This past Monday, campaign consultant Cindi Laws came to my office with city attorney candidate Pete Holmes to brief me on Holmes’s campaign against City Attorney Tom Carr, a longtime friend of Laws’s who served with her on the Seattle Monorail Project board. At the time, Laws excoriated Carr for arguing against broad public-disclosure laws; attempting to coerce testimony from reporters about confidential sources; targeting bars and clubs in a fruitless series of stings; and pursuing low-level drug offenses despite overcrowding in county jails. She also referred to Holmes—who had previously considered a run against city council member Richard Conlin—as “Elliott Ness” and “the Boy Scout of this campaign.” On Tuesday, Laws prepared a scathing press release announcing Holmes’s campaign and flaying Carr for being one of the city’s “biggest obstacles to a truly transparent and accountable government.”
What a difference… um… a couple of hours makes. On Tuesday afternoon, Laws went over to Carr’s house, where, according to accounts by both Laws and Carr, Laws burst into tears and said she couldn’t work against a long-time friend. “I wasn’t two seconds into telling him [that I was working for Holmes] that I just started to bawl,” Laws says. “I may not agree with Tom’s positions on stuff all the time, but in the end, Tom is my friend… and I couldn’t be the person running the campaign against my friend of 18 years. … A lot of people may pick dollars over friendship but I won’t.”
Holmes says that had Laws simply decided not to work against Carr, he would have been OK with that. “She told me very early on that her only problem with [running my city attorney campaign] was her personal relationship with Tom,” Holmes says. “So I immediately said, Cindi, can you do this with me or do you need to bow out now? And she says, No, I want to do this.” Holmes says Laws even told him “this was the race to do in terms of just crass winnability” and encouraged him to switch positions from city council to the city attorney.
“It wasn’t a surprise” that Laws decided to leave his campaign, Holmes says—it’s the fact that she turned around and took a job with his opponent literally minutes later. “I said, Cindi, you can’t do this. He’s not being a friend to ask you to sacrifice your integrity, your reputation, this way. I tried to get her to see the damage that this could do to her professionally.”
Laws and Carr, however, portray their decision to work together as both a personal and financial one. “She told me, I can’t work against you, but I can’t afford not to work. So I thought, the natural solutions was, maybe you should just work for me,” Carr says. He adds: “The thing I question is a guy like Pete Holmes who signs on someone who he knows is my friend to [run against Richard Conlin] and changes his mind to [run against me]. He puts her in this difficult position and doesn’t seem to care at all.”
Although consultants do leave clients all the time, it’s rare—maybe even unheard-of—for a consultant to quit and go to work for a client’s opponent in the very same day. Christian Sinderman, a prominent local consultant, said the whole thing sounds “pretty unethical,” adding, “It’s often difficult to avoid conflicts of interest, but you don’t go out of your way to find them.”
Carr says he’s confident he’ll defeat his first challenger since 2001. “I’m going to raise a lot of money,” Carr says. Plus, “there are an awful lot of people in town who respect me and an awful lot of people who question him.”
Wow.
Mind you, Cindy is pretty loyal to her friends, even down to the guy who was redoing her kitchen, so I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised at this.
Erica is one of my friends, too, and got most of the facts in this story spot-on. But it is important to note that I didn’t go to work for Tom the same day that I quit Pete’s campaign. In fact, I won’t even talk to Tom for seven days. I chose friendship and Tom Carr, and will treat Pete with complete respect, as he deserves as a quality candidate, no matter what race he runs.
I will max out to Holmes to defeat Carr and encourage friends to do so as well.
I’m just happy so many people are running for Mayor …
Tom Carr just decided to kick Gay Pride around – could not wait – it seems – for some more negotiation after this year’s event several months away. Stupid and greedy and loutish and stupid and crass …
He is a toad – political toast.
Will send money to Holmes.
Gay folks, VOTE against Tom Carr, show your clout one more time in this city, other wise you will be assimilated … and shit on.
