enrique Cerna.
Airs Firdays at 7:30 p.m. on KCTS 9.
KCTS 9 follows Dow Constantine on the campaign trail.
Airdate: Oct. 12, 2009

Constantine: "Flip-flopper Hutchison wrong for King Co."

Chris Grygiel (Strange Bedfellows-seattlepi.com):

In a place where Barack Obama won 70 percent of last November's presidential vote, you'd think it would be relatively easy for a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat like Dow Constantine to win the county executive's race. But voters last year also approved a measure making county-wide offices officially non-partisan, which has added a new twist to the race between Constantine and Susan Hutchison.

Constantine

Constantine, a long-time Democratic office holder, finds himself trailing Hutchison in a contest that has in many ways become a referendum on the way government functions in the state's largest county. But while there won't be a 'D' or an 'R' next to the candidates' names on the November ballot, partisan politics have still played a big part in the campaign. Constantine separated himself from the pack of other Democrats seeking the job in the primary by aggressively challenging Hutchison, labeling the former KIRO-TV broadcaster an "extremely conservative Republican." Hutchison, who has ties to Republicans and conservative causes, shot back that Constantine was trying to distract voters from the budget mess at King County he helped create in his eight years on the County Council. Hutchison says county government has grown bloated and arrogant and only an outsider can change that.

In an interview with seattlepi.com last week at Seattle's Union Station, Constantine talked about why he believes his experience as a councilman and state lawmaker make him the right person to lead in a time of crisis. He spoke about the need for the region to stop viewing itself as many different cities but rather an integrated economy, why the county and the state need to change how they collect taxes and why unpaid furloughs for county workers are necessary to deal with next year's $56 million operating budget deficit. He also again challenged Hutchison, saying there's a "dramatic difference" in values between the two candidates, that Hutchison has flip-flopped on things like support for light rail and that she "opposes a woman's right to chose."

What follows is an edited transcript of the interview.

The next executive will take office facing the threat of severe flooding, a flu outbreak and big deficits stretching out for years. Beyond those crises, what should the county executive focus on to fix a county government that seems to be broken?

It is clear that these are unprecedented times. Both in the short term with the flood and flu, the budget deficit that needs to be closed, and over the long-term with the reforms that need to be put in place to put the county permanently on sound financial footing. It's very important at this point to have a level-headed, experienced local leader at the helm. The reason for that is the executive needs to bring this region together around a shared agenda. This is not a county issue, not a City of Seattle issue. This is 39 cities in King County and our neighbors in the central Puget Sound that need to agree on the answers to the question - what services will be provided, who will provide them and how will they be paid for? Of course, that necessarily involves the state as well, since they're able to assign responsibility for services.

I am in excellent position to be able to provide that leadership. It has been awhile since we've had a unified region. Frankly, not in my memory. But, with leadership in the City of Seattle and King County changing, there's an opportunity to get people on the same page around transit funding, around shared responsibility for services like jail space. And I'm proud to have the support of now nearly 50 non-partisan local elected officials across this county, who have worked with me, who don't always agree with me but recognize that I'm a person who has been willing and able to sit down, roll up his sleeves and help people create solutions. And, to have them be politically viable solutions so we can get through the legislative process. That doesn't happen by accident. That requires a combination of experience, and I think also a particular personality - one that's about conciliation and accommodation and finding common ground. I'm just thrilled that the people from the mayors of Shoreline, Bellevue, Issaquah and Enumclaw and Burien are all getting on board with the campaign and 'saying this is the person we want to have as our regional leader for the next four years.'

The County Council is trying to balance a 2010 budget that is $56 million in deficit. The current executive wants to have county workers take additional, unpaid furloughs next year as one way to deal with that. You've said those furloughs should be imposed if unions balk, as they so far have. A recent ruling suggests imposing furloughs would be difficult. What's your take on furloughs now?

First of all, I'm glad the executive has taken my recommendation to make further cuts to administrative expenses, at the council and the executive's office. I recommended a 10 percent further cut to the legislative branch and a 15 percent cut to the executive branch. He's come up with nearly that amount in his budget proposal - great. We need to do more. And, I think that, you know, the furloughs help us keep frontline services operating, they'll save about $6.5 million. We need to get our labor unions really focusing hard on what the consequences of not having a furlough will be. Which is more layoffs to their members and potentially significant reductions in frontline services for the people of King County. I don't think that's what anyone wants.

