City council position 8 candidate David Miller continued his near monopoly on union support today when he received three more labor endorsements. Today he got the backing of the Laborers local 242, Ironworkers local 86, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 751 (although on his website Miller refers to them as 571 – whoops!). That brings the total number of union members whose organizations to back him 73,000. Miller also has the backing of most of Seattle’s Democratic districts.

His position 8 opponent Mike O’Brien has a similar level of support within the environmental community, including the backing of the Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters, the Cascade Bicycle Club, and Friends of Seattle.

Bobby Forch has the support of some Democratic districts, including the sole from the 36th, and Jordan Royer has relatively broad ideological support, leaving Robert Rosencrantz with stronger backing from business interests and moderates.

If votes break along those endorsement lines, it should set up a left vs. center showdown in the general election.

9 replies on “Miller Continues to Lock Down Union Support”

  1. It seems very unlikely that Miller will make it to the general election… I’m guess it will be O’Brien versus Royer in the general. And calling Royer’s ideological support broad is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, he’s got close ties to Nickels, but he’s proven very conservative (at least he’s accepted money as a lobbyist from very conservative interests).

  2. I think O’Brien has the dark green crowd, but I think Miller has the moderate greens which make up the vast majority of Seattle. We want density in our urban villages, but we want the green space, low-income housing and other public benefits along with it. We want smart transportation choices, but we’re not willing to piss off the rest of the state and lose $2.4 billion dollars in funding and end up with a grid-locked street-level freeway. We want strong neighborhoods and businesses at the same time. Labor understands this, Earth Day founder Denis Hayes understands this, and the majority of the democratic districts understand this. O’Brien is an ideological polarizer, pushing the envelope like Earth First does so that the eventual decision is in the right direction. A great role in society, but not on City Council. Miller understands the need to balance various interests and come up with a solution we can all live with.

  4. Miller is latex green. Miller, not O’Brien, would be an ideological polarizer. He would set back land use and environmental progress in Seattle by 30 years. Hopefully, for all our sake, he does not make it out of the primary.

  6. @ 7 – Thank you, I have. And, I disagree with you. Hopefully, though, this debate won’t be an issue after the votes are counted. And, Seattle can move on to a healthier future without fear of the wrath Miller would bring.

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