It’s not personal. It’s business.
#6
Whatever it is, it clearly shows Carr has the brains of a pin head. He is in theory the legal advice that is charged to help the city offices with GOOD strategy and GOOD advice…. something like wisdom.
In this case, he did neither.
He is stupid and inept, thank god he is not in private practice, but sucking tit off the city. The skill of any attorney is the skill of the deal, the negotiation, NOT the clout of the lawsuit and court. Those are the first resort of the lame brained, the last of really good legal advisors.
The city can do much better, time for a change.
God that was boring.
Can you run that photo of Chastity again?
I’m working on her screen play, “Chastity Gets Paid” and I need some more research info.
The only thing better than reading about Erica Barnett’s arrest for stealing wine from the QFC was reading the comments from all the people delighting in her arrest and subsequent charges. You reap what you sow was never a relevant guide for living. Lots of people hate journalists for what they write, Erica. Few people hate journalists for who they are. You fit in the later category. Fly right, girl. You’ve got a long life ahead of you. If you’re going to piss people off, do it with integrity.
Nic – what is up, dude? SOAP/Pride parade has only managed to pay $10,000 over two years on a $100,000 + debt. At $5,000 per year it will take the group 20 years to pay off the debt, assuming no interest. With even 5% interest SOAP would only be paying off the interest every year and never actually pay down the debt itself. That’s $100,000 of taxpayer money and I think it’s totally appropriate for the city to go after recouping this loss after being patient with this group for two years.
Tom Carr is a puritanical shit who is unfit for public office in this city.
His nightlife sting was an abuse of power that resulted in dozens of innocent working class bartenders racking up thousands in legal bills to beat unfounded charges. And it cost hundreds of thousands in tax payer money.
That kind of shit wouldn’t stand in any city, let alone a progressive city like Seattle.
Time to kick this uptight, anti-social loser out office.
Did Cindi even TRY to find another job before she betrayed Holmes and switched to Carr? It doesn’t sound like it.
#10
whatever – the term is negotiate – and if it takes 10 years, fine with me
as you know mommy, in this situation many a group would have folded and paid — 0 — zero — on debts
good luck Pride, and mommy, please do not try to defend this rat faced stupid piece of scum who has been so crummy in so many ways on the city payroll as “city attorney” – he is a dull wit mean spirited low grade official
time for a change, vote against Carr
There is a constipated pattern in Tom Carr’s public policy actions – in theory – on behalf of our beloved not uptight city.
UPTIGHT is the perfect word for Carr, perfect.
And remember as voters, he serves at our graces, so, kick him to the curb.
No vote on Carr.
Cindi is very nice, but Peter needs a more robut consultant to help him beat an incumbent. I think Cindi may have done Peter a big favor here. Plus, this way he won’t have to worry about Cindi repeatedly leaking inside campaign information to the press.
I do find it interesting that on March 10, Cindi posted the following discussion topic to a local political facebook page:
“What do you Seattle Politicos think about the City Attorney? He’s about to run for his third term, after coasting to his second term without even Stan Lippman fiing against him. What’s your opinion?”
Carr sucks, high time we gave him the boot.
It’s amazing that anyone takes Cindi Laws seriously as a political consultant. Both Holmes and Carr showed poor judgement by hiring her in the first place.
Some of us, close to city hall, have been praying for an opponent who is credible to take on Carr ….. if you only knew.
Go Holmes, go go go.
Pass the word, time to retire Mr. obnoxious and uptight from the public dole.
Really time for a positive change.
I agree with #17. It is amazing to me that anyone would take Cindi Laws seriously about anything, let alone political advice. She was a poor Monorail Board member, helping to drive that project off the tracks. She has been a 3rd rate political hack around town for years. Her switch to Carr in this important race is not surprising and only shows her absolute lack of values. My support, money and effort will be supporting Pete Holmes.