I think that I am in a very good position to be able to work with these organizations to find common ground. Because ultimately they came to government to provide services to the people. And if we're laying off another 50 or 60 or 70 on top of the 300 some jobs that are being eliminated this means less services available and more instability and insecurity for our workers. Furloughs are the right way to go, and I'm actively working on pushing that conversation forward.

Some people think the labor-management relationship in King County has become skewed in favor of labor. They think labor has the upper hand. Do you agree with that?

I think that because this is all in the context of labor law, a strong executive can negotiate a fair deal on behalf of the people in King County and that is what I'll do. We cannot, as management, cancel or reopen contracts. But we can sit down with workers - not just in collective bargaining - but throughout the year and throughout the term of a contract to work on how we can do business better. How can we deliver services cheaper, faster?

In order for the public to get more bang for the buck and the public employee has more security so next year we won't have another budget shortage requiring us to have more layoffs. I think there is a ton of room for that kind of conversation. But it all starts with folks recognizing the seriousness of the budget situation and my emphasis on this furlough, and the layoffs that will happen if we don't get it, is a very clear example of that. There's no reserve available to cover for that. There's no reasonable way to raise additional revenues in this recession. These workers need to help the county tighten it's belt and be able to deliver more for less.

One thing seems to divide the regions of the county is allocation of bus service, whether it's 40-40-20 (a requirement that says Seattle gets only 20 percent of new service, while the county's east and south sub-areas would each get 40 percent) or Seattle's free ride zone. One area is always complaining that they're not getting enough or somebody else is getting too much. With something like that, something that contentious, how do you get the county to come together?

This goes back to my answer to the first question. I'll give you some examples. The political leaders of this region are stuck fighting the last war and the rest of the region has moved on. The people of the region have moved on. They're living in one, big economy. They're living in one, big city made up of many urban centers. They're not living in Seattle versus everywhere else. They're not living in Seattle versus bedroom communities. There are dozens of urban centers that are effectively the real city in which we live. Our political institutions need to catch up to that reality.

For example, last week I called in Sen. Fred Jarrett, my rival from the primary election and a leader on issues around transit. I called in Councilmember Fred Butler from Issaquah, who has been a leader on regional transit. He helped put together the package, along with me and others, that went on the ballot last year. Brought Grant Degginger, the mayor of Bellevue, brought in Sally Clark from the Seattle City Council. I said, 'look, when we're having to make cuts here, the question is coming up when money comes back and service is to be deployed on the street, will we restore based on the old 40-40-20 formula, will it be restored based on where the cuts happened, what is the reality going to be?' We're headed for another showdown over 40-40-20, a completely unproductive one, that doesn't get to the underlying shared values of providing the most mobility for people and serving this new economy I just described and getting us out of this recession.

So we worked on language that we hope all quarters will be able to agree to on how cuts will happen, and also on the values that we will take up, on the priorities that we will consider at a future date when there's new transit funding available. My hope is that by not having to have this empty argument again about 40-40-20 we can unite the region, unite our legislators, go to Olympia and seek real solutions for transit, which include backing off on this overdependence on the sales tax, which is so volatile and is thus causing the problem we have right now.

You talk about the funding mechanisms for King County, without some change, if you're elected, during your term the county could have to do things like eliminate all funding for public health, parks, cuts to public safety programs. Do you agree with that assessment, might the county have to jettison everything but public safety programs?

I don't agree with that assessment. I think we have the opportunity to rather radically retool the way the county does business. With a change at the helm, I'll be able to accomplish that. That's why I'm running for executive. I, and others, have been pushing for performance-based governance, for example, not just redoing last year's budget, adjusted for inflation. Having strong mechanisms in place that force us to consistently reexamine how each service is being delivered, and ask the question, 'how could it be better delivered. Could this dollar be better spent?' That will save money in the sense that it will get more bang for the buck. As circumstances change, institutions will change to meet those new circumstances.

But it is unacceptable for us to abandon public health, to abandon parks, to abandon environmental protection, to abandon the responsibilities the county has to protect the quality of life of the nearly 2 million people who live here. That's why county government was constituted. Public safety is critically important, top priority. That doesn't mean we can do without protecting the public health. That would lead to a precipitous decline in our quality of life. So, working to make absolutely the most of each tax dollar - which is not a one-time budget scrubbing exercise, it's putting in place new mechanisms - which Fred Jarrett is going to help me do, which Professor Steve Page from the University of Washington, performance measures expert, is willing to do, people who are currently in government, who used to be in government, who've never been in government, are rallying to around to help with, to remake this government. And then, working with Ross Hunter, another one of my former rivals and now an ally in this campaign, on fixing the state's revenue system so we don't have this horrible reliance on regressive taxes like sales taxes and property taxes.

