Campaigning At Salmon Days

King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who is running again this year for a full term, talks to 5th District Democratic Chair Jim Baum at our booth at Issaquah Salmon Days.  Urquhart has no opponent in this election cycle, but still took the opportunity to chat with passers-by. 

5th LD Dems Endorse Courtney Gregoire For Port

The 5th Democrats endorsed Courtney Gregoire for Seattle Port Commission.   Gregoire, the daughter of former governor Chris Gregoire, was appointed to the Port early this year when Gael Tarleton left her position after being elected to the state House Of Representatives.  Gregoire spoke to the 5th at it's meeting about her vision for the port.  Gregoire will face election this fall.
At an earlier meeting, the 5th endorsed sitting port commissioners John Creighton and Stephanie Bowman.

Constantine Speaks In Issaquah On Coal Trains

King County Executive Dow Constantine was the headline speaker Wednesday night as the 5th District Democrats held a discussion on why a proposal to have coal trains passing through the area would be harmful to both the economic climate and the environment.  Constantine, known a strong environmentalist, said that there are three proposed routes to transport coal from mines in Wyoming and Montana to be loaded at ports in Longview and/or Bellingham and shipped to China.  Constantine said that 18 trains a day, approximately a mile and a half long could be running through  downtown Seattle, causing serious traffic snarls.  That could seriously damage the economic health of the region.  The trains could also tie up the rails and ward off needed cargo for Seattle's major industries.
Constantine has said that King County government has made a commitment to clean energy sources and  that Coal is one of the dirtiest sources of energy.  Dust from the coal passing through could severely lower the air quality of the region, raising the human health issue.
Also, speaking was Tiffany McGuyer, from Power Past Coal, a group that opposes the trains on the grounds that cleaner and healthier energy sources are available.
5th District Chair Jim Baum addressed the group to say that more discussions on timely regional issues are now in the works.  The discussion took place at the City Hall in Issaquah, the largest city in Washington's 5th legislative district.

5th District Democrats Censure Tom And Tim

 

The Democrats from Washington's 5th Legislative District met Wednesday, January 16 to reorganize after a 2012 election cycle that saw Barak Obama elected President, Jay Inslee elected Governor and Mark Mullet elected to be the first Democrat elected to represent the district in 20 years.  Mullet is our State Senator.
The body voted to censure Senators Rodney Tom (above) of Medina and Tim Sheldon of Potlatch for a moving to cross party lines and sabotage the Democrats hard earned majority.  Because of the move, Tom is Majority Leader and Sheldon is President Pro Tem.   Tim Shelden has long been a headache for Senate Democrats, but Rodney Tom, who switched from the Republican Party in '08, was a surprise as he had been known to support Democratic causes in the past.
The 5th also retained Jim Baum, who was challenged by former 45th District Chair Martin Cheney.  Cheney will represent the 5th on the King County Central Committee along with Barbara Rakita.  I was able to retain my position as State Committeeman along with Judith Shattuck who will be 5th District State Committeewoman for the first time.

Senator Elect Mark Mullet

Issaquah City Councilman Mark Mullet has been a elected to the state senate, he becomes the first Democrat to represent Washington's 5th Legislative district in 20 years. Mullet, a former Bank Of America executive, is owner of  Zeke's Pizza and Ben And Jerry's Ice Cream franchises in the Issaquah Highlands.  He was written about in the Seattle Times a few years ago for being the first Washington resident to purchase a Tesla, an all electric car.

Seattle Times Endorses Mullet For Senate

Washington's 5th Legislative District, one of the last of the totally red districts in King County, could be electing a Democrat for the first time in almost 20 years.  Incumbent Cheryl Pflug, a Republican, has left the race and endorsed what would have been her Democratic Opponent Mark Mullet, an Issaquah city councilman.  Mullet was also endorsed by the usually right-leaning Seattle Times.
Mullet own's a Zeek's Pizza franchise, along with a Ben And Jerry's Ice Cream franchise in the Issaquah Highlands.

Democratic Candidates For !st Congressional District To Debate

The five Democratic candidates vying to replace Jay Inslee in the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District will face each other this Wednesday June 27th in a debate sponsored by 5th, 45th and 48th LD Democrats.  Suzan Delbene, Darcy Burner, Darshan Rauniyar, Laura Ruderman, and Steve Hobbs will spar over the right to carry the Democratic banner into the hotly contested race.  Both Del Bene and Burner have run for Congress in the past, Burner taking on Dave Reichert in the 8th CD in 2006 and 2008 and Del Bene doing the same in 2010.  Ruderman is a fomer member of the State House Of Representatives, while Hobbs in currently in the State Senate. Rauniyar is a newcomer, positioning himself, of course, as the outsider. 
The debate will take place at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center at 16600 NE 80th in Redmond from 7:30 until 9pm.  There will be no admission charged but donations will be asked for to cover expenses.

Mullet Kicks Off Senate Campaign

So either Issaquah Councilman Mark Mullet's campaign for State Senate in the Washington's  5th Legislative District is off to a great start or Issaquah Highlands residents wanted free pizza.  A packed house gathered at Issaquah's Blakely Hall to meet Mullet, who is challenging Republican Cheryl Pflug for the position.  Mullet says that he is a fiscal Conservative and a social Liberal making him a good fit for the 5th  As the owner of two local franchise's, Ben And Jerry's and Zeke's Pizza, he has a good understanding of what it takes to run a small business.
The 5th district has been represented solely by Republicans since Democratic Senator Katherine Drew was defeated in 1996 by Dino Rossi.  Rossi at the time became the rising star in his party.  No doubt, if Mullet can defeat Senator Pflug, he would be a candidate to watch in the Democratic Party.

Maple Valley Democratic Precinct Caucuses Planned

The first step toward chosing delegates for the Democratic National Convention will commence in Washington this coming Sunday, April 15th.    Maple Valley Democrats will gather at Tahoma Junior High at 25600 Summit SE Landsburg Rd in Ravensdale for Precinct Caucuses.  5th District Precinct Caucuses will also take place day in Issaquah, Snoqualmie, and Carnation, with locations here.  The Caucuses will begin at 1:00 pm, but it would be wise to arrive early to sign in.  Any voter in the designated area who will be of voting age at the time of the 2012 general election is eligible to participate.  Voter registration forms will be available.  For more information, see the 5th District Democrats website.

Homecoming For The Drews At 5th Dems Meeting

The 5th District Democrats welcomed old friends back at it's monthly meeting last Wednesday.  Former State Senator Kathleen Drew  stopped by to announce her candidacy for Secretary Of State.  Drew brought along husband Steve, the current Thurston County Assessor.  Drew was the first and, at this point, the last Democrat to represent Washington's 5th Legislative District.  The former Issaquah residents were very active with the 5th Democrats until Kathleen was appointed to a position in Governor Gregoire's administration in 2005 and the family moved to Olympia.
Drew hopes to break a 46 year run of Republicans serving in the position best known for running state elections.  The last Democrat to serve that position was Vic Meyers (a Seattle band leader) who was defeated by Lud Kramer in 1964.  The current Secretary, Sam Reed has announced that he will not seek another term.

5th District Democrats Unveil New Booth

The 5th District Democrats will have a new look at Issaquah Salmon Days this year.  A new booth has arrived.  Chair Jim Baum had members help in the set up to "show that the booth does not appear with the wave of  a magic wand."