Current Normandy Park City Councilmember and former Mayor Shawn McEvoy, running for the 8th District seat on the King County Council, will be holding a campaign kick off party on Tuesday, June 22nd from 7pm – 8:30pm.

The event will be held at the Normandy Park Community Club, with hor d’ouvres provided by Mick Kelly’s.

Here’s a statement from McEvoy’s campaign staff:

Campaign Kick Off Party!

Current City Councilmember and former Mayor of Normandy Park Shawn McEvoy invites you to come mingle with friends and neighbors as we officially kick off his campaign for the 8th District seat on the King County Council.

Although this is the ‘official’ kick off for his campaign, Shawn has been working hard already at getting elected to the non-partisan position, meeting with groups and individuals throughout the 8th District. Come meet and see what Shawn has to offer our communities.

Please join us and show your support for Shawn McEvoy!

WHEN: Tuesday, June 22nd, 7pm – 8:30pm

WHERE: Normandy Park Community Club, located at 1500 SW Shorebrook Drive
 Normandy Park, WA 98166

Hor d’ouvres provided by Mick Kelly’s,

Friends of Shawn McEvoy
P.O. Box 48154
Burien, WA 98148

by Ralph Nichols

Normandy Park City Councilman Shawn McEvoy says it’s time the Highline area is represented by someone who lives here, and not in West Seattle.

So McEvoy, now serving his second term as an elected member of the city council (he was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2002), recently announced that he is a candidate for the county council from District 8.

The district includes Normandy Park, Burien, the western reaches of SeaTac and Tukwila, North Highline, West Seattle, Vashon and Maury Islands.

McEvoy makes an obvious point.

Former District 8 King County Councilman Dow Constantine, who was elected county executive last fall, lives in West Seattle. So does his replacement to the District 8 seat, former Seattle City Councilwoman Jan Drago.

District 34 State Sen. Joe McDermott, who is not seeking re-election so he can run for Drago’s seat, also lives in West Seattle – as does District 34 State Rep. Eileen Cody.

“I think the voters [in these districts] outside of West Seattle feel under represented, even ignored,” McEvoy said. “The political process is heavily skewed to West Seattle. We want representation …

“I have the qualifications, I have the experience, and I can do a better job than the other guy,” he continued. “I understand the issues of King County, the problems and challenges facing King County, and the issues in District 8.”

His time on the city council – including serving four years as Normandy Park mayor – also gives him the “demonstrated experience to develop a responsible budget, the demonstrated experience to respond to public concerns, and demonstrated leadership skills.”

McEvoy also points with pride to his “strong environmental record,” including salmon habitat recovery efforts in Miller Creek and the Cove that received national recognition from Trout Unlimited.

He is on the steering committee for Water Resource Inventory Area 9, which is responsible for Chinook salmon protection in the Duwamish/Green River watershed.

A five-point “immediate action plan” is the framework for McEvoy’s campaign:

• Better communication by King County government with the public.
• Enhanced county partnerships with the cities.
• Ensure that “service levels and funding match. “If we haven’t got the money, don’t spend it.”
• Stabilize funding of county services.
• “Work with county employees to solve problems” from budget-cutting job furloughs to streamlining the way services are provided “to make the county better to work for all of us.”

These address what McEvoy called King County’s “image and relationship problems with mayors, city councils – and citizens,” who see county government as “bloated, dictatorial, inefficient and Seattle-centric.”

In the interview, which took place before this week’s county council vote on a proposed sales tax increase and then a proposed property tax “reallocation” to help fund the sheriff’s and prosecutor’s offices and the courts, McEvoy said, “I’m a strong believer in public safety.

“When [Sheriff] Sue Rahr and [Prosecutor] Dan Satterberg tell me it’s important to have these funds [generated by a 2-cent increase in the sales tax], I believe them.”

Asked about contracts negotiated by public employee unions, which include pay raises and benefit increases at a time the county is facing another multi-million-dollar revenue shortfall, McEvoy added he would “certainly support a study to see if public contracts are in line with the private sector … or not.

“Whether we look to the unions as a first place to cut, [the cost of county government] is still an open question. But public safety and public health are, to me, number one.”

Noting a recent Puget Sound Regional Council projection that the area will experience a lot of growth by 2040, McEvoy said more roads probably will be needed.

He added his interest in “quicker buses” that provide service every 10 minutes to provide “a good, cost-effective people mover.”

Although he was “initially skeptical of light rail,” McEvoy said “it has started to make sense to me … we need to look at all [transportation] options and go with what makes sense.”

But county residents “don’t see much in return” for the taxes they pay the county,” he continued. A “classic example” is the way Metro bus service was reallocated. Although more routes were supposed to go to the county rather than Seattle, “it hasn’t worked out that way.”

[PHOTO CREDIT: City of Normandy Park]

by Mark Neuman

We spoke recently with Ross Hunter, candidate for King County Executive.

Ross, a Medina Democrat, managed a political miracle, if you will, seven years ago.

The 48th District (Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland) had not sent a Democrat to the House in over 100 years. Ross got himself elected.

“That was back when it wasn’t fashionable to be a Democrat on the east side. It was hard work. I raised and spent about a quarter of a million dollars. I knocked on eight thousand doors. I worked pretty hard.”

Was there a particular selling point?

“Sure. I’m competent. And I care about public education, the paramount duty of the state legislature.”

We asked Ross about one of his opponents for King County Executive, Susan Hutchison. In a recent direct mail piece Susan said she, if elected, would establish a transportation czar.

“Susan seems to be confused about the powers the King County Executive actually has.

“For her to come in and say she is going to have a czar that takes over the functions of the cities and the state is a fundamental misreading of what the King County Executive is actually allowed to do.

“The job of Executive is a complicated one with a lot of moving parts and a $5 billion budget.

“Unless we coordinate our transportation with our land use we are making the problem worse.”

Ross recently received the endorsement of the Seattle Times.

“Of course it makes you feel good that they (the Times) share your belief that you are competent to do the job.

“Next to the Seattle Times endorsement, I am most proud of the endorsement of the Eastside Business Alliance. This is a group of various chambers of commerce who know their business doesn’t succeed if they don’t have quality education for their kids, or if they don’t have roads.

“Our economy and quality of life depends on us making the wisest use of limited transportation dollars. We are one county, one region, and we should act like it.

“The solution to improving the business climate isn’t always to cut taxes. Making the system fairer and easier to comply with could have much more impact. More service, less overhead. Simplifying and regionalizing how King County does business with its businesses is one way the county can potentially save businesses thousands and thousands of dollars.

“We can simplify the permitting process for builders and contractors. Instead of making a business owner waste time traveling throughout the county to revisit city permitting offices, King County can provide a regional office where businesses can manage their permits at one location.

“Many cities in King County are already doing this and there’s no reason we can’t provide such a service countywide.”

“I propose that King County provides a simple web service for businesses to apply for licenses and calculate and pay business taxes. One tax return, one tax bill.”

Regarding recent budget cuts Ross said “I think we probably need more prosecutors. It’s not a place I would have cut. I also wouldn’t have cut into the public defenders.

“There are normal times and there are special times. This is a special time, because of the unprecedented downturn in the economy.”

Ross said he expects voters of North Highline to approve annexation on August 18.

He supports annexation because with it “There will be somebody to answer residents’ phone calls.”