[nfbwatlk] FW: Progressive Voters Guide for August Primary

Fri Jul 31 13:39:58 UTC 2009

  _____  

From: Aaron Ostrom, Fuse Votes [mailto:info at fusewashington.org] 
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:29 PM
To: LAWNMOWER84 at HOTMAIL.COM
Subject: Progressive Voters Guide for August Primary

Dear Friend,

The ballot for the August primary should show up in your mailbox today. Your
job is to fill it out and mail it back in no later than August 18th. Our job
is to make your job easier by letting you know who the progressive leaders
on that ballot are.

So we worked with eleven of Washington's leading progressive organizations
to produce a Progressive Voters Guide for the 2009 primary -- one stop
shopping for a highly informed recommendation about the opportunities to
support progressive leaders on your ballot. There is a list of the
participating organizations (groups like Washington Conservation Voters,
Planned Parenthood Votes, and the United Food and Commercial Workers) at the
bottom.1

Please forward this guide to your friends and family. Word of mouth or a
forwarded email is the most powerful tool in politics. Reply and let us know
if we sent you the wrong jurisdiction, and we'll get you the correct one.

Aaron and the entire team at Fuse. 

2009 Primary Progressive Voters Guide: Snohomish County

Snohomish County Council 

  _____  

Our apologies if you are not in Council Districts 1, 4 or 5.  We're not able
to divide our list by County Council District, so we're sending this message
to all of our Snohomish County people to be safe. 

Snohomish County Council, District #1

This is a partisan race. 

 Ellen Hiatt Watson
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/EllenHiattWatson.jpg>

Ellen Hiatt Watson (D)

Ellen Hiatt Watson was born and raised in Snohomish County. She will become
the only woman on the council if elected. Watson worked for the Skagit
Valley Herald and the Whidbey News-Times before opening her own writing and
design firm. She has been a longtime community leader focused on protecting
the county's rural areas, and in 2007 she started 7-Lakes, a non-profit she
formed to help protect rural lands. She has represented Snohomish County's
rural residents on several county stakeholder committees. Her priorities
include creating a more stable economic base for the county and growing
responsibly.

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: Washington Conservation Voters, NARAL
Pro-Choice Washington, National Women's Political Caucus

Labor Endorsements: Northwest Construction and Building Trades, Teamsters
Local No. 231, Lathing Acoustical Drywall Insulation Systems 1144 
Party Endorsements: Snohomish County Democrats 
Other Endorsements: Cascade Bicycle Club

Voters Guide Statement:
http://web5.co.snohomish.wa.us/auditorapps/audprecinct/AudPrec04-CompleteBal
lot.asp 
Ellen's website:
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a64023a/305
6214303/VEsH/> http://ellenhiattwatson.net/ 

Snohomish County Council, District #4

This is a partisan race. 

 Dave Somers
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/DaveGossett.jpg> 	

Dave Gossett (D)

Dave Gossett is a two term County Councilmember who also served as the Mayor
of Mountlake Terrace and has worked a council analyst and as a teacher. He
can be unreliable when it comes to protecting rural areas, but he did play
an important role in passing new Snohomish County Urban Design Standards,
which assist cities when they annex unincorporated area of the County within
urban growth boundaries, and also in new tree retention and replacement
requirements that give developers incentives for using low impact
development techniques.

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: Washington Conservation Voters
Labor Endorsements: Carpenters Local #562, 1144, Firefighters Local #1997,
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #191, Laborers Local #292
Party Endorsements: Snohomish County Democrats, 44th District Democrats

Voters Guide Statement:
http://web5.co.snohomish.wa.us/auditorapps/audprecinct/AudPrec04-CompleteBal
lot.asp
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a64023b/305
6214303/VEsE/> 

Dave's website: http://www.davegossett.com/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c4/305
6214303/VEsF/> 

Snohomish County Council, District #5

This is a partisan race.  

 Dave Somers
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/DaveSomers.jpg> 	

Dave Somers (D)

Democrat incumbent Dave Somers is facing three Republicans in this race.
Somers is a true progressive leader who brings a common sense approach to
public safety, sustainable economic development and transportation
improvements. He has successfully fought to protect the county's
neighborhoods and rural areas from irresponsible overdevelopment.  Somers, a
former fisheries biologist and small businessman, makes progress happen in
the county by bringing together traditional foes to find common ground.
Somers has been endorsed by conservation groups and builders alike as the
candidate for smart-growth, environmental stewardship, and economic
recovery.

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: Washington Conservation Voters

Labor Endorsements: SEiU Local 775, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Carpenters and
Millwrights Local 562, IBEW Local 191, Laborers Local 292, Inland Boatman's
Union of the Pacific
Party Endorsements: Snohomish County Democrats, 1st District Democrats, 39th
District Democrats, 44th District Democrats.
Other Endorsements: Business Alliance of Snohomish County, Democracy for
Snohomish County, Master Builders Association 

Voters Guide Statement:
http://web5.co.snohomish.wa.us/auditorapps/audprecinct/AudPrec04-CompleteBal
lot.asp
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a64023b/305
6214303/VEsC/> 
Dave's website: http://davesomers.org/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c5/305
6214303/VEsD/> 

Other Candidates Endorsed by Progressive Organizations

If one of these candidates appears on your ballot, please vote for them!
They were endorsed by organizations that are partners in producing the
Progressive Voters Guide. There will be some other good progressives on the
November ballot who aren't on the primary because there are only two
candidates in their race. 

