So, rich enough to afford a house big enough for fourteen people and condo in a suburban neighborhood that he doesn't use for years at a time.

Yeah, he understands the challenges of "affordable housing".

Ugh.

So Seattleites who have to make monthly payments on seven-figure mortgages can't worry properly about affordable housing. Harrell, Dan Savage, pipe down you guys.

At least he's talking about it. The problem isn't rich people, it's rich people who want to kick everybody below them off the ladder. The opportunities that Harrell has had and taken advantage of are good things, not bad, and people who aren't in that position need advocates from people who are.

So just to be clear here Goldy you're saying that you've got to be poor or middle class to understand the struggles of the poor or the middle class and the need for affordable housing for people who can't afford nice homes?

What a fraud the Kennedy's were, huh? Maybe that's why they were so weak on social and economic justice...oh, wait.

To be fair, Harrell is from Seattle (his father worked for City Light!) and he had a professional career before being on the council. It could be that he "traded up" to a house that expensive - not just had money laying around to buy it.

I have a friend who worked blue collar jobs for years, slowly bought up real estate in the West Seattle Junction and Burien when it was dirt cheap in the 70's, and now has an amazing house above Alki that he paid cash for several years back.

The Bellevue condo, if not a rental or something they inherited, is a little more problematic.

At Candidate Survivor, he was the only candidate who copped to owning more than one home.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it does undercut his appeal to working-class folks.

I echo 5,6,and 7

@4 @6 No, I'm not saying that people in expensive houses can't show genuine concern for affordable housing. I'm saying that there is no rationale for connecting the two clauses in that sentence. He presents it as if raising a family in Seward Park adds to his understanding of affordable housing, when in fact he lives in a $1.4 million 7,070 square foot home. That's disingenuous.

And if a Kennedy had pointed to his summers in Hyannis Port as evidence of his deep connection to the plight of working people, that would have been disingenuous too. But they didn't.

Goldy,
Just in case you didn't know......

http://www.counton2.com/story/22717183/s…

Perhaps this is one of those counterstereotypical messages the kids have been talking about.

@12 Ohmigod, no! I hadn't seen that. Some people never change.

@11, Seward Park is the most diverse zip code in the country. All round there is rundown housing a lot of voters in town, especially north of the Ship Canal, have no idea even exists in Seattle. You live there, even in a nice pocket, you and your family can't avoid seeing people struggle all around. As you very well know, Mr. Why Do Prostitutes Park By My House.

It's really just Hyannisport, you say? And he's on the disingenuous side of this, is he? Tee hee.

I'm no Harrell fan, but claiming that just because he has a nice house, he can't understand the need for affordable housing, is bullshit. The Kennedy example is relevant, and he isn't explicitly linking them in the ad like Goldy claims he is.

What one could call him out for is lying about staying at the Bellevue condo. If I owned a $2 million condo, you better believe I'm not leaving it unoccupied for four years. It's an obvious lie.

@17 "Hyannisport" -- you know, I never thought of this before, but I wonder if George R.R. Martin was going for something there:

Hyannisport
Lannisport

@19,a Kennedy always pays he's deads. Er...

The poor guy doesn't even have an elevator for his car, he really understands the average man's struggle.

The Stranger endorses a slimy King County Council candidate with "Dembowski is a smart, aggressive "recovering lawyer" with a working-class background..." Which, by the way, is a crock of shit and you'd know that if you didn't just nod your head and coo.

Then you continuously hit Harrell for basically the same claim. Harrell has far more evidence of understanding the working class and a record that proves it. You also fail to mention that his wife brings in a substantial income.

Congrats, Goldy, on swallowing and regurgitating the McGinn/Murray consultant-spawned talking points about Harrell.

Be real about this. You know there is far more to each of the candidates than the value of their homes. You also know (just like the consultants who keep pushing this) that it will play well and distract from issues that really matter. Shame on you! The Stranger is respected in Seattle for their solid coverage of local elections and this repeated, pointless attack undermines your credibility.

Um, again, I did not imply what you all are choosing to infer. So save your outrage.

To be fair, Mike McGinn lives in a tiny house that is smaller than my back yard in Ballard used to be, along with 3 kids.

@23 for the Rich People Are Like Us win.

What's Harrell tangibly done to promote affordable housing any ways? This definitely demonstrates how out of touch he is, especially when he's also opposed to a $15/hour minimum wage.

I did not know that Brad Marshall had been disbarred. Couldn't have happened to a better guy. Asshole.

@ 25 How is he slimy?

If my choice was Murray or Harrell, I'd go with Harrell. He's done some things on the council that I can appreciate, such as advocating for ex-cons.

Homer: What are you inferring?

Lisa: I'm not inferring anything. You infer; I imply.

Homer: Well, that's a relief.

Fnarf at #5, one question: Do you spit or swallow?

@31
http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profi…

http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profi…