City Council Position 8 candidate Mike O’Brien, who has lately been the subject of rumors that he plans to leave the crowded seat to run against Position 2 incumbent Richard Conlin, says he’s staying in the race he’s in. “I’ve heard just this week that I’m running against [Position 6 incumbent] Nick Licata, Richard Conlin, and [Position 4 candidate] Sally Bagshaw,” he told me, laughing. “No. I’m running for Position 8 and I plan to stay there.”
From a political reporter’s POV, that’s too bad. A race between O’Brien (former chair of the local Sierra Club chapter and a vocal opponent of the 2007 roads and transit ballot measure) and Conlin (an incrementalist enviro who’s often been perceived as wishy-washy) would’ve been interesting. And it would have given O’Brien an opportunity to stand out and draw comparisons in a way that the six-way race for Position 8—featuring a landlord, two sons of prominent former Seattle officeholders, a neighborhood activist, and a city transportation employee—makes difficult.
I hear Darth Vader is running for Mayor.
It would be a good move for O’Brien. Royer will advance thanks to name recognition. Rosencrantz has gotten respectable numbers in his runs and that will put him into the General in 6 way race as he got 27% in his last primary against two well known and financed politicians.
Most importantly, Conlin is weak and as Council President has got as much ‘plaining to do as the Mayor.
“‘splainin'”
God the gringos always mess up Spanish.
Zander for the winn.
@2: Sorry Zander and Erica, but with two Council open seats, the equivalent of an open seat mayor’s race, and an open seat KC Exec’s race, there simply won’t be enough media or public interest for anyone to beat a Council incumbent this year. If O’Brien can make it through the primary in the open seat race, I think he wins. Not so if he switches to run against the bland, but reasonably popular Conlin.
J.R.-
You make my point for me. If there isn’t enough ink to go around, how is O’Brien to stand out in a six way open seat primary? Incumbency aint what it used to be. Rassmussen and Burgess both beat ran against and won against incumbents.
If O’Brien is a serious candidate an incumbent won’t deter him. If he isn’t, staying in an open seat race won’t make much of a difference.
No King of England if not of France!
Dang, if only we had two daily papers to make it interesting …
Dear ECB/The Stranger,
Can you make a little “campaign 200X” page with a little cheatsheet on the candidates running for each position in Seattle (i know they change, you could update as needed), maybe a link to their webpages, and have the Slog posts about them shown there? Maybe a little calendar too with events?
I want to keep track and stay informed, etc etc but it just seems a total hassle to have to pull it all together. I’m surprised you guys or publicola or whoever doesn’t already do it… Jeez, if I wasn’t leaving town in a few months, it’d make a neat hobby site…
Conlin has a terrific opponent in David Ginsberg, whom the Stranger seems determined to ignore.
David is young, green (in the environmentalist sense), business savvy (WaMu), tech savvy, a top-notch neighborhood political organizer, and the gay dad of two young children.
David is one of the classest acts I have ever worked with in local politics, and I put my money where my mouth is tonight and wrote him a check.