What do you see as the biggest difference between yourself and your rival, Susan Hutchison?

I have strong local government experience that will allow me to get the job done. And there's dramatic difference in values between me and Susan Hutchison. You can run down a list of them, but just think about: environment, where I've been a public champion on protection of the sound, salmon restoration, open spaces and on and on. She is aligned with the BIAW (the lobbying arm of the state's building industry), which is dedicated to the dismantling of our environmental protection laws. She even gave them money, gave their PAC money as they were attacking progressive, pro-environment candidates like the governor.

I am unquestionably a champion with a strong track record on transportation choices for the people of King County. I've worked my tail off to get Sound Transit opened, to get that next measure on the ballot and get it passed, on Metro, which I've already described how I'm working to preserve existing service but set the new model to modernize our transit system. We put in place that audit last year, by the council, to figure out how we can make Metro more efficient.

My opponent said we shouldn't have built light rail to the airport, you could just take a cab. Was first opposed to light rail entirely, and to the Eastside, now she says she supports light rail. Has maximum contributions from a number of people from a number of people who are suing to try to kill light rail and keep it coming from the Eastside. It is not enough to wake up one day, realize the region supports rail, and change your position from against it to for it. I have been there in the trenches, making rail happen. I am going to be, as county executive, pushing forward to make sure we have a complete transit system, that includes roads, bus, rail. I supported the roads and transit measure, which failed. And there are projects there, both old, failing infrastructure and improvements to clear up choke points, that have to be an early priority. We're going to have to go back and look for funding to work on our road system, in light of the failure of that measure.

I am unequivocally pro-choice, and I have a strong record in the Legislature, where I was the leader of the Judiciary Committee, and at the County Council, where we've been fighting to maintain reproductive health services in our public health clinics, for a woman's right to chose. My opponent opposes a woman's right to chose. She refused to answer the NARAL PAC questionnaire. She withdrew from the endorsement process from the woman's political caucus. I'm endorsed by NARAL, I'm the only candidate in this race recommended by the woman's political caucus. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but there is a huge gulf in the values of the two candidates in this race. Mine are the values of the people of King County.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Howie P.S.: "Gun rights advocate endorses Hutchison" seems to support Dow's message about a "dramatic difference in values.".

"This election is a game-changer for politics in Washington State...Dow Constantine is the type of Seattle liberal who has dominated the recent political scene. But if Susan can defeat him in November, it will open doors for numerous candidates in 2010 and in 2013 who will change the direction our state is headed."

"Constantine, Hutchison on environmental issues" has this, for example:

On environmental issues, voters face a clear choice in this race between Dow Constantine and Susan Hutchison for King County executive.

She supports the expansion of a gravel mine on Maury Island; he opposes it. He says climate change is a top priority for the executive, connected to local policies from land use to transportation. She says global warming takes a back seat to public safety and budget issues.

Constantine: "Video shows Hutchison flip/flop on key issues" (with video)

Chris Grygiel (Strange Bedfellows-seattlepi.com), with video (01:20):

King County executive candidate Dow Constantine's campaign on Thursday said a video of an appearance last year by rival Susan Hutchison shows her praising conservative stances on light rail and government spending that she has softened during bid for office.

Hutchison spoke at a dinner for the conservative think tank the Washington Policy Center last October. She praised the center's book, The Policy Guide for Washington State, which decries light rail and calls for government spending restrictions beyond what Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033 is attempting to impose.

"I'd like to put in a plug for a book that you have on your tables," Hutchison said at the dinner, which featured conservative commentator Fred Barnes speaking about then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. "I have read it cover to cover and it is one of the most extraordinary pieces of work about Washington State and the policies that make our government run."

On the campaign trail Hutchison, a former television broadcaster, has spoke favorably about light rail and has said she won't be voting for Eyman's initiative because it would restrict government revenue during a severe economic and budget crisis.

Constantine's campaign news release comes just a month before the election. Polls show Hutchison is slightly ahead of the County Council Chairman. Earlier this week the state's Public Disclosure Commission said it would investigate a claim of coordination between Constantine's campaign and an independent attack on Hutchison. Such coordination would be illegal.

