Appreciation From The 5th Dems

Last year, I decided to step away from full involvement in politics.  I spent several terms representing Washington's 5th legislative district on the state Democratic central committee.  My friends at the 5th LD presented me with a plaque in honor of my service.  Although I loved the work that I did, it was great to leave on my own terms.  I plan to go to the monthly meeting and help on various projects.

Jaxon Ravens, Tina Podlodowski Appear In Snoqualmie

Washington State Committee Chair Jaxon Ravens and his opponent Tina Podlodowski spoke at the 5th District Democrats executive board meeting yesterday at the Snoqualmie Public Library.  Ravens has been under fire for what many considered a poor Democratic showing in this election cycle. 
Ravens said that lack of leadership in the Democratic National Committee was partly to blame although the party was able to keep it ground.  Podlodowski said that state Democrats had been steadily losing ground since 2010. 
The Washington State Central Committee will pick one of these two candidates at it's reorganization meeting on January 28th in Olympia.

5th District Senator Mark Mullet Ready To Campaign

Issaquah business man and Washington State Senator Mark Mullet speaks to members of the 5th District Democrats at the Eagle Room in the Issaquah City Hall.  Mullet, who owns the Ben And Jerry's and Zeek's Pizza in the Issaquah Highlands is in a tight race against Republican House Member Chad Magendanz.  In the meeting, the 5th LD Democrats endorsed candidates who made it through the top 2, but were not previously endorsed. They included Pat McCarthy for State Auditor,  Hilary Franz for Commissioner Of Public Lands, and Tony Ventrella for US House Of Representatives.  Mullet had been endorsed by the body several months ago.

Mullett Kicks Off State Senate Reelection Campaign In Issaquah

Washington State Senator Mark Mullett kicked off his 2016 campaign in Issaquah's Blakely Hall last night.  Mullett, who in 2012 became the first Democrat legislator elected in the 5th LD in 20 years, served Pizza and ice cream from his two local businesses, Zeeks and Ben and Jerry's. 
Mullett faces opposition from Republican Chad Magendanz, who represents the district in the state house.
Joining Mullett were fellow state senators David Frockt and Steve Hobbs.

Two Democrats Vie For 5th District House Position

For the first time in years, two democratic candidates will face each other in a bid to turn a legislative seat from the 5th Democratic.  The 5th Legislative District which includes the rural, but fast growing Southeast King County.  Chad Magendanz, who currently holds the seat, will challenge Democrat incumbent Mark Mullet for the Senate seat.
Darcy Burner of Ames Lake came with in a whisker hair of winning a seat in Congress.  She is passionate and makes no bones on her positions.  She emerged through a group known as NetRoots, a group of bloggers who expressed through technology, views that they felt where ignored by the mainstream media. 
Matt Larson is the current mayor of Snoqualmie, which has experienced unprecedented growth.  Larson talks about bringing consensus in the legislature.  He is endorsed by most of his fellow Eastside mayors and many party leaders.

5th LD Democrats Endorse Senator Mark Mullet, Along With Ritchie

A full house, which included some long missed faces, attended the 5th District Democratic Meeting in Issaquah and unanimously endorsed incumbent Senator Mark Mullet and hard charging Issaquah businessman Jason Ritchie for the Washington State House Of Representatives.  Mullet broke a 10 year hold of Republican representation from the 5th when he was elected Senator in 2012.  Ritchie challenged Dave Reichert in 2014 to Represent the 8th CD and had planned to run again for the seat, when the opportunity of an open seat in the state house presented itself.  Republican Chad Magendanz, who now holds the seat the Ritchie is seeking, is planning to challenge Mullet for his senate seat.  Both Mullet and Ritchie spoke at the meeting.

Mullet Address The Dems

 State Senator Mark Mullet explains the goings on in the legislature to the 5 District Democrats during their monthly meeting in Issaquah.  Mullet, the first Democrat that the 5th has elected in nearly 20 years, will surely face a tough reelection in 2016.
The 5th also endorsed Port Commissioner Courtney Gregoire for reelection and State House Member Zack Hudgins for County Elections Director, which has recently become an elected position.

Essie Hicks--Running For State House

Last weekend, I volunteered to work in the Democratic Booth at Mt Si Days. Essie Hicks was there, campaigning to represent the 5 Legislative District in the State House Of Representatives.  The seat is currently held by Republican Jay Rodne.  The 5 District is comprised of Southeastern King County.  Main towns are Issaquah, Maple Valley, North Bend, and Carnation.

Drinking Liberally In Southeast King County

The 5th District Democrats have announced the start of Drinking Liberally, a grassroots gathering of people who meet in public houses to discuss politics.  Chapters of Drinking Liberally have sprung up across the nation.  It does not encourage people to drink and you do not have to be Liberal or a drinker of alcohol to attend.  You need only bring your concerns and curiosity and perhaps a GPS to find the location.  Drinking Liberally meetings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Zeek's Pizza 2525 NE Park Ave in Issaquah at 6:00.  State Senator Mark Mullet owns the Zeeks franchise and may be attending to give us tips on what is happening in the state legislature.

Suzan Del Bene Speaks To 5th Democrats

Suzan Del Bene was in Issaquah this week to speak to a group of Democrat's in the 5th Legislative District. The Freshman Democratic Congresswoman sits on the Agriculture and Judiciary Committees.  She represents Washington's 1st Congressional District which encompasses a fraction of the 5th.  The 5th also runs into the 8th Congressional District which is represented by Republican Dave Reichert.

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.