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Monday, February 18, 2013

City Rumors That Alison Holcomb May Run for City Council

Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Alison Holcomb wrote Initiative 502, and she ran the campaign to pass it last fall, thereby legalizing marijuana in Washington State. That landmark accomplishment came after her career as a criminal defense attorney and as director of the drug policy reform project at the ACLU of Washington (where I worked with her for a couple years, full disclosure).

For a city with so many brilliant and powerful women, there's an absence of women in politics advancing truly progressive political agendas and a dearth of challengers to the Seattle City Council.

So Holcomb became the subject of rumors this weekend after a pollster began asking people how they would vote in a head-to-head match of Holcomb versus council incumbents Mike O'Brien (a progressive) and Nick Licata (a progressive on social issues). They also asked about Holcomb in the mayor's race. Lots of people asked me: Who was paying for this poll? Holcomb? A consultant figuring out how much traction a woman could get? Just some pollster who figured that Holcomb is the most high-profile woman in Seattle politics with a backbone?

I'm not going to spend all day calling people to find out—it's not that important—but I did ask Holcomb. She was familiar with the poll but says she didn't conduct it.

Will Holcomb run for city council?

"I would consider it," she says. "The city is facing some big challenges, and I'm not afraid of hard work."

If Holcomb runs—and I'd love to see her run—I'd hope she doesn't challenge O'Brien or Licata, the only two progressives on the council. Richard Dreyfuss and Sally Bagshaw are both up for reelection this year, and while they are considered shoo-ins thanks to their religious adherence to the downtown business lobby's agenda—and are poised to run well-heeled campaigns thanks to those donors—Dreyfuss and Bagshaw are the most expendable members of the council this year.

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I like Alison a lot and she would be great on the City Council - but not at the expense of O'Brien or Licata. We should not eat our own. If this city had a true progressive or left-wing movement there would be more countervailing pressure to push someone like her away from doing something so stupid as to run against either of them. Why not wait two years and take on Tim Burgess or Jean Godden?

Posted by junipero on February 18, 2013 at 1:07 PM

Holcomb for Mayor!!

Posted by DannyG on February 18, 2013 at 1:08 PM

She should run against Dreyfuss/Conlin!

Posted by Gidge on February 18, 2013 at 1:10 PM

She would be an amazing councilmember. I hope she doesn't run against O'Brien, he seems like he'd be a great ally on the council, but I'd happily volunteer on her campaign against any of the others.

Posted by BombasticMO

on February 18, 2013 at 1:12 PM

Fuck that lying sack of shit. I will work for whomever runs against her. Filthy lying piece of dog turd.

Posted by Hawke

on February 18, 2013 at 1:16 PM

@5 insightful and full of detailed explainations. Thank you. Now it's time for you to "Lip sync for your LIFE!!"

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on February 18, 2013 at 1:22 PM

Alison is a solid candidate - she'd have my support. If Hawke is an example of her opposition, she should have no trouble. The tourettes vote is pretty miniscule.

Posted by Tim Crowley on February 18, 2013 at 1:29 PM

Allsion would be a solid candidate and a fine council member, She would certainly have my support. She's a strong supporter of freedom and justice, a hard worker and a good person. If Hawke is an example of her opposition, she'd do fine. The tourettes vote is pretty miniscule.

Posted by Tim Crowley on February 18, 2013 at 1:33 PM

I wouldn't vote for her to unseat O'Brien. But I would definitely vote for her to unseat Bagshaw or Conlin. Or if she is setting herself up for later, I wouldn't mind dumping just about the entire slate of council members up for re-election in 2 years.

Posted by Reverse Polarity on February 18, 2013 at 1:47 PM

Holcomb has shown that she has guts and the fortitude to take on the establishment. She has already done more to advance common-sense legislation than anyone currently seated on the Council.

What has Sally Bagshaw accomplished in her tenure, besides costing the City millions?

Posted by kitschnsync on February 18, 2013 at 2:06 PM

@6: Great take-down of @5!

Posted by Cornichon

on February 18, 2013 at 2:34 PM

#9: "I wouldn't mind dumping just about the entire slate of council members up for re-election in 2 years."

If Seattle Districts Now's Charter Amendment No. 19 gets sufficient signatures and passes in November, it would put ALL NINE council positions on the ballot--seven districts and two at large.

Please come to SDN's signature gathering kick off this Wednesday (Feb 20). Details at www.seattledistrictsnow.org/news.html

Posted by TobyinFremont on February 18, 2013 at 2:40 PM

@10 :Bagshaw helped get SPD's surveillance cameras out of Cal Anderson Park. I was satisfied with her reaction to the matter once it was brought to her attention.

Posted by Phil M

on February 18, 2013 at 2:55 PM

@13, Bagshaw only agreed to the removal of those cameras AFTER the ACLU insisted that they had to go. She originally sponsored legislation which would have made the cameras permanent.

Posted by kitschnsync on February 18, 2013 at 3:09 PM

I don't give a shit who she takes on, so long as she wins. Sitting council members can take care of themselves, from low-hanging fruit to most well fortified. Her job is to get elected, and if that means Nick or Mike go get stuffed that's their fault, not hers.

Posted by gloomy gus on February 18, 2013 at 3:18 PM

Bagshaw is one of the best things going on the city council. She's doing great work on the waterfront and on gun control right now.

Posted by Sandman on February 18, 2013 at 3:24 PM

BTW, Publicola has more details up about the robo-call. Sounds like somebody is looking to take down one or both of the Mikes by peeling away social justice types from their base(s).

Posted by kitschnsync on February 18, 2013 at 3:32 PM

Oh, c'mon! There are a lot of qualified, ambitious, politically adept women in Seattle. They are also smart enough to know that Seattle politics is a dead end. The last Seattle mayor to move up was Arthur B. Langlie in 1940. The last city council member to move up was...Ooops! Never happened.

Posted by Ballard Pimp on February 18, 2013 at 4:18 PM

I received the poll call the other night.
It was so obviously a pro-holcolm poll that I voted against her in the poll even though I might actually vote for her in reality. The wording of her stances just rubbed me the wrong way.

Posted by stinkbug on February 18, 2013 at 4:36 PM

Holcomb vs Bagshaw.
Dom takes Conlin's seat.

http://insatiable-curmudgeonry.blogspot.…

Posted by Lose-Lose on February 18, 2013 at 7:20 PM

http://www.facebook.com/DraftAlisonHolco…

Encourage Alison to challenge Richard Conlin in 2013 by liking this page! Alison would make a great addition to the progressive wing that currently exists on the council in Licata and O'Brien!

Posted by AlisonVSConlin on February 18, 2013 at 7:56 PM

Now that Holcolm admits that she'd like to end medical cannabis here in Washington, the patients will be happy to support ANYONE running against her. By November, the LCB will still be trying to sort out the debaucle created by I-502 and we'll have a whole bumper crop of new per se DUID victims willing join the fight.

She might want to try "Dog Catcher" instead of Mayor....then Dom could be her lap dog for real. Go fetch, Dom!

Posted by CannaCare on February 19, 2013 at 1:05 PM