First Poll

http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/210970

From the King County Journal, and a poll conducted by David Irons, "The poll shows that if the vote was held today, Sims of Seattle would get 42 percent, Irons 40 percent and Green Party candidate Gentry Lange 5 percent, with the rest undecided."

So just two days into the race I'm polling at 5 percent... with 13 percent undecided.

Election Reform Websites

There's a lot of site's out there about election reform, and I'll add links occasionally as I find them here in the blog. Eventually I will create a links page for my campaign site. But until then, here's just a few to start with:

http://www.countthevote.org/
http://www.lionsgrip.com/voting2004whoswho.html
http://www.solarbus.org/election/archives.shtml
http://www.votefraud.org/relevance_o'halloran_pandora's_box.htm
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/articles/oct03_v5_n10/oct03_v5_n10_1.cfm
http://www.nov2truth.org/

More on The Election Center

http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml/Election_Center

This is a great source of information about the Election Center. Read up!

Compare and Contrast

Compare this:
Ballot Inegrity Org

To this:
Seattle PI Opinion Piece

And to this:
Online Journal piece on Harris
Scoop News

Supreme Courts VS Property Rights

So the Supreme Court's recent ruling on taking property for private development is just plain wrong. This ruling should be of particular concern to those of King County as the Critical Areas Ordinance is nothing compared to this decision.

I am not a person who believes much in the illusion of left/right categorizations of politics, as I tend to believe more in the corporate/anti-corporate division... this ruling is basically one of the worst decisions I have ever seen from this Court. Thankfully it's a 5-4 court, and is likely to swing the other way over time. But there's danger in that backlash as well.

Bush supporters, as I know a lot of perplexed Republicans out there, should take notice, not just of the so-called "liberal judges" of the court, but in Bush's silence on this decision. It would also be wise to actually acknowledge that this issue is not a left and right issue, and to come talk to those of us whom you may consider "lefties" and realize that there are allies in the anti-Corporate side of the isle on this issue.

Democrats might take note of the damage the so called "left-wing" of the court just did to society here, as a lot of good Democrats out there hold dear some rather anti-Corporate beliefs.

I fear that the backlash to this decision may bring about a gutting of environmental protection laws, which won't fix the problem, which is unchecked Corporate influence and power, rather this backlash will exacerbate the situation by playing one side off the other while continuing to further the corporate power grab and goals.

The Streetcar, Brightwater, Rails and Trails, oh My!

This is a great article on the streetcar debates in Seattle:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002343905_yeaworth22.html

More information on the streetcar, Pioneer Square, and SAM:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002342645_trolley21m.html

Here's an article on the Brightwater project:
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/dnrp/press/2005/0621brightwater.htm

Rails and trails issue:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/229474_trail22.html

Here's my favorite article so far on the rail to trails issue:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002339793_vesely19.html

Finally for this post, here's a must read for every Democrat that thinks Sims and Dean Logan are getting a bad rap:
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/210002

Seattle Gay Pride

Today I attended Pride and met many good people. It seems to me that there are a lot of people realy interested in the issues I bring up.

Really enjoyed the whole day. Someone had a petition about saving Pride weekend. If you know what this is about... please write me or post a link.

Oh, and the King County Journal just picked up the announcement.

Announcing the Campaign

Well both the PI and the Times picked up the announcement. Soundpolitics, the blog also mentioned it.

Electoral Standards

http://www.washingtonfreepress.org/74/electoralStandards.htm
A good article on electoral standards

Unauthorized Recounts?

This is interesting:

http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/randirhodes/messageboards/lofiversion/index.php/t52896.html

Some states prohibit elections officials from checking on optical scan tallies by examining the paper ballots. In Washington, according to former supervisor of elections Julie Anne Kempf, Secretary of State Sam Reed [Sic*] declared such spontaneous checkups to be "unauthorized recounts." New Florida regulations will forbid counting paper ballots, even in recounts, except in highly unusual circumstances. Without paper ballot hand-counts, the hacks demonstrated below show that optical-scan elections can be destroyed in seconds.

[*SIC... actually this was determined during the Monroe Administration]

Traffic Suggestions

Hey anyone with good traffic suggestions, or problem areas I should film, send those suggestions my way. I drive a lot, yet there's always places I don't know a lot about.

Also give a shout if you are from outside of Seattle. There's a lot of cities in King County, the King County Executive should know each of them. I plan on visiting every city in this county before this election is over. So stay tuned, I'll be visiting your city before too long.

