Municipal League Favors Commons, But Leaves Ballpark Up To Voters - - Incumbents Generally Fare Well In Ratings Of Candidates

The King County Municipal League believes the $111 million levy to help finance the Seattle Commons "is deserving of support" from city voters, but is leaving up to individuals whether to vote for the sales-tax increase of 0.1 percentage point to help fund an outdoor baseball stadium.

"We do not make a recommendation" on the proposed stadium tax, the good-government group said, noting that there are compelling arguments on both sides of the stadium issue.

"The league concludes that voters should make their decisions on the measure based on their own personal priorities for how public funds should be expended for capital projects," it said.

But on the city's levy to help finance a 61-acre downtown park south of Lake Union, the league urged voters to vote "yes" because the plan presents "a remarkable opportunity to achieve a civic dream of long standing."

The league said it found the Commons project in keeping with state urban-growth goals, which require additional housing and employment to be found in already-developed city areas, and that it found "persuasive the idea that the proposal could absorb 30 percent of Seattle's required new housing and jobs."

At the same time, the league said questions still surround the proposal, including the observation by the Capital Finance Review Board that the mix of public and private dollars to complete the three-phase plan would be short of funds even if the tax increase were approved.

Commons officials also concede that there would be a lag in federal and state highway money for fixing the "Mercer Mess" and that $70 million in private contributions for the park and other enhancements would still need to be raised.

"The public entity or nonprofit group given responsibility to build the Commons will need to carefully manage the project so that the overall goals for the Commons are achieved even if funding is delayed or cut back," the league said.

The league yesterday also announced its rating of candidates in the fall election.

Incumbents generally fared better than their challengers in the league's ratings. But one race with no incumbent seeking re-election, but high interest, is the dogfight among four candidates to fill the Seattle City Council seat being vacated by Council President Jim Street.

In the Position No. 7 contest, Tina Podlodowski, a former Microsoft executive, was given the league's top rating of "outstanding," while former state Rep. Jesse Wineberry was ranked just a notch below at "very good." City activist Pat Strosahl was considered "good," while Kerman Kermoade was listed as "adequate."

The league rates candidates "outstanding," "very good," "good," "adequate" "poor" and "not qualified."

The league's candidate-evaluation committee considered each candidate based on a background investigation, answers to a written questionnaire and a personal interview.

In other Seattle City Council races, incumbent Sherry Harris and her opponent, Seattle Police officer John Manning, were both rated as "very good."

City Council member Margaret Pageler was considered a "very good candidate" for Position No. 5. Two West Seattle challengers, activist Charlie Chong and retired businessman Frank Bradley, were rated as "good." The third challenger, Alfred Lee Johnson, a Southeast Seattle businessman, was rated "poor."

For Position No. 1, incumbent Sue Donaldson was rated "very good," while challenger Jordan Brower, a University of Puget Sound professor, was rated "good." The league said it had insufficient information to rank Meg Novak, who also filed for the seat.

For the final Seattle City Council position on the ballot, incumbent Martha Choe was rated "outstanding;" her opponent, Robert Arntzen, was rated "adequate."

In contested Metropolitan King County Council positions, Republican Robert McKenna, got an "outstanding" rating for the District No. 6 seat, as did incumbent Democrat Greg Nickels in District No. 8. Republican incumbent Brian Derdowski was rated "good," but a challenger from his own party, Brian Thomas, was rated a step higher at "very good."

Meanwhile, a candidate for Kent City Council, Russ Stringham, said he got an "adequate" rating, even though he never spoke or wrote to the league, and refused to answer its questionnaire.

"How can they rate a candidate whom they have never even talked to? It destroys the credibility of the process. It makes all the ratings meaningless," Stringham said. His opponent for Position No. 7, incumbent Judy Woods, received an "outstanding" rating.

League member Eileen Quigley said that in the absence of an interview or questionnaire, the league relies upon information culled from newspaper accounts, personal interviews with those who know the candidate, public records and past and current activities.

"We make a distinction between those we have enough information to rate and those we don't," Quigley said. "Mr. Stringham was one of those we had enough information on."

Seattle Times staff reporters Danny Westneat and Phat X. Chiem contributed to this report.

------------------------ MUNICIPAL LEAGUE RATINGS ------------------------

These are the King County Municipal League's candidate ratings. An asterisk denotes incumbents.

KING COUNTY COUNCIL

District No. 2: Cynthia Sullivan (D) # , very good.

District No. 4: Larry Phillips (D) # , very good.

District No. 6: Linda Jackman (R), very good; Sharon Mast (D), adequate; Robert McKenna (R), outstanding; William Reams (R), good.

District No. 8: Gene Goosman (R), poor; Michael Heavey (D), adequate; Greg Nickels (D) # , outstanding.

District No. 10: Larry Gossett (D) # , very good.

District No. 12: Brian Derdowski (R) # , good; Fred McCarty (D), insufficient information to rate; Brian Thomas (R), very good.

KING COUNTY ASSESSOR

Jerry Guite (R), poor; Scott Noble (D) # , oustanding.

PORT OF SEATTLE

Position No. 2: Robert Burns, insufficient information to rate; Bill Elder, good; Gary Grant # , very good.

Position No. 5: Ronald Newenhof, poor; Paul Schell # , very good; Rich