Constantine spokesman Sandeep Kaushik said he was confident investigators would find that Constantine's campaign did nothing wrong. "The Hutchison campaign and their supporters are trying to throw stuff up against the wall to see if they can blow smoke where there's no fire," he said.

Howie P.S.: In other news on the King County Executive race, see "Dow’s Painted Pledge to the South Park Bridge" (Seattle Weekly) and "Disaster, illness, no time -- recipe for new county exec?" (seattlepi.com).

"King County executive endorsement interview" (video)

Seattle Times, video (73:58):

The candidates for King County executive, Dow Constantine and Susan Hutchison, met with The Seattle Times editorial board.

"Dow, But Not Out"

“Dow [left] was always the adult in the room,” says Benis (right) of his former fraternity brother and law-firm partner.

Seattle Weekly:

Having led a charmed political career, can Council Chair Constantine come from behind in the race for King County Exec?---Despite the mild temperatures outside on the evening of Tuesday, August 18, Kells was so packed that the air inside the Irish bar became sticky and hot, pushing the young crowd, still in their office slacks, out into Post Alley. There, Dow Constantine emerged from a cluster of thrilled King County staffers for a breath of fresh air.

Constantine had fended off three other local Democrats to win a spot in the November 3 general election to become the next King County Executive, a seat most recently held on a permanent basis by Ron Sims. (Kurt Triplett, Sims' former chief of staff, has served on an interim basis since May 4, when Sims left to become Deputy Director of the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.) An elated Constantine was throwing out so many hugs that night, he had an arm around a reporter before realizing he was being asked a question about his victory, not just getting another congratulatory embrace. "I've been working at this every day for six months and two days now," he declared, a broad grin across his face.

But really, it had been longer than that. Two decades ago, Constantine turned to his fraternity brother, Christopher Benis, on a road trip and said that someday he would be mayor of Seattle. Since that trip, Constantine's political career has taken a few turns, veering first to Olympia, then to the county. He hasn't made that promised leap to city hall, but now Constantine is as close as he's ever been to running a governmental body.

To get there, Constantine will have to overcome a far greater challenge than any local Democrat running for the Executive position—now technically nonpartisan—has faced in years. (The last Republican to hold the office was Tim Hill, who served two terms before losing to Democrat Gary Locke in 1993.) Constantine is up against former KIRO-TV news anchor Susan Hutchison, who has several advantages: superior name recognition, appeal to voters east of Lake Washington, and ease in front of a camera. To top it off, she's also a King County outsider. While experience may have been an asset in the past, local political insiders say it does Constantine no favors to have been part of a county government that now faces seemingly insurmountable deficits in various departments, including those overseeing public health, flood control, and buses.

If Constantine is going to become the next King County Executive, he has to persuade voters that despite having voted for the budgets that have put the county into a deep financial mess, he can solve its problems. He also has to convince Eastsiders that he cares about their region's needs just as much as those of his native West Seattle. And he has to dissuade longtime county residents from voting for Hutchison, a woman they watched on television for more than two decades.

With Metro facing service cuts, the Green River threatening to flood, and swine flu back in the headlines, that's a tall order. And this time, Constantine can't rely on his base to win; he has to convince more than half of King County's 1.1 million voters that he's the best person for the job. (A recent poll shows Constantine and Hutchison in a virtual tie.)

Despite bearing a striking resemblance to David Duchovny, Constantine struggles with public appearances, not once cracking a smile in a video announcing his candidacy. "[Hutchison]'s a professional television personality; she's going to be better on camera," he concedes. "But I'm going to be better on substance."

"I voted for you!" gushes the cashier at Great Harvest Bread Company in the West Seattle Junction when Constantine orders a coffee. "I hope you go all the way." Constantine thanks her and takes his cup, but the pot is empty. When he tells the cashier, she apologizes profusely, promising to let him know right away when it's finished brewing. "They're fussing over me," he says as he sits down, looking a tad embarrassed.

Constantine is a son of West Seattle, the neighborhood that spawned Mayor Greg Nickels. He now lives not far from where he grew up on the peninsula, where he scored his first political victory running for student-body president at West Seattle High School.

Granted, no one was raking in donations from Big Pharma, but his opponent was the typical high-school jock, Constantine says. In contrast, Constantine's friends were mostly band nerds and honor students—who put stickers with his name, in the font of the Dow Chemical logo, on every single locker. By reaching beyond football players and cheerleaders, Constantine was able to cobble together a coalition and win. "[The King County Executive primary] kind of felt the same as that race," he says.

