From the Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2005 issue

News

Counter Intel

Oh, the Irony

by Josh Feit

County Republicans are making a lot of noise about property rights these days. David Irons, Republican King County Council member--turned Republican candidate for county executive--is, for example, tapping property rights rhetoric to power his county executive bid against Ron Sims. "We can no longer allow the county to run roughshod over… rural homeowners," Irons recently told the Woodinville Weekly.

Nice speech. But it turns out there's a big difference between what Irons is saying on the stump and what he's been up to at the council. While amping rhetoric about property rights for political gain, Irons has simultaneously been demanding that the county rein in the property rights of rural constituents.

A public records request by The Stranger found that the county has been inundated with complaints from Irons' district imploring the county to enforce land use code against expansionist rural businesses and residents. (Irons' Eastside district includes Issaquah, Black Diamond, and Maple Valley.)

One complaint file, a list of 22 grievances from the Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council, includes concerns about new construction of a dog-training school; a business expansion added onto a house; a business change from a feed store to an antique store (open on weekends!); and complaints about a new 2500 square foot fireworks stand.

County staffers say Irons championed the Maple Valley complaints by "riding herd" on the county's land use department to do something about the violations. "It's not unusual for council members representing the rural districts to pressure [the department of land use] for aggressive enforcement," says executive staffer Ryan Bayne. In other words, Rs like Irons make it their business to demand that the county enforce land use rules (run roughshod over property rights) to protect the environment for other rural neighbors. Indeed, after passing the 2004 budget, Irons issued a press release boasting about restoring money for "code enforcement officers who respond to environmental degradation complaints."

Irons' irony highlights the hypocrisy of county Republicans' property rights shtick. There's been a lot of talk lately about "Rural Rage"--a colorful phrase meant to describe the resentment that Eastern King County feels toward Seattle. Seattleites' effete and godless habits not only annoy rural citizens (the damning example always seems to be that we drink lattes), but our dominant numbers translate into a Democratic majority on the county council, which means liberal Seattle sets land-use policy in places like Maple Valley. "I have found a lack of understanding about the needs… of the people in the rural area," Irons' outburst in the Woodinville Weekly continued.

Strange then that Irons is pestering government bureaucrats to clamp down on rural expansion. Or maybe not so strange. While he recognizes that his rural constituents actually want to protect the land (and so he goes to bat for land use law behind the scenes), he also recognizes that there's political gold in distorting the issue and publicly bashing Seattle.

josh@thestranger.com