Former mayor Ed Murray and mayoral frontrunner Jenny Durkan have the same consultant. That consultant also lobbies the mayor on behalf of corporations. Is that a conflict of interest?
Former mayor Ed Murray and mayoral frontrunner Jenny Durkan have the same consultant. That consultant also lobbies the mayor on behalf of corporations. Is that a conflict of interest? HG

Should the Consultants Who Get Candidates Elected Be Allowed to Lobby Them Once They're In Office? It's not a hypothetical. Political consultant (and former Stranger writer) Sandeep Kaushik worked for former mayor Ed Murray’s campaign. Then, once Murray was in office, Kaushik lobbied the city on behalf of corporations like Lyft, Airbnb, and Comcast. He is now working on Jenny Durkan's campaign. A former adviser to Murray, David Mendoza, is asking the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission to stop what he calls a conflict of interest. "I have seen this access and influence alter or successfully block legislation and it is impossible to determine whether the advice provided was the result of a conflict of interest," Mendoza wrote in a letter to the SEEC. Mendoza is supporting Durkan opponent Cary Moon, according to the Seattle Times. Kaushik defended his work and called the letter a "late ploy by someone who is deeply involved in Cary Moon’s campaign in a senior level."

Accuser Re-Files Case Against Ed Murray: Delvonn Heckard has re-filed his case against former mayor Ed Murray, accusing Murray of rape when Heckard was a teenager and Murray was in his 30s. (Murray has denied the allegations.) Heckard has also named the City of Seattle. The lawsuit alleges Murray used his public position to "spread false and harmful information about Delvonn, and his attorneys, in an effort to win re-election and extinguish these claims."

"Dry Cup of Noodles or Something" Evacuates Governor's Office: Governor Jay Inslee's office was evacuated for about two hours after a woman dropped off a suitcase in the capitol, said "this is for the governor," and ran out, the Seattle Times reports. An explosives team examined the suitcase. State Patrol Spokesperson Kyle Moore said it "had dry cup-of-noodles, or something, in it." The woman had a white Mercedes running near the building to get away, but was detained.

God, This President Is So Embarrassing: After Senator Bob Corker told President Trump to leave tax reform cuts for the wealthy to Congress, Trump responded on Twitter by calling Corker a "lightweight" who "couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee."

Still Without Power: The New York Times: "It’s like going back in time,” said Kevin Jose Sanchez Gonzalez, 25, who has been living in darkness since Sept. 5, the day before a previous storm, Hurricane Irma, began to chip away at Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.Crammed into homes three or four families at a time, living on canned and freeze-dried food without any means of turning it into a hot meal, and sleeping in shelters, Puerto Ricans have been learning to make do, sometimes in extreme ways."

U.S. Troops In Niger Waited an Hour for Help: "The U.S. Special Forces team caught in a deadly ambush three weeks ago in Niger did not request help from nearby French forces for about an hour after the firefight began near a village the Americans had visited during a reconnaissance mission several hours prior, the Pentagon’s top general said Monday," the Washington Post reports. "It then took the French another hour to get fighter jets over the American troops, according to a new timeline provided by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The disclosure doubles the amount of time the U.S. troops were believed to have fought without significant additional help."

A Bunch of Rich People Bullshit: That's how Rich Smith describes two legal battles in which Congressional candidate and business bro Brayden Olson was involved. One of the cases involves a "missing toy lightsaber that was given to Irish by a friend 'who had obtained it from George Lucas personally.'"

NIMBYs Win in Queen Anne:



NIMBYs Whine in Wallingford:


Seattle Could Study Congestion Pricing: Are you sitting down, Brier Dudley? The Seattle City Council wants to talk about looking into what it might look like to someday maybe possibly toll downtown streets. David Gutman has the details on the study, which would focus mostly on how the opening of the deep-bore tunnel will affect downtown traffic. The tunnel will be tolled and that means people could take surface level streets to avoid the tunnel.

Sinclair Won't Guarantee KOMO Jobs: The Trump propaganda outlet wants to merge KOMO and Q13, but won't guarantee employment for KOMO's 23 photojournalists, Crosscut reports. The journalists' union is now urging them to vote no on a new contract with the company.

Just Make Peace with It, You Can't Escape Your Certain Death, Probably by Earthquake: New simulations show where an earthquake might rupture and where will experience the most shaking. How bad you'll be hit depends on where the epicenter is located.

Wow, the Mayoral Race Is Getting Contentious: Now Cary Moon says The Eagles—the last band Jenny Durkan saw live—are "overrated." The two will meet in a televised debate tonight at 6:30. The debate will run on KING 5, KUOW, and Geekwire.