Christopher Benis met Constantine in 1980, their freshman year at the University of Washington. The pair, both Greek (not only ethnically—they joined Phi Kappa Sigma together), majored in political science and lived for long road trips and skiing. They became "joined at the hip for about 10 years," Benis says.

But while Benis was content simply to experience his four years of college, Constantine could never resist a chance to be in charge. At the fraternity, he chaired committees and emceed alumni dinners. In 1983, he successfully ran for house president. "He was no-nonsense, rap-the-gavel," Benis says. "He was the guy that could go out and talk to the police." Both men interned in the state legislature (Constantine for West Seattle Senator Phil Talmadge). But only Constantine seemed hell-bent on being a lawmaker someday.

Not everything Constantine did had such an air of ambition, however. He mentions often that he worked throughout college: fishing in Alaska, bartending, and DJing at college radio station KCMU (now KEXP)—a gig that would prove invaluable when he started his career in electoral politics.

While both attending the UW School of Law, Constantine and Benis shared an apartment—and later office space, starting their own firm in 1990. Reminiscing about the early days, Benis digs out an old photo album. Several pictures show Benis with his top shirt buttons undone and a wide, toothy grin; Constantine, on the other hand, nearly always has his tie cinched up, wearing a suit jacket and a close-lipped grin. "Dow was always the adult in the room," laughs Benis.

It was around the time he and Benis were finishing law school that Constantine started getting involved in local politics. In late 1987 or early 1988, Constantine says, he attended his first meeting of the 34th District Democrats. After the meeting, Margaret Ceis, mother of now–Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, mentioned to Constantine that a precinct chair position was vacant, a slot he soon filled. Later, in 1996, West Seattle Rep. Georgette Valle decided to retire, leaving an open seat in the state legislature. The vacancy was mentioned at a meeting of the Evergreen Democratic Women's Club that Constantine attended. "So I popped up and announced that I was going to run for it," he says.

The 1996 race was the first—and until now, only—nail-biter in Constantine's career. He was up against Sally Nelson, a realtor and teacher who was Valle's hand-picked successor. As in high school, Constantine cobbled together a coalition of various voting blocs. He already had some ins, thanks to the well-connected Ceis family and his own long history in the neighborhood. But he also reached out to people he'd met during his KCMU days, including fellow UW student Kim Thayil, who went on to become the bassist for Soundgarden. Thayil introduced Constantine to some of Seattle's biggest rock stars; State Public Disclosure Commission records show that Constantine's early donors include Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder, who each wrote a $500 check to his campaign.

Former Nirvana bassist (and current Seattle Weekly online columnist) Krist Novoselic says Thayil was the person who asked him to get involved in Constantine's campaign. Novoselic was working with the Joint Artists and Music Promotions Political Action Committee (JAMPAC) at the time. "Here was this candidate who knew a lot about music," recalls Novoselic, who is actively supporting Constantine's County Executive candidacy. "I met [Constantine] and we hit it off really well, and I stuck with him." Constantine says that if not for those music-industry dollars, "I would not have won."

His first two years in Olympia, where he served on the Judiciary Committee, were not especially productive in the Republican-controlled legislature. Constantine sponsored eight bills in that span, none of which passed. But one marked the beginning of a lifelong political alliance with Maury Island activist Sharon Nelson, who now holds Constantine's former seat in the state legislature.

Constantine had just taken office when he received a letter from Nelson. She and her husband had recently finished building a home on Maury Island, only to realize after moving in that the septic system had failed. After dealing with a yard full of sewage, Nelson discovered that she had no legal recourse against the septic-system manufacturer. She wanted Constantine to do something about it in Olympia. Constantine called her back "and said he'd try to get something done," Nelson recalls. "He really was the one who took my plight seriously."

A bill regulating onsite sewage-disposal systems was the first Constantine introduced in Olympia, and he asked Nelson if she had any interest in participating in a task force on state consumer-protection laws. Even though that bill didn't pass, Nelson and Constantine became something of a local political team. They kept working on septic-system rules, and two other legislators introduced a bill during the 1997 session that did pass.

But Nelson and Constantine had a much bigger fight brewing.

