Home | MAKUPFRONT: UP FRONT WITH ROBERT MAK

It’s over (well, almost).  Here’s the wrap from the Up Front team:

Did Costco overspend?  In political campaigns, the goal is to get 50% plus one.  If you’re getting 60%, chances are you spent too much.  But then again, Costco apparentlly really wanted to win this one, after losing its first initiative attempt last year.  So instead of spending $6 million as it did in 2010, it spent a record $22 million and got a decisive win.  Kirkland Signature liquor by June…

Too many pizza toppings?  If you like pepperoni pizza, what would you say if someone offered you pizza with everything on it?  Our polling finds certain parts of Tim Eyman’s initiative were popular, such as requiring tolls to be flat rate.   But voters did not agree with requiring the legislature to approve tolls, instead of the Transportation Commission.  So perhaps some of the topings turned off voters to the whole package.  Having said that, it’s still very close.  Convention wisdom would have it that if the initiative is losing in King County, the results are unlikely to turn around as more ballots are counted.

Reardon survives but doesn’t get the phone call:  Aaron Reardon coasted to a third term as Snohomish County Executive with 57% of the vote, despite late revelations that the state patrol is investigating his travel expenses.  Republican Mike Hope conceded the race Tuesday night, but didn’t call Reardon first.  So it was KING 5 reporter Joe Fryer who told Reardon that Hope had conceded. 

Reardon was so far ahead and outspent Hope before any of the news broke.  It’ll be interesting to see as the late ballots are counted, whether in fact, the allegations made any difference.  The take-away lesson:  Late news in an election isn’t as potentially damaging as it used to be with people mailing in votes over a three-week period.

Most incumbents survive:  A good night for incumbents—generally.  On the Seattle City Council, five incumbents cruised to victory, with Jean Godden facing the stiffest challenge and still coming out 8 points ahead of Bobby Forch.  Similar story over at the King County Council, where incumbents survived; Jane Hague fending off Democrat Richard Mitchell by 8 points. 

Over in Bellevue, John Chelminiak and Claudia Balducci both got close to 70%.  But there is one nailbiter:  the open seat contest between Aaron Laing and John Stokes—Stokes 127 votes ahead for now.  And one possible upset to watch on the Seattle School Board: Steve Sundquist trailing by about 2,000 votes behind Marty McLaren.  Sundquist took one of the most visible roles guiding the board through the recent Superintendent turmoil.

Pushing the limit in Seattle:  City voters historically have been remarkably willing to tax themselves for parks and schools.  But Seattle city leaders may have discovered the limits in this election, as voters soundly rejected raising car tabs another $60 dollars.  Part of them problem is the increase would come on top of Seattle’s existing $20 fee, and another $20 tacked on recently by King County for Metro.  When residents calculated the extra fees on top of state charges and Sound Transit, they were staring at close to $200 tabs per car.  The mayor, who pushed the measure, conceded the regressive tax was probably not well received. 

Meanwhile, city voters did prove their willingness to raise taxes on another measure—renewing the Families and Education levy, despite the fact it’s twice as large as the previous one.

Chalk another one up for SEIU:  The Union got Initiative 1163 passed, requiring more training and background checks for state home care workers.  But will legislators simply say there isn’t enough money, as they have in the past?

Did your spouse really vote for you?  And finally, the close race of the evening comes from Enumclaw’s School Board #4.  Dan Peterson 1832, Tina McGann 1831.  Enough to make anyone second-guess, if all your family members and friends really voted.