Elections 2012

Should Seattle City Councilmembers Be Elected By District?

the conversation with ross reynolds — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:11:46 +0000

Beginning in 2015, Seattle residents might see a big change in how they’re represented in city government. A proposal that is likely to make the ballot this fall would create a hybrid system with seven geographical districts and one councilmember representing each. Two council seats would remain at-large.

Currently, Seattle voters elect nine at-large councilmembers who represent the entire city, and that’s fairly unusual. For cities with more than 500,000 residents, only Detroit, Mich. and Columbus, Ohio currently have at-large city council systems. So what are the arguments for creating a hybrid system? What are the arguments for keeping things the same?

David Hyde talks to Eugene Wasserman, president of the North Seattle Industrial Association and campaign coordinator for Seattle Districts Now, an organization proposing its own map of districts. David also hears from former city councilmember Jim Street and University of North Carolina government professor Kimberly Nelson.

Crisis In Syria, Winning The White House, And Ezra Dickinson

Weekday and Weekday with Steve Scher — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

A Look At The Humanitarian Crisis In Syria
President Obama has said that although we have evidence of chemical weapons being used inside of Syria, they don’t know when or who used them. While the administration is considering increasing aid to the country, it has stopped short of providing lethal aid to rebel groups. Two years after the start of the revolution, Syria has descended into a civil war with over 70,000 citizens killed and over one million refugees seeking asylum outside of the country.

Winning The White House In 2016: Rule 5
Are presidents today more empathetic than they were in the past? To win the presidency in 2016, a candidate must seem to deeply care about American citizens. University of Washington department of communication chair and professor David Domke explains why that is the expectation now and how it is different from the past.

Art Of Our City: Mother For You I Made This
Dancer and choreographer Ezra Dickinson created a series of solos to honor the woman who guided him to a dance career, his mother. But Ezra Dickinson has a different relationship with his parent than the one most of us have. Dickinson’s mother is schizophrenic, and she spent a good portion of her adult life on the streets. He has woven the solos together into a single performance he hopes will spark conversation about the American mental health system.

UPDATE: Starbucks Shareholders Want Ban On Political Contributions

Deborah Wang and Phyllis Fletcher — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:29:06 +0000

Story last updated by Phyllis Fletcher on March 20, 2013 at 1:50 p.m.

Starbucks holds its annual shareholders’ meeting Wednesday in Seattle. On the agenda: a proposal from a group of investors that’s meant to limit the company’s involvement in elections.

Winning The White House In 2016

Producer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

In an interview with Fox News earlier this week, Mitt Romney said that failing to reach minority voters was his biggest mistake of the 2012 campaign. What will it take to win the next election? UW Professor David Domke says winning over voters in so-called "carve-out states" — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — will be one key to victory. He joins us with rules of the road for winning the White House in 2016.

Push For District-Based Seattle City Council Elections

Liz Jones — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:59:00 +0000

A campaign is mounting to switch up how Seattle City Council members are elected. Currently, members can live in any part of the city and their job is to represent the whole of Seattle. A campaign called Seattle Districts Now aims to divide the city into seven smaller districts with a council seat based in each one. Voters in each district would then elect a council member to represent their specific neighborhoods and interests.

Should Seattle City Elections Be Publicly Funded?

Ross Reynolds — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:20:00 +0000

The Seattle City Council is thinking about developing a publicly-funded approach to campaign finance. The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission would develop a detailed plan and voters would decide whether to approve it later this year. The idea to use public money to fund city campaigns is meant to open up the political arena to candidates who might not otherwise run for office. On Thursday, city councilmembers will meet with representatives from Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles to see how publicly funded campaigns have played out in their cities.

Politics In Verse With Calvin Trillin

Rachel Solomon — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:00:00 +0000

America's deadline poet Calvin Trillin presents this talk about the 2012 presidential election -- in verse. With wry humor, Trillin discusses politics, campaigns and poetry, including the frustrating difficulty of trying to rhyme words with presidential candidate names. He spoke at Seattle's Town Hall on December 10, 2012.

City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen Responds To Seawall Construction Schedule Critics

Ross Reynolds — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Last week Seattle voters approved funding for rebuilding Seattle's waterfront seawall. But some waterfront businesses say the construction schedule will hurt the tourist trade. Ross talks to Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the transportation committee.

Charter School Initiative Passes, Says AP

Ann Dornfeld — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:09:06 +0000

The charter school initiative has passed by a narrow margin, according to the Associated Press. The vote stands at 50.8 percent to 49.2 percent. That's a difference of about 44,000 votes. Statewide, 269,000 ballots remain to be counted. The No on 1240 campaign Facebook page says campaign managers won't consider the race over until every vote is counted.

Republican Recriminations Fly In 1st District Congressional Race

Deborah Wang — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 19:09:10 +0000

The 1st District was supposed to be the Republican Party’s best chance of picking up a Congressional seat in the state this year. But after Democrats won the seat decisively, Republicans are pointing fingers over who is to blame.