Go Tell Mommy

Capitol Hill renter Elisabeth Sjoberg did something unusual after her landlord tried to evict her: She begged her landlord's mom for help.

Sjoberg's landlord is Dean Drago, son of City Council Member Jan Drago. In a letter to Jan, Sjoberg complained that Dean didn't give the 60-day notice required by law before he jacked up her rent. Moreover, when Sjoberg complained, Dean tried to evict her. Dean declined to tell The Stranger what his mother is going to do with him now. ALLIE HOLLY-GOTTLIEB


But Now It's Online!

To further his proposed ballot initiative, which would establish an independent board to investigate complaints of police misconduct, activist David Olsen has created a website. At www.stepawayfromthedonut.com, police accountability advocates can download a petition in support of the initiative, print it out, sign it, stuff it in an envelope, and mail it in.

We wish Olsen luck. A year and a half ago, the same proposal (lacking such e-help) fell short of getting on the ballot by a whopping 10,000 signatures. PHIL CAMPBELL


Stench Stifled

Capitol Hill residents and business owners will be relieved to hear that the raw sewage that's been oozing up onto Olive Way and Summit Avenue for the past five weeks has finally been dealt with. The leak, it was discovered, was coming from Glo's restaurant. A representative for Seattle Public Utilities admits that the city's response time in handling the matter "was not ideal." Tell that to the people who've had to step around and over the crap for the past month. PAT KEARNEY


You Wash Mine, And...

One potential appointment to the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) Board of Commissioners is triggering claims of conflicts of interest. Up for appointment to SHA's board is David Bley, a senior vice president for the privately owned Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB). How did Bley's name get SHA's attention? Harry Thomas, the housing authority's executive director, sits on FHLB's board of directors (the FHLB does business with the SHA).

City Council Member Peter Steinbrueck is looking into Bley's relationship with Thomas, and has asked the Seattle Ethics and Election Commission for an opinion. A noble gesture, but one only has to look at the council's record of rubber-stamping mayoral appointments to know that this skepticism probably won't go very far. Besides, members of the ethics commission may not back Steinbrueck up: The commission has no jurisdiction over the SHA. PHIL CAMPBELL