Now that it has been mentioned – I remember. Carr took credit for a massive sting operation at downtown bars and clubs designed to set up door people and servers. A big batch of them were charged by the city, not the liquor board, and then they had to go to court.
Working class folks paying attorney fees and all cases, or most, were thrown out or let off.
It made no sense, cost the city millions, wasted tons of real crime fighting night time police time and SHOULD/COULD have been done by liquor Inspectors if needed at all. No need for the city cop shop at all. Carr was grandstanding at best.
In one case, a cop was posing as a customer – bringing his concealed gun into the bar – the door folk knew him, thought he was undercover and let him in with his gun, knowingly – then they were charged with a serious crime …. shit, oh dear shit, something out of the Old Three Stooges.
Tom Carr is first of all, stupid. Secondly, he does seem to be a neo – Puritan.
Is he a Republican? Would fit right in.
Tom, there are corporate jobs on the Eastside – hint.
Of course, the door person was supposed to get into a big shouting match with the faux customer come cop – the one with a gun – with all the people in line and a busy night.
And if mistaken in stopping the maybe “undercover cop” from his duty, the, have the anger of the cop shop on the place for years. Cops hold grudges.
It is funny indeed. Brilliantly stupid on the part of Carr and cops.
And OF COURSE the door people let him in … and likely signaled free drinks to the servers.
Keystone Cops they are called, backed by the doofus city attorney, Tom Carr.
Carr hires the operative that just left his competitor?
He is now able to benefit from whatever she learned about the other guy.
“Okay Cindi, what did he tell you about his campaign plan? Who’s he going to call for money first, let’s have me call them now before he does.
What’s his critique of me going to be?”
Stinky. Stinky. Stinky.
My money and vote will go to Holmes. I’m telling everyone I know to do the same.
Cindi leaving is the best thing that could have happened to Peter Holmes. Cindi and Tom deserve each other. Send your money to Peter to get the change we need in Seattle.
Simple fact – indeed – when the City Attorney is a doofus, then there is no brake on the cops.
It is very important and seldom touched upon.
Carr in a prickly off the top of his head doofus as well.
Is it our fate to get a good City Attorney? Let’s hope. Work against the re-election of Carr.
Has Cindi even won a single campaign where she was the campaign manager?
Cindi is finished in politics and so is Tom Carr. They will have their friendship to keep them warm.
I know she snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on the last campaign she worked on in eastern Washington. She did Holmes a huge favor – and the rest of Seattle for that matter.
Cindi is not the issue. She seems a lightening rod, but, most of us do not know the name or care much.
The inept Mr. Carr will be on the ballot.
Time to send Carr to corporate law, suggest AIG Insurance since he can’t make it much worse.
Time for a change, send Peter Holmes some money, any amount, a close friend knows him well and says he will be just great as city attorney.
Go Pete. Carr tantrums like a 4 year old and we need an adult running the City Attorney’s office.
Everyone who agrees — see Carr’s comment that he will raise a lot of money and smear Holmes (not a lot of material to work with there). He will have the support of police (because of Holmes’s work on police accountability) and some downtown businesses, whom he has cultivated as City Attorney. We really need to put EARLY money into the Holmes campaign so contributors who just want to side with the winner don’t go overboard for Carr. Contribute today if you can; it’s easy to find Holmes’s site.
Holmes is a bully and from all accounts was practically pushed out of his last job with a private firm because he was a worthless, hot-headed, nut job. Therefore he has not practiced law in eight years. He cannot be a very bright attorney because he hasn’t read the City Charter. Hey Holmie!! Your active status with the WSBA reads as 2/27/09, which means you’re ineligible dude!! Erica did not do her homework and figure out eligibility but we all know she is a dishonest crappy journalist!!
Peter Holmes is for police accountability. Yay.
Whoa dude – not sure where you are getting your information. Holmes was well respected in his job at Miller Nash and should get credit for doing years of public service on police accountability.