During Constantine's second year in Olympia, a company called Glacier Northwest obtained permits from King County to expand its gravel-mining operation on Maury Island. Neighbors balked, saying a bigger mine would pollute Puget Sound, and Nelson says the residents asked the county to require an in-depth environmental study. Eleven years later, after a series of court decisions and a lawsuit against the county specifically naming Constantine as a defendant, Glacier Northwest still hasn't been able to expand. (Four days before the Aug. 18 primary, a federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers hadn't studied enough the mine expansion's potential impact on Puget Sound wildlife.)

In the wake of these fights, election victories got a lot easier for Constantine. He ran unopposed in 1998. In 2000, then-34th District Senator Michael Heavey received an appointment to the King County Superior Court as a judge. The 34th District Democrats appointed Constantine to fill the seat, and he was elected to serve a full term later that fall.

Constantine's time in the Senate was short. In 2001, then–King County Councilmember Nickels knocked out troubled mayor Paul Schell in the mayoral primary. (History repeated itself as Nickels suffered his own primary loss this fall.) Nickels then toppled City Attorney Mark Sidran in the general, and tapped Constantine to take his former seat on the county council.

Constantine recently held a press conference at the offices of the political consulting firm Laguens Kully Klose Partners. On the way to the room where he spoke, there's an old John Kerry campaign poster, a trampoline, a couple of banners, chipped paint, and a coating of dust. He arrives at campaign events with an army of young volunteers and workers dressed in, at their fanciest, khakis. Usually it's jeans and T-shirts for Constantine's crowd.

By contrast, Republican King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert arrived at Hutchison's election-night gathering at the Edgewater Hotel in pearls. Her attire matched many of those assembled to toast Hutchison's primary victory—she garnered 33 percent of the vote to Constantine's 27—with cheers and clinking wine glasses, a far cry from Constantine's beer-soaked fest half a mile away at Kells.

The candidates' campaign styles represent a much larger geographic and ideological separation. Using the King County Elections Office precinct results, the Seattle Times created a map showing where their supporters live, with precincts favoring Constantine labeled blue, Hutchison red. Constantine's home district, which includes Vashon Island, Maury Island, and West Seattle, is unsurprisingly bright blue. He also took most of Seattle proper, and a fair number of precincts along the I-5 corridor between the city and King County's northern border.

Across Lake Washington lies a giant sea of red. But local campaign consultant Cathy Allen, who worked for candidate Larry Phillips during the primary, argues that there's no way Hutchison could have done as well as she did without the votes of some Seattle Democrats. And indeed, she came out on top in several Seattle precincts. In nearly every campaign-related appearance, Constantine mentions Hutchison's Republican ties, but she has consistently played down her partisanship. (According to Federal Election Commission records, Hutchison has never donated to a Democrat in a federal race, but did give to both the George W. Bush and Mike Huckabee campaigns.) While Constantine has the backing of the state Democratic Party, Hutchison hasn't asked the state Republicans for help, according to a party staffer speaking on condition of anonymity. On top of that, she backs Referendum 71, which grants gay and lesbian domestic partners the same rights afforded married couples in the state, and is opposing Tim Eyman's latest initiative.

Yet Hutchison's campaign has been rattled by the unsealing of court records related to an age-discrimination suit she filed against KIRO. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount, but the unsealed documents reveal KIRO's case for demoting the anchor, which led to her 2002 exit. In one incident of note, Hutchison called in sick over a Fourth of July holiday, only to be spotted canoeing in Oregon when she was supposed to have been homebound.

On a surprisingly warm mid-September Sunday, Constantine finished brunch and drove to Newcastle, a town of less than 10,000 a few miles south of Factoria Mall. There, at the town's Newcastle Days celebration, a few hundred families were riding ponies, checking out classic cars parked on a grassy knoll, and dancing to a band called the Roofshakers. Constantine passed his BlackBerry to a campaign worker and started chatting with a group of women, all of whom were seeking various elected positions in Newcastle government.

In the primary, most of the town voted for Constantine's rival, Fred Jarrett, a Democratic State Senator from Mercer Island whose district includes Newcastle. Jarrett used to win elections as a Republican (he switched parties at the end of 2007), and he and fellow Eastside centrist Ross Hunter combined to earn 23 percent of the primary vote countywide. Both former candidates referred to Constantine's experience with county government in a Sept. 3 press release announcing their endorsement. (Phillips also endorsed Constantine in the release.) But some of the votes Constantine has cast, including one in support of the Critical Areas Ordinance, might be the kind of "experience" that actually turns off Eastside voters.