Ideas on Traffic

Traffic ideas from a mayor in Canada
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=21dd98d8-deaa-4872-b569-08af3bb9c118

A tonue and check driving article
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/0612macdonald0612.html

Agressive Driving Addressed
http://safety.transportation.org/htmlguides/AggDrvr/types_of_probs.htm

Interesting Technology for Traffic Congestion
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/25/001241&from=rss

Pennsylvania Targets Tailgating as low cost improvement
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/low_cost_traf/chap_5.htm

[Public Education In Colorado targets Driving Problems]

The educational aspect of the campaign involved a multi-faceted approach in both print and electronic media, and educational efforts were undertaken that addressed the goals of the campaign both inside the Aurora Police Department and the City of Aurora as well. Uniformed officers of the Patrol Bureau were given briefings pertaining to the importance of their continuing attention to traffic-related matters during their patrol activities. Additionally, employees of the City of Aurora were informed as to the importance of the traffic campaign’s public safety goals through employee newsletters as well as Aurora’s award winning cable television station, KACT-TV, Channel 8. The entire media effort involved thorough explanations emphasizing the importance of the campaign, as well as the personal responsibility of each citizen to drive safely and respect the rights of other motorists.

One of the unique aspects of the campaign was demonstrated by the fact that the public was notified by the media in advance of the locations of targeted traffic enforcement activities. This approach was again proof positive of the behavior modification goal of the campaign. It also totally defused any public perception of the "cops hiding in the bushes to write tickets" criticism - often expressed particularly by many drivers while holding a traffic citation in hand.
http://www.usmayors.org/chhs/traffic/best_traffic_initiative_aurora.htm

Media coverage of the report effectively focused on
three core messages: there is hope for curing gridlock,
fixing traffic bottlenecks is a critical starting point to
any regional congestion relief plan and Congress needs
to pass a new six-year highway bill that dedicates
significant funding to improving bottlenecks.
http://tinyurl.com/cylek

Tailgating

Tailgating irritates motorists more than any other driving behaviour, according to a survey.
Car insurance provider Budget Direct said 51 per cent of motorists surveyed nationally nominated tailgating as the most aggravating road habit.

http://seven.com.au/news/nationalnews/84528

Marketing 101

I said I would recommend activities. Here's one, which we can try now if there's time or you can try later: write a message of 2-3 sentences for your campaign to use on the phone to a Washington Post reporter. Now write one to use with the editor of a small ethnic paper in your neighborhood. Make both about the same campaign, but do not make them the same.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=513

Nickels on Global Warming

[Nickels Supports Specific Actions]

"I've always been a believer in local action," Nickels said. "We can show that there are specific actions we can take to meet or exceed the goals of the Kyoto Accords that will show the federal government that this can be done without huge economic disruption."
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/11805174.htm

Traffic: Congestion Pricing

[More from the Congestion Tax Article]

Livingstone, who was elected London mayor in 2000 and reelected last year, introduced the fee in February 2003 to relieve his city's traffic-choked streets. Revenue is reinvested in public transportation.

Despite protests, Livingstone imposed the fee on drivers entering an eight-square-mile area of central London that includes its financial and entertainment districts between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Drivers who enter central London must buy daily, weekly or yearly passes and register their license plate numbers. A network of 800 cameras photographs license plates within the zone, and motorists who have not paid are fined.

A recent government study found that congestion inside the zone has fallen 30 percent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/04/AR2005060401388.html

Traffic Visions

Alternative visions
Five Bay Area conservationists are thinking globally – but outside the mainstream consensus – about sustainability
http://www.sfbg.com/39/35/news_environment.html

[Congestion Tax Article]

SAN FRANCISCO -- The mayor of London told dozens of world mayors that they could unclog city streets and fight global warming by charging hefty fees for driving in congested areas of their communities.

Mayor Ken Livingstone said making drivers pay a "congestion charge" to drive in central London has improved traffic flow and reduced the emission of "greenhouse gases" blamed for raising temperatures and changing weather patterns. The $9 fee has forced people out of their cars and filled city buses, subways and sidewalks, he told mayors assembled here Friday for the U.N. World Environment Day Conference.

"We are the only city in the Western world where there's a notable shift from car use to public transport," he said at San Francisco's Cable Car Museum. "This is the only thing I've done in my political life that turned out better than I hoped."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/04/AR2005060401388.html

A Note on Process from me... The Blogger

So, I'm tracking down all these artlicles in a hope to come up with a bulleted list of programs, projects, and initiatives, that are actually in place around the world and working. Hence the quoted sections from the news articles from around the web regarding the mayor's conference.

As I can I will compile what I find into that bulleted list.

Regards,
Gentry

Green Cities Conference Highlights

More from the San Francisco Conference, article highlights followed by link to original source:

"The emphasis on cities is necessary because the vast majority of the world's people will be living in urban areas over the next century, said Jared Blumenfeld, the director of San Francisco's Environment Department, which was created in 1998 through a ballot initiative that centralized the city's environmental policy. "

"It's easy for a head of state to stand up and say he will take action, but it's another thing to implement it," said Blumenfeld, who was involved in the Rio summit. "Part of the problem with these international agreements is you can't hold people accountable.

