The editorial board was pleasantly surprised that all seven sets of answers to our questionnaire for King County Council District 1 were all “correct” in terms of subjects that unite the pro-transit coalition. No one refused to answer, or opposed more funding for Metro or Sound Transit. Although most candidates have their flaws, none strike us as a complete disaster.
Nevertheless, based on their survey responses, and conversations with various people we trust, Shoreline City Council member Will Hall is the best candidate for this position. Not only are his policy positions solid, he has experience in political office, and people who have observed him in his day job as a Snohomish County planner (and Puget Sound Regional Council staffer) have been impressed with his progressive viewpoints and technical expertise on our issues. This grounding would be valuable on a County Council that often reacts to whoever screams the loudest.
Executive Constantine will nominate three candidates for the County Council. The other standout in the field is real estate attorney Rod Dembowski, who has solid views, and is well respected in Democratic Party circles, but has less of a track record on urbanism. But Hall is the strongest choice for transit.
You won’t get a chance to vote on these candidates anytime soon, but you can let the Executive and your Councilmember know what you think about them. The King County Council is the single most important body for determining how transit operates in Greater Seattle, although it receives far less attention than the Seattle City Council.
That’d be my top two. I hope Hall is the ulimate selection though.
Thanks STB! I appreciate the nod if not the endorsement in this accomplished field of applicants and look forward to leading on transit issues. Best, Rod.
You’re a wonderful transit ally. We’ll see what the council and Executive decide. Best of luck, Rod!
Thank you Stephen!
Excellent call, STB!
Thank you for the vote of confidence and the endorsement! I look forward to working with other supporters to improve our transit systems and make them even more accessible and more reliable for the entire community. Good transit also reduces congestion on our roads and highways, so everybody wins. There is a lot of work to do to win legislative support for stable, permanent funding. I appreciate the commitment of all the candidates to work toward this goal.
Good luck, Will! If you make it into office, just don’t forget the small stuff. Help Metro do stop diets, strong signal priority, and streamlined routing.
Excellent! Thanks STB – now I know whom to vote against!