Anti-Homeless Candidates Struggle in Last Night's Primary

With most precincts counted after last night’s primary it’s worth taking a look at some key local races we’ve watched at the Church Council.  Of course we don’t do politics, but our social justice work is greatly impacted by the results of each election cycle.

The races we’ve kept an eye on this season are in Woodinville (where we’re supporting Northshore United Church of Christ which is still fighting a backwards city council in court over hosting tent city over a year ago), Burien (where the city council has voted to demolish the Lora Lake Apartments) and the Port of Seattle (where a 3-2 vote by commissioners momentarily meant doom for the units at Lora Lake).

Here are results:


City of Woodinville Council Position No. 2

Jeff Glickman        382    38.47%

Randy Ransom        421    42.40%

Dave G. Henry        188    18.93%

Write-in        2    0.20%

City of Woodinville Council Position No. 6

Susan Boundy-Sanders        295    29.62%

Liz Aspen        377    37.85%

Al Taylor        146    14.66%

Christy Diemond        176    17.67%

Write-in        2    0.20%


City of Burien Council Position No. 4

J. Fulop        578    21.99%

Gordon M. Shaw        980    37.29%

Stephen Lamphear        1054    40.11%

Write-in        16    0.61%


Port of Seattle Commissioner Position No. 2

The-Anh Nguyen        5370    4.53%

Gael Tarleton        37902    31.97%

Wen Wu Lee        5426    4.58%

Jack Block Jr.        13278    11.20%

Bob Edwards        33172    27.98%

Thom McCann        22893    19.31%

Write-in        515    0.43%

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position No. 5

Bill Bryant        34129    29.40%

Alec Fisken        50536    43.53%

Catherine J. Perkins        22797    19.64%

Stephen Symms        8054    6.94%

Write-in        579    0.50%

The Port of Seattle contest was the easiest to call.  All candidates supported preservation of the 162 units at Lora Lake.  One would have to wonder if Edwards’ last-minute decision to support preservation of Lora Lake helped him against a crowded field.  His campaign brochure featured a color photo of him with his arm around Ron Sims.  Could that endorsement by Sims have happened if Edwards had been backwards on Lora Lake?

In the City of Burien, Lora Lake opponent Gordon Shaw made it to the General, but was polling well behind his chief opponent, Stephen Lamphere, a Lora Lake supporter.  Only Burien council member Rose Clark has been more vocal in opposition to preservation of Lora Lake.

In Woodinville, Al Taylor and Jeff Glickman are both close allies of current council members Roskind, Stecker, and Price, who have led the fight against Northshore UCC.  Taylor’s skimpy 15% is a spanking by voters.  Glickman heads to the General in second place to a strong and experienced candidate in Randy Ransom, former mayor.  

In each of these races one of the most critical issues they faced was their stand on homelessness — either about Tent City 4 or about the Lora Lake Apartments.  The results, especially in Woodinville and Burien, suggest candidates’ positions on homelessness are a piece of the puzzle voters consider as they make their decisions.  This is a wake-up call to anti-homeless elected officials.