At a meeting of landowners at an Issaquah International House of Pancakes in August 2008, Constantine was dubbed "Chairman Dow" for his support of the hated ordinance, which allows people to clear out trees and other wild vegetation, whether for building condos or grazing horses, on no more than 35 percent of their land outside cities or other defined urban boundaries. In January 2005, Vashon Island resident Armen Yousoufian filed a recall petition against Constantine, arguing that he had misled his constituents about the impact the ordinance would have on their lives. He also went after Constantine for turning in a campaign-finance report five days late. A judge threw out the recall petition, saying the charges didn't amount to the level of malfeasance necessary to begin the process.

Anyone who expected Constantine, post-primary, to pick up most of his former Democratic rivals' votes got a rude awakening on Sept. 4, when Survey USA released a poll, sponsored by KING 5, showing Hutchison receiving 47 percent of the vote and Constantine 44. With a margin of error of more than 4 percent, the poll is a statistical tie, but it counters any notion that Constantine would automatically earn the support of Phillips, Jarrett, and Hunter voters en masse.

"I think that there's work that Dow does need to do to appeal to moderates on the Eastside," Hunter says. To address this concern, Constantine plans to open a campaign office in Bellevue.

Underlying all the party politics and geographic rivalries is the county budget problem. Interim King County Executive Triplett is trying to resolve a $56 million deficit in next year's budget. The shortfall is specifically affecting a county fund that operates the Sheriff's department, the courts, the jail, and public-health programs.

Making matters worse, the Howard Hanson dam, which protects the Green River Valley from flooding, was damaged during heavy rains last year. As a result, if rain were to fall as hard this winter, parts of Kent, Auburn, and Tukwila would flood. Triplett is asking for $40 million from the general fund to prepare for that possibility—in the face of next year's $56 million deficit and a projected $60 million deficit in 2011. Then there's Metro's projected $500 million shortfall over the next four years, likely leading to rate hikes and route cuts.

In his conference room, surrounded by maps showing the flood zones, Triplett ticks off the problems facing the county. "You're depressing," notes his spokesperson, Carolyn Duncan, causing Triplett to quip that he can't see why anyone would even want to be County Executive right now.

But the two who do have to convince the public that they can find remedies.

"I solve problems and I fix things," Hutchison says in all her campaign appearances. As evidence, she says she brought the Seattle Symphony Orchestra back from the brink of bankruptcy during her years on the board. Hutchison joined the board in 2004, chairing it from 2006 through this past July.

Paul Meecham, SSO Executive Director from 2004 to 2006, points out that Hutchison came to the board on the heels of a $10 million donation from the Charles Simonyi Fund, of which she is still Executive Director. That donation, says Meecham, now Executive Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, played a huge part in salvaging the Symphony's finances.

"I'd imagine that's sort of what she's referring to," he concludes.

Hutchison has yet to present specific plans for solving the county's myriad problems. And she raised eyebrows earlier this month when she announced a press conference titled: "Susan Unveils Bipartisan Plan to Reform King County." Instead of distributing a document with bullet points on, say, cutting employee benefits or axing animal control, Hutchison announced endorsements from former Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman and Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen.

"But where's the plan?" reporters wondered. Hutchison said the endorsements were part of her plan to bring people from both parties together to solve problems. She added that politics got in the way of making progress in other areas, arguing, for example, that light rail should have started out going across the water, not along I-5. It's still faster to take a $35 cab to Sea-Tac than to ride the $2.50 train, she added—a bizarre, apples-to-oranges comparison, to put it mildly.

But mostly her campaign has relied on inspiring distrust of the current council. This past June, the State Auditor's Office released a report which found county projects going dramatically over budget; incomplete records; and stacks of bus fares sitting on a table unsecured. The office released another audit last week, saying that the county is losing millions in its waste and sewage departments thanks to poor record-keeping and oversight.

"This is where we have to be so clear about who is responsible for this long-term structural deficit that has occurred because our expenses far outweigh our revenues," Hutchison says. "We have to put the blame where it belongs. I place it directly at the feet of my opponent, who is the chair of the County Council."

Constantine is walking a fine line, needing to convince voters that his experience better equips him to fix the county's problems, but that he shouldn't be held responsible for them at the polls. In June he held an I-understand-how-business-works press conference outside Lampreia, a Belltown restaurant he advised as an attorney. But Benis says that in their time in business together, Constantine wasn't the one watching the bottom line. Rather, he spent a good chunk of his time on politically tinged, non-lucrative projects, like protecting a West Seattle ravine from development and working on a doomed petition to keep the department store Frederick & Nelson open.