Edmonds City Council 

Council Position 2

 Jennifer Armenta
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/DianneBuckshnis.jpg> 	
Dianne Buckshnis

Diane Buckshnis is a longtime Edmonds volunteer, director of the Edmonds
Arts Festival and the founder of Off-Leash Area Edmonds, which stewards the
city's dog park. 

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: NARAL Pro-Choice Washington

Diane's website:
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c6/305
6214303/VEsA/> http://dianebuckshnis.com 

<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c7/305
6214303/VEsB/> 

 Strom Peterson
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/StromPeterson.jpg> 	
Strom Peterson

Strom Peterson was appointed last year to the Council, and since then has
been a strong progressive, especially on environmental issues; he also is
President of the Downtown Edmonds Merchants Association. 

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: Washington Conservation Voters,
Progressive Majority

Strom's website: http://www.votestrom.com/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c0/305
6214303/VEsO/>  

Edmonds City Council Position 3

 Adrienne Fraley-Monilla
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/AdrienneFraleyMonillas.jpg
> 	
Adrienne Fraley-Monilla

Adrienne Fraley-Monilla is a progressive community leader. She serves on the
executive board of her union - the Washington Federation of State Employees
and is also an activist in the local Democratic Party. She works at
Fircrest, a center for the developmentally disabled. Her opponent is the
most conservative member of the city council. 

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: National Women's Political Caucus,
Progressive Majority 

Mayor of Lynwood 

 Lisa Utter <http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/LisaUtter.jpg>

Lisa Utter

Lisa Utter has been a leader in the community for over a decade, including
serving as president of the Lynnwood City Council during a tumultuous time.
Her experience building coalitions on the council and coordinating with the
city's staff to resolve budget issues, hold the mayor accountable, and
address transportation concerns make her the best candidate for this
position.

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: National Women's Political Caucus of
Washington
Lisa's website:
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c1/305
6214303/VEsP/> http://lisautter4mayor.com/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c1/305
6214303/VEsHBQ/> 

<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c7/305
6214303/VEsHBA/> 

Lynnwood City Council 

 Kimberly Cole
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/-/VotersGuide/KimCole.jpg> 	
Kimberly Cole

Kimberly Cole worked in the area of managed care until 2006, including work
for Medicare, Medicaid, and Basic Health programs. She is currently a
legislative aide in the office of the Snohomish County Council and serves on
the Stevens Hospital Board of Commissioners.

Voters Guide Partner Endorsements: National Women's Political Caucus of
Washington

Still Looking for More Information?

1) The official voters pamphlet can be helpful. Here's a link to the online
version:
http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Auditor/Divisions/Elections_Votin
g/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c2/305
6214303/VEsHBw/>  

2) Many newspapers have sections online devoted to covering their local
elections, but for those that don't, the best thing to do is to search for
the candidate's name through your local newspaper's archives online.  Try
using google news search. Generally a good number of stories will come up,
and even if the name is only mentioned briefly in an article, it can give
you a better feel for the candidates and their politics. 

3) Local blogs can be low-profile and hard to discover, but many of them now
are actively taking over what used to be journalist-only territory:
interviewing candidates. Blog interviews will generally be more in-depth and
cover more policy-related issues, but the candidates often have more of a
chance to frame the debate in their favor so take it with a grain of salt.
Many blogs also now do their own coverage of local races by doing
independent reviews of candidate records. 

4) For many local races in smaller jurisdictions there is simply not much
information available on many of the candidates. Why not contact the
candidate? They love the chance to talk to "real people" and will always be
glad to answer questions and clarify their positions on issues that matter
to you. Candidates will usually respond quickly via phone or email, and
remember: don't be bashful! 

5) Know what to look for on a candidate's website: Candidate's biographies
are often self-serving and ambiguous, but clicking to their endorsements
page can give you a better idea of the candidate's politics: e.g. candidates
who are endorsed by their local building or real estate council but not by
any conservation groups are likely to be conservative. 

Thanks for all you do!

1Thank You to our Progressive Voters Guide partners:
Fuse
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c3/305
6214303/VEsHBg/>  NARAL
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402cc/305
6214303/VEsHAQ/> Pro-Choice Washington National Women's Political
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402cd/305
6214303/VEsHAA/> Caucus of Washington Planned Parenthood
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402ce/305
6214303/VEsHAw/>  Progressive
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402cf/305
6214303/VEsHAg/> Majority SEIU
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c8/305
6214303/VEsHDQ/> Healthcare 1199 NW SEIU
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c9/305
6214303/VEsHDA/> Healthcare 775 NW SEIU Local
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402ca/305
6214303/VEsEBQ/> 925 Sierra Club
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402cb/305
6214303/VEsEBA/>  UFCW
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402d4/305
6214303/VEsEBw/> Local 21 Washington Conservation
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402d5/305
6214303/VEsEBg/> Voters 

<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c3/305
6214303/VEsEAQ/> 

www.fusewashington.org
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c3/305
6214303/VEsEAA/> 

Fuse helps you make a difference by making your voice heard on the most
important issues when the decisions are being made. Real people generating
stronger progressive leadership from elected officials -- that is the power
of Fuse.
Together for Progress
Join us at
www.fusewashington.org
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402c3/305
6214303/VEsEAw/> 

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<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m2/25988750/d21f0e/2a6c60b4/4a6402d6/305
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