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Oh, Jesus
King County Executive Ron Sims' attempt to make county offices "respectful, inclusive, and sensitive" during the holidays was sabotaged by a conservative group tired of "P.C. ridiculousness."
Sims' November 14 memo, calling for "religion-neutral" holiday festivities, irked folks at online conservative newsgroup FreeRepublic.com.
Stranger Personals
Not satisfied bitching amongst themselves online, 70 people called Sims' office to wish him a "Merry Christmas" on Monday, December 10. AMY JENNIGES
If I Ran the Zoo
The Seattle City Council will vote on Monday, December 17 to turn over management of the city-run Woodland Park Zoo to the Woodland Park Zoological Society, a nonprofit group. Opponents fear that the privatization move (covered by vague transition language) could jeopardize the jobs of 229 zoo employees. JENNIFER ELAM
Ghost of Mark Sidran
Outgoing City Attorney Mark Sidran is alive and well. Remember Sidran's parks exclusion ordinance, the city code passed by the council in 1997 that alarmist critics (like The Stranger) thought could be used to harrass people politically? Well, go figure: On December 2 the Seattle Police used the code to 86 someone from Westlake Park for holding a political sign.
Junior-high English teacher Vince Halloran went to Westlake to join last Sunday's "Walk for Capitalism," where he held up a sign showing a U.S. flag with corporate logos in place of the 50 stars. Several officers told Halloran to leave the rally because rally organizers "did not like [him]."
Halloran left the rally area, standing on the other side of some nearby benches as he was directed, and held up his sign again. At that point, the officers beckoned Halloran and issued a parks exclusion order. If Halloran returned to Westlake within the week, he would be arrested. JOSH FEIT
Case #46: The Invisible Intruder
The panicked Seattle City Council can breathe a sigh of relief. Mayor-elect Greg Nickels did not, as Council President and water chair Margaret Pageler wanted you to believe, appoint King County Executive Ron Sims to head Seattle's water bureau.
Pageler is concerned that county guy Nickels is plotting to hand over Seattle's water supply to sprawl-hungry suburban county folks.
A city guy now (the new mayor of Seattle, actually), Nickels appointed Chuck Clarke to the post. Clarke was a deputy for outgoing Mayor Paul Schell, dealing with utilities, transportation, and the environment. NANCY DREW
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