News

Five to Four

by Josh Feit

Several people in the Jean Godden camp--Casey Corr in the mayor's office, Joel Connelly at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and new city council president Jan Drago--have told me that I'm going to be surprised at just how well Godden does as a council member. The way they spin it, they seem to think I'll be caught off guard by Godden's competence--as if she were an uncommonly articulate fifth grader or something. It reminds me of the unintentionally condescending way Bushies framed the Bush/Gore debates in 2000. Bush fans had it that if Bush simply pronounced words correctly, he'd be chalking up a win. People, this isn't the Special Olympics.

My problem with Jean Godden isn't that I think she's retarded. For Pete's sake, she's a grownup and a former newspaper editor to boot. I'm treating her like a grownup, and I wish everyone else would too. I've never claimed that she couldn't tie her shoes or find her office. My problems with Godden are legit and standard: She was way too vague on the campaign trail and she's too cozy with the mayor.

Will that $5,100 that Nickels rounded up for Godden on December 10--including dough from Sung Yang (Nickels' council lobbyist), Jill Nishi (the mayor's head of economic development), and Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis--impact how thoroughly Godden, as new Seattle City Light chair, evaluates Nickels' nominee for the City Light superintendent gig, Jorge Carrasco? (Corrasco was pushed out of two previous municipal gigs.) She really can't blame me for wondering how vigorously she'll run these hearings. It's not that I think she's incompetent. It's that she decided to let Carrasco's biggest booster, Mayor Nickels, help pay off her campaign debt. Didn't Godden run on the idea that pushy campaign contributors damage the independence of the city council?

As for the concerns of Corr, Connelly, et al., I'm certainly not singling out Godden for scrutiny. I've trashed new council member Tom Rasmussen for participating in the very same Nickels fundraiser, and I've lambasted new council member David Della for bailing on the City Light committee chairmanship.

Speaking of holding all these politicians accountable, The Stranger's political committee, Bringing Real Integrity Back to Elections (BRIBE), has opened a bank account. We're now accepting donations so we can have a little fun at these folks' expense. We're thinking bus ads. Or skywriting! One BRIBE supporter already wrote in suggesting we send T-shirts to Godden and Rasmussen that say, "I rolled on my back for Nickels, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

Right now we're planning a fundraising party so we can make the money to print up things like that. We're looking for a restaurant or bar in town that isn't scared to host an event that challenges the status quo. We'll let you know as soon as we find a place. In the meantime, please send donations to BRIBE at 1535 11th Ave, third floor, Seattle, WA 98122.

josh@thestranger.com