"I was just a lawyer trying to make money," Benis says. "Dow was more interested in doing right than counting pennies."

Unlike Hutchison, Constantine has gotten specific about how he intends to govern; at the beginning of August, he released a nine-part plan for resolving the county's financial mess. It includes cutting the County Council and Executive staffs, getting out of the animal-control business, and convincing employees to sign up for cheaper health-care plans.

But before he takes on any of that, Constantine sips the last of the coffee that's finally finished brewing at Great Harvest. Leaving the cafe, he walks a few blocks down California Avenue. The junction has changed dramatically since his formative years. Remnants of the older, blue-collar West Seattle remain—you can still pull tabs at the Poggie Tavern—but now there's a line out the door at pastry shop Bakery Nouveau a few doors down.

"Best bakery in the city," Constantine declares. Dressed casually (for once) in jeans and a black button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, he's clearly at home on the westerly peninsula. But to win, he needs baristas in Bellevue to get as excited about him as the ones here.

Dow: "My opponent's right-wing Republican supporters are already slinging mud."

Dow Constantine (email):

My opponent's right-wing Republican supporters are already slinging mud. Last week voters across King County received campaign phone calls with negative and misleading statements about me. The calls concealed their sponsor and even went so far as to involve my family. This tactic is known as a push-poll and is widely considered one of the worst types of political campaigning. In fact, one state has even outlawed them. That is why I need your help today. Please do not hesitate to make a contribution to my campaign now. Ever since Hutchison announced her candidacy for King County Executive, I have welcomed the opportunity for a fair and open discussion about the future of King County. I have repeatedly asked my opponent to be open about her positions on important issues like choice, yet she refuses. Although we have agreed to four televised debates starting in mid-October, she would rather hide behind old Republican rhetoric and misinformation.

My opponent has said she is about bringing people together. Yet, as you can see, she is about the worst kind of politics as usual. When asked if they paid for the push-poll, my opponent's campaign spokesman answered that the campaign does not discuss proprietary poll efforts. This behavior illustrates how tough our campaign is going to be until Election Day. Please make a donation today of $50, $42 (days left until Election Day), or even $25 and send a message to my opponent that we won't stand for such shameless ploys. Thanks,

Howie P.S.: You can see who Dow's supporters are here.

"Constantine gets endorsement during Pearl Jam show"

Strange Bedfellows (seattlepi.com):

Dow Constantine got some high-profile help in his bid for County Executive during Monday night's Pearl Jam concert at KeyArena.

Seattlepi.com reporter Casey McNerthney was at the show and says during the band's second encore lead singer Eddie Vedder told the crowd that Krist Novoselic, the former Nirvana bassist and Constantine supporter, called him and urged him to vote for Constantine rather than Susan Hutchison in November.

Constantine, the County Council chairman, has the support of many people in Seattle's music scene. He was a DJ at KCMU when he attended the University of Washington and got to know people like Novoselic.

"Constantine, with cash edge, to open Bellevue HQ"

Seattle Times:

Dow Constantine is shopping for office space in Bellevue to open a headquarters for his King County executive campaign.

Constantine, a Seattleite, dominated the Emerald City in the primary. But his opponent Susan Hutchison owned the suburbs and rural county. See this Seattle Times map for details.

With a Bellevue HQ, it looks like Constantine is trying to increase his presence on the Eastside and make inroads into Hutchison territory. "It's important to demonstrate that Dow intends to represent all King County," said Sandeep Kaushik, Constantine's spokesman. "We're going to make a major effort to contact voters on the Eastside and Bellevue is an appropriate location to do it from."

Constantine got through the primary without an HQ. He made calls from space at a law office reported as an in-kind contribution. Staff also met in restaurants, Kaushik said.

Hutchison's campaign office is in Seattle. She doesn't plan to open an Eastside branch, said her spokesman Jordan McCarren. But she does plan to run phone banks from the Eastside, he said.

The most recent campaign-finance reports show that Constantine has a little more cash than Hutchison to throw around. Reports filed Thursday, which cover spending through August, reveal that Constantine has a slight edge in cash balance, with $141,000 to Hutchison's $114,000.

KING-5's first post-primary poll showed Hutchison favored by 47 percent of those surveyed, while 44 percent picked Constantine. The poll by SurveyUSA of 557 likely voters was conducted Sept. 1-3. The margin of error is 4.2 percent.