Is this intended to provide credibility to your inevitable Sawant endorsement? There's no question that you'll be endorsing CM Sawant, none whatsoever. So...what's w/ the poll?

Hahaha, what a joke.

Everyone knows this paper is Sawant's de facto media/publicity arm.

Why don't you endorse that unpleasant little socialist woman you've been promoting for the last five years?

It still boggles my mind how the average Seattleite/Stranger comment troll is not used to seeing their elected officials actually accomplish something and work for the interest of the people rather than developers.

But hey, if you want to kick that person out because of "the S word" and elect a councilmember whose campaign is being funded by real estate developers and will rubber-stamp another project that will end up kicking you out of your home in favor of Amazonian closets for $5000/mo then fine by me.

Morgan Beach somehow found 5 other people to vote for him (aside from himself) as of the time of this posted comment.

@1, et al,

Gauge the pulse of the readership? I was certainly at least mildly curious as to whether the readers were as heavily invested in her as the paper's writers so obviously are (it would appear so.)

@2: Aren't you a Republican living in Baltimore?
@6: Morgan Beach is a woman.

@8: On paper, and yes, but unsure why it matters. Why are you so obsessed with my personal life exactly? It is getting a bit weird. Flattering, but weird.

@9 "Everyone knows" doesn't make sense from your perspective. You have no standing to say that.

@9 It matters because you claim "everyone knows". You have no grounds or a legitimate interest in saying that. "Weird" is an insufficient word to describe your interest in our local politics and level of commentary that might mislead locals.

^ double-posted by accident [thought my first post was lost]. mea culpa.

With the departure of Nick Licata, Sawant will need support from other council members to advance her agenda. O'Brien is there some; Harrell less (and he's endorsed anyone-but-Sawant). If you support Sawant's agenda (empowerment of the not-wealthy, such as most renters), electing Lisa Herbold in District 1 will help, Jon Grant (or John Persak) in Position 8, and Bill Bradburd in Position 9.

I'm considerably less enamored of Sawant than this paper tends to be, but I would endorse her in this field.

The only good reason I can see for us not to endorse Sawant is to avoid losing face with the people who are predicting that our endorsement will inevitably go to Sawant. And it's not that good a reason, frankly.

@11: Do you not read this paper? Is it some magical force that only people who live in Seattle can read and understand this paper?

With the internet, it is possible to become well versed in many things even if they are beyond your own city. I read about politics in Boston, New York, Beijing, and London as well. I suggest you try it, there is so much going on in the world!

Also, #15 supports the exact point I was making. So why pretend?

@16 With the internet, one can acquire the impression that one understands events without context, as mediated by journalists, and speak on it without reservation (like "from afar, it looks like").

I'm well aware of the perspective that Dan Savage has confirmed here. Just because it's true does not make your commentary valid; bullshit is not lies, but a lack of regard for the truth.

@16, many posters here consider King County residents to be foreigners who do not understand Seattle (they are from Kent, after all). To those individuals, posters from Denver or Republicans from Baltimore are unwelcome trolls.

@16,

I still can't find anything in the post that pretends or suggests they'll not be endorsing Sawant. It's a poll of the slog readership.

Are you planning to do this for all district races? If not and it's only because you are torn between reader's choice, Sawant and city hall's choices, Banks or Hearne,then just say so. Banks is easy and got the right CV for a solid endorsement and will assure things will continue as is. Hearne has the LGBT credential and hard to pick apart because he hasn't put much out there regarding the big issues like managing growth, housing, transit, taxes, linkage fees, backlogged infrastructure maintenance or policing, which makes him a good stealth candidate. But just from reading some of his bland comments, he's another safe city hall's candidate who filed because he finds Sawant too divisive. He'll toe the establishment "progressive" line.

Sawant is still a one off and unless there's a voter revolt, she can be marginalized on the council vote which also makes her safer to endorse without stepping on too many established toes and keep to the Stranger's boho beat. The trick is keeping anyone else like her off the council.

@17:
So even though what I said was true, that does not make it true or valid? What an odd statement.

But honestly I am not looking to hijack this thread of be complicit in your attempt, and I don’t really find hardcore provincialism that attractive or interesting, so I am just going to leave you to ponder your unfathomable and bizarre anger at me posting on this blog. Have a lovely day!

I this case I will have to agree with Theodore.

I would be greatly surprised if the Stranger did not endorse Sawant. The Stranger has been an unabashed Sawant fanboy/fangirl of Sawant since she first ran for city council. They pushed hard for her $15 Now agenda. They have rarely said even mildly unkind things about her.

She's probably headed for easy reelection. Some of her ideas are completely loopy, like nationalizing the Boeing factory to build light rail or whatever. But the $15 minimum wage would not have happened and might have been much weaker had she not pushed it so hard. And Seattle needs at least a couple councilmembers who aren't beholden to corporate interests.

My prediction is that she easily wins this election, rightfully coasting on her $15 minimum wage victory. But she will start to rankle people over the next few years, and will have a much harder time getting reelected next time around.

Sawant is incendiary -- hearing her speak in public is a cringe inducing, divisive experience -- she will continue with her TWO Big Steps forward and TEN steps Back in the fight for meaningful social justice, with her talent for alienating. I'm with Hearne -- fighting similar battles with pragmatism -- much more tireless energy and a unifying style

#15 I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't endorse CM Sawant, simply that it is a foregone conclusion. That's why I posed my question about the function of this poll in the first place. There does seen to be a disconnect in your results and the comments regarding the poll, that's neither here nor there, but I wonder what the goal was here.

You have to question the motives of anyone running against Kshama Sawant. Sawant Is a wonderful person who actually cares about the people and not profit, she actually gets things done. As for all these others running against her, they should be ashamed of themselves for trying to remove such a wonderful person. I have been to the debates, I have heard what the others have to say, especially Pamela Banks who thinks long lines waiting for the bathroom should be a reason for making gender neutral bathrooms, shows how out of touch she is. The fact that she has Volcan a major developing company in Seattle endorse her shows she works for the corporations and could careless about the working class people and their struggles. Also it seemed to me at these debates that Pamela Banks planted Lee Carter(who you can see isnt on this list) to try to discredit Sawant by saying that Unions are corporations and they endorced Sawant. Everyone knows that Unions are created by the workers to defend themselves against the corrupt ways the corporation mistreat the workers, they are no at all corporations..

@9: It matters because you don't know what the fuck you're talking about when it comes to Seattle politics (or sports).

Also, you left candidate Lee Carter off of your list.

@23 it really says something that someone as negative as you interpret is the majority front runner in the race that's probably going to take the election. If you think you can do a better job than her, or know someone who does, I would be willing to hear it, but from you and everyone else who has this emotionally negative reaction to her as a human being it doesn't convince me that she's more than worth my support.

Dear Stranger, Pamela Banks just jumped up by 100 votes in the last 10 minutes. Suuuuuper sketchy!

Definitely worth looking into!

#28-- "doesn't convince me she's more than worth my support" ?!? Huh? I am a positive, community worker who volunteers daily at various NPOs-- I do not come to Sawant with a negative attitude --as I clearly stated SHE inspires it when I have heard her live or in small groups. It sounds like the emotional --reactionary here... Is You. Finish reading my comment for the "someone better than her" who could easily do a better job

Im with #28 they are right about you #23, if Kshama makes you cringe, then you hate sincerity, truth, compassion for human beings and you like the governments exploitation of the American working class. If you went to the debates you would of seen #23 that Rod Hearne lacks in the fight against the struggles of the working class. Hes more concern about having more arts in Seattle, nothing that is really important. He waffled most of the questions which proves he is out of touch with WHAT THE WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WANT. he isnt going to win. If you where there you would of known that. And why on earth would someone want to remove the only city council in this city who is known all over the world for her efforts in fighting class struggles? That will prove to the world that we are all idiots in this town, which you can count me out of that circle. These people running against her will be known as people who want to block great changes from happening in this city and hopefully for the rest of the world. If you cant see what the real problem in this country and in the world is capitalism then your blind and could careless about people. You should be ashamed of yourselves. There is a reason why 3 emerged to run against her and it all has to do with trying to remove Kshama Sawant because the others dont like her exposing the corruption and misuse of city funds by its elected officials.

"More arts in Seattle, nothing really important" ?!? --and you say I hate truth and sincerity. I will stop blogging and leave the meanness to you and your hero Sawant. I need to make my lesson plan for the morning's Music therapy for children Age 5--15 facing cancer.. Oh wait, that's Art-- it's not really important to you, right? Neither are those kids, I guess...

"More arts in Seattle, nothing really important " --that speaks volumes about you, speaking of "hating truth and sincerity"-- interesting how much you use that word hate, but we can count on meanness from you and your heroine can't we? I will stop posting now as I must put my lesson plan together for the morning's Music therapy for 5--15 year olds facing Cancer -- oh wait, that's Art-- nothing really important to you right? I guess those kids don't really matter either. God bless.

@22 Boeing received the largest corporate tax break in US history in 2014 and conveniently doesn't expire until 2050. This is outrageous and should absolutely be called in to question (Which Sawant has done so eloquently). Meanwhile Washington Public Schools are being CRIMINALLY underfunded. Boeing is a corporation that is robbing hard working Washington taxpayers BLIND--that is LOOPY!! Kshama works tirelessly to defend the most vulnerable and marginalized people in Seattle and has done an incredible job doing so. Painting her as "loopy" and "out of touch" is absurd.

@33, I've been an artist all my life, but i can understand what's really important in this world and art is a given, it's a talent. The person who is an artist will always be an artist, that doesn't go away.
What is more important than art is how humans are treated in this world, not art. Besides starving artists are the ones who suffer from unaffordable housing here in Seattle. But then again you are not a starving artist are you, you get paid for working your job. High rents in Seattle hurt people, low pay hurts people, working two jobs to make ends meet and not having enough hours in the day to spend with families is the problem, oil trains that can blow up in the heart of the city is a real issue, lgbtq getting beat up in the streets and public bathrooms is a problem. Homelessness is another issue. Racism is a big problem! So stop being petty about arts, Seattle is all ready full of art and artists that don't have a steady pay like you do. Are you that petty?

@26: It is really funny how mad you get when people disagree with you.

The Stranger's readers overwhelmingly support Sawant. And most their writers support Sawant, too.

So if the newspaper doesn't endorse Sawant, it will be a major crisis for the newspaper which will be exposed for having caved in pathetically to the demands of the newspapers business advertisers who are upset at Sawant for the $15 minimum wage.

However, small business owners should be rallying behind Sawant this year because her main issue she is pushing is rent control, which would actually provide small business owners tremendous relief from skyrocketing rent.

Sawant is not a real threat to small business. She is a threat to big business and the real estate developers who are trying to take over our city with their luxury condos they are building everywhere, driving everyone's rent up.

@36: How does pointing out that you're a Republican from Baltimore strike you as me getting "mad"? Unless you're embarrassed by people knowing that.

@36 small business owners should be rallying behind Sawant this year because her main issue she is pushing is rent control, which would actually provide small business owners tremendous relief from skyrocketing rent.

You're doubly wrong here. First, because Sawant isn't calling for commercial rent control (even New York doesn't have that), and second, because no one--even those who would potentially stand to benefit from it--should pay attention to what council candidates say about rent control. It's illegal, there's a zero percent chance it's going to be legalized in Olympia any time soon, and everyone knows it. There's no reason to bang on about it, except as a form of cheap, cost-free political posturing geared toward the ill-informed.

#39 $15 an hour seemed like an unrealistic goal to many not that long ago too. You just watch what a re-elected Kshama Sawant together with a determined movement will do to get state lawmakers to repeal the anti rent control law or do so via initiative/ popular vote.

Yes #39, I guess you don't believe that anything can change at all and that everyone should just settle for what they get. But laws can be changed a movement can make those changes its been proven, so your wrong. Removing a ban on rent control which is put in place so that the rich can get richer is so wrong on so many levels, especially when it causes families to up root from places they have lived all their lives, especially when it causes families to be homeless, and especially if it causes death. People shouldn't have to suffer for someone else's greed. And these high rents aren't really necessary, my landlord hasn't raised the rent in over 11 yrs, I'm sure he's paying more taxes now, but still hasn't raised the rent. He's replaced the central heating, the hot water heater once, the dishwasher 4 times the washer and dryer once, yet hasn't raised the rent. I live in a 4 bedroom house at green lake and pay $1500. If my landlord decides to raise my rent, I would have to move outside the city and uproot my kids from a home they grew up in and all because of greed. Greed is what's ruining this country. When unselfish people run for office like Kshama Sawant, I will stand up with her in the fight for a better place for everyone. I'm tired of the other politicians doing nothing except line their own pockets. They are the ones who need to be replaced not Sawant. Anyone who is simular to Sawant like Jess Spear or anyone who comes from that wonderful group socialists alternative has my vote. They fight hard for our rights. Everyone should really question anyone who would choose to replace Sawants seat, if they really cared about the people of this city, they would run for another position and join Sawant in this fight against capitalism.

@40
Thats not going to happen. I'm not saying that it shouldn't, but it wont. In order to get it on the ballot statewide you need to collect a TON of signatures. I believe it is like 300k. That's half the population of Seattle. Then you have to win a statewide campaign, about an issue that most people *statewide* don't give a flip about. It is a massive mountain to climb, and I dont think it is possible without massive financial backing.

And Olympia isn't going to give Seattle something unless the delegation is in lockstep (they are not), and they get a pound of flesh or five. That's just politics.

Affordable housing is a super important issue in this city. Absolutely. But I don't think rent control is the right policy to pursue because it is the path of most resistance.