There is more accountability, Blumenfeld said, when municipalities are involved. "If the mayor of a city promises to put solar panels up," he said, "you know whose door to knock on when he doesn't."

The Green Cities conference will highlight San Francisco's recycling program, mass transportation, solar arrays and the restoration of the Crissy Field tidal wetlands. Problems related to urban sprawl around the Bay Area and the need for sustainable development and corporate responsibility also will be addressed.

Among the programs that will be introduced at the conference is a collaborative effort by the Bay Area Council, an alliance of major employers, to get commitments from 273 of the Bay Area's largest employers to reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency.

"More and more companies are waking up to the fact that business success cannot be sustained when there is substantial environmental degradation," said Power, whose organization will play a major role at the conference. "There is a recognition that what's good for the planet is good for business. But companies still have a long way to go, particularly U.S. companies that are being seriously outflanked by their European counterparts."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/01/ACCORDS.TMP

San Francisco Mayors' Conference

The following is a collection of quotes, and highlights from articles regarding the recent San Francisco conference of Mayors, links to articles included following highlights:
[official website of this conference--http://www.wed2005.org/]

"'Mayors are emerging as the most powerful and flexible agents of change. They are able to respond quickly to environmental issues and are uniquely accountable to their citizens. Their enormous purchasing power is shaping markets…their visionary solutions provide inspiration and serve as models to all sectors of society.'

It’s just like the bumper sticker says: Think globally, act locally."
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.06-09-2005/news/Article.news4

"Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is encouraging mayors to fight climate change at the municipal level by cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles, power plants and factories. After the landmark Kyoto Protocol on global warming went into effect without the United States earlier this year, Nickels asked U.S. mayors to voluntarily comply with the international treaty's emissions standards. So far, 156 mayors have agreed to do so, he said. "

http://tinyurl.com/cclda

"CADMAN: When we did a 100 year plan we learned that we run out of water in 35 years, run out of oil in 40 years, run out of natural gas in 60 years so we can't plan tomorrow as if it's a continuum of today."

http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=05-P13-00023&segmentID=1

"Environmentally conscious Oakland A's fans needn't feel guilty about tossing their plastic cups into trash cans at the McAfee Coliseum. They're being composted along with half-eaten hot dogs, cardboard food trays and used napkins.

'Since 1990, we have kept out of landfills over 300 million tons of materials,' said Roni Java of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, which oversees waste diversion efforts. 'If you took trash trucks and filled them to the top and put them in a line bumper to bumper, that would make a line that would circle the Earth's equator more than six times.'

Still, the state fell short of its original 50 percent goal. According to the latest estimated figures from 2003, 48 percent of California's 78 million tons of waste is being recycled or reused. "
Too often, manufacturers package items in layers of cardboard, plastic and Styrofoam instead of simple containers. Restaurants and grocers send diners home with nonrecyclable polystyrene or polypropylene clamshell containers for their leftovers or meals instead of more environmentally friendly paper boxes.

'We're giving retailers and product manufacturers a free ride in regards to this packaging,' Murray said. "

In central Contra Costa County, a unique 'curbside reuse' program allows residents to put reusable out the day before semi-annual cleanups. The items, ranging from televisions and bikes to small furniture, linens, clothes and art materials, are distributed to nonprofits and St. Vincent de Paul, and some have been sent to Afghanistan and Bosnia, said Janet Schneider of the Centra Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority. "

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/31/MNG67D123C1.DTL

Green Cities Declaration

Urban Environmental Accords – Green Cities Declaration
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/06/green_cities_de.html

This is very cool, mayors from all over get together to see how cities all over the world address common problems.

Council Races and David Irons

Breakdown of Council Races from a few months back
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/213822_county28.html

David Irons sites of interest
http://www.metrokc.gov/mkcc/members/d12/
http://www.soundpolitics.com/archives/004371.html
http://www.davidirons.org/events.html

Reforming Voting Rights for the Previously Incarcerated

Reed, Democrats such as Gregoire and Republicans such as Rep. Toby Nixon of Kirkland say the state's flawed system of keeping track of felons' rights is so confusing that it's better to have a simpler approach such as Oregon's -- which forbids voting by felons in custody, but allows voting once they serve their time.

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050612/NEWS/506120301

New election center for King County

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2002314675_countyed06.html

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/227330_kingcoed.asp

A now I hear Dino Rossi is challenging Ron Sims
http://c17wife.redstate.org/story/2005/6/8/191136/4483

Rail or trail articles
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002277561_railfollow17e.html

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/05/18/100loc_trail001.cfm

$500,000 for King County Executive
http://www.ronsims.com/index.php?id=18

Politicians Podcasting

Politicians into Pod Casting
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2005/tc20050524_5126_tc_211.htm

Nickels Pushes Kyoto

Greg Nickels pushes for Kyoto resolution.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002322069_kyoto10m.html