Council bids farewell to Bob Ferguson, incoming state attorney general
January 16, 2013
NEW — 6 a.m. Jan. 16, 2013
King County Council colleagues bid farewell to outgoing Bob Ferguson on Monday, as the longtime councilman prepares to assume office as state attorney general.
Bob Ferguson
Ferguson is scheduled to take the oath of office Wednesday in Olympia. In November, he defeated a council colleague, Issaquah-area representative Reagan Dunn, to succeed outgoing state Attorney General Rob McKenna.
“It has been an honor to work with Bob Ferguson for the last nine years,” council Chairman Larry Gossett said in a statement. “All of the people of the state of Washington will now benefit from the energy and intelligence we have seen during his time on the council.”
Democrats dominate Issaquah voters’ choices
January 1, 2013
Strong get-out-the vote operation boosts candidates
Democrats dominated Issaquah in the November election.
City voters chose Democrats for every federal and statewide office on the ballot — sometimes by a broad margin and others by a handful of votes.
Issaquah overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the races for president and vice president, U.S. senator and U.S. representative, and every statewide office. Only incumbent Republican Steve Litzow, a 41st Legislative District state senator representing about half of Issaquah, earned support from a majority of voters inside city limits.
How did Issaquah vote?
January 1, 2013
City-level results from the November election show Issaquah voters followed statewide trends on some issues, or occasionally chose another direction.
Off the Press
November 6, 2012
Political ads turn downright scary
Kathleen R. Merrill
Press managing editor
Last week, there was one day that I was literally sick to my stomach. No, not because I ate too much Halloween candy. Instead, it was because of all of the hate and ugliness in political ads.
Oh yeah. You know the ones I’m talking about:
“If he’s elected, my opponent will make sure you lose your house, and your kids go hungry and your dog dies.”
“My opponent is not who he says he is. He’s a big, fat liar.”
“My opponent has an autographed picture of Osama bin Laden on his desk.”
“My opponent has not been honest with the American people.”
“My opponent eats puppies for breakfast and drowns kittens on weekends.”
Pragmatism defines Issaquah, Eastside voters
October 30, 2012
Local voters could choose a Democrat for the White House, a Republican for the Governor’s Mansion and split legislative seats between the parties.
Experts said voters in Issaquah and the Eastside prefer a brand of politics anchored in pragmatism, rather than party. The effort to appeal to moderate voters is intense as candidates scrounge for votes in the last days before Election Day.
“Democrats and Republicans both get elected there. I think of it as a pragmatic, rather than ideological, sort of politics, which is what Washington state used to be known for,” independent Seattle pollster Stuart Elway said. “I think the state as a whole has gotten more partisan, as the country has, and the party lines seem to have gotten harder.”
Cyberbullying crackdown is priority for sheriff’s office
October 23, 2012
King County Sheriff’s Office investigators could soon crack down on cyberbullying, after the King County Council approved a motion introduced by Issaquah-area Councilman Reagan Dunn.
Reagan Dunn
Cyberbullying is the use of information and technology to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behavior. The crime exploded in recent years due to the prevalence of social media services, and gained national attention last year after classmates targeted a then-12-year-old Issaquah girl online.
Dunn said cyberbullying is increasingly a concern for law enforcement agencies.
“In recent months, all across the country, we have seen tragedies unfold as a result of cyberbullying,” he said in a statement. “This motion will allow the sheriff’s office to study this issue thoroughly and ensure King County has a plan to deal with any of these troubling bullying trends.”
(Dunn represents rural areas south of Issaquah and Newcastle on the council.)
King County Sheriff’s Office reform plan is approved
September 19, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Sept. 19, 2012
Officials adopted a plan to reform the King County Sheriff’s Office as the agency assesses critical reports about use of force, misconduct and citizen complaints.
In a unanimous decision Monday, King County Council members approved legislation to established benchmarks and a timeline to implement reforms at the sheriff’s office.
The legislation calls for the sheriff to take specific actions and meet certain deadlines to implement the recommendations raised by recent reports.
The sheriff must report back to council on measures of progress on meeting the recommended reforms.
How did Issaquah vote?
September 18, 2012
Data from the Aug. 7 primary shows how Issaquah voters decided — and offers clues to how the local electorate might vote in the November general election.
King County Council members call for sheriff’s office reforms
September 8, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. Sept. 8, 2012
King County Council members Bob Ferguson and Julia Patterson introduced legislation Sept. 3 to address a recent King County Sheriff’s Office performance audit.
The audit examined the sheriff’s office’s Internal Investigations Unit and the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight. The legislation calls for the sheriff to demonstrate and document actions being taken to address significant shortcomings in internal investigation operations.
“This legislation is all about transparency and accountability,” Ferguson — Government Accountability, Oversight and Financial Performance Committee chairman — said in a statement. “Establishing a plan with deadlines and deliverables makes it clear that we expect to see progress and reforms in how citizen complaints and misconduct cases are handled.”
Voters endorse property tax measure, incumbent candidates
August 14, 2012
King County voters endorsed a $200 million property tax measure to build a juvenile justice facility to replace the aging Youth Services Center, a juvenile detention facility in Seattle.
The property tax measure, Proposition 1, appeared on a crowded primary ballot alongside federal, judicial, legislative and statewide contests.
