Last week, as nearly 100 aspirants to fill Jim Compton's now-vacant council seat paraded through the nearly empty chamber, one council member, Tom Rasmussen, was hiking in the Galápagos—a vacation planned long before his erstwhile colleague resigned, throwing everything from committee schedules to the council presidency in question.
On Friday, Rasmussen returned from his Ecuadorian excursion a week ahead of schedule, citing a desire "to fully participate in the selection" of his newest colleague. Rasmussen noted, however, that one reason for his early return was an attempted mini-coup by supporters of council presidential contender Jean Godden, who pushed for a vote on the presidency while Rasmussen, part of a four-vote bloc supporting her rival, Richard Conlin, was unreachable, giving Godden a 4-3 lock on the presidency. "I was really offended by that," Rasmussen said Friday. "I think it tainted the council-president selection process." So much so, several of Rasmussen's colleagues say, that the presidency could end up going to a third candidate such as Richard McIver or Nick Licata, who both expressed their interest in the job last week. On Tuesday, a Godden staffer said she would support McIver over Licata, as would, presumably, Godden supporters David Della and Jan Drago—producing yet another 4-4 deadlock.
Unfortunately, this column went to press before the council met on Tuesday, so the presidency may well be decided by the time you read this (see www.thestranger.com/blog for updates); on Monday, Conlin told me he was "70 to 80 percent sure" the council would pick a leader on Tuesday. But Peter Steinbrueck, a Conlin supporter, called Conlin's prediction "characteristically optimistic," and said the council might need more time to reach a consensus. Steinbrueck, who said his colleagues' "underhanded tactics" marked "a low point in my eight years on the council," proposed an ordinance Tuesday that would have required a five-vote majority to elect a council president, but it failed.
You could sense a certain chill in the air on Thursday, January 12, when the council, minus Conlin and Rasmussen, looked alternately disengaged and weary during a marathon public hearing on Compton's replacement. (For details on the finalists, see page 13.) While many unknown candidates tried earnestly to convince council members to give them a chance, others seemed eager to waste the council's time. Laura McAlister, candidate #77, referred to herself cheerfully as "a 'why not?' candidate... I don't have anybody in my court. I don't have preset ideas on issues." Meanwhile, candidate #13, Orin O'Neill, crowed about his lack of experience, noting proudly that his resumé "does not include any elected office or work on any political campaigns." And candidate #5, Douglas Mays—a perennial candidate who referred to himself as "that weird guy in the front row"—said he was running because he wanted to represent "many individuals existing congruently in the oneness of our city."
On Tuesday, the council narrowed its picks to 14 finalists. I'm happy to report that they do not include anyone whose sole qualification is a lack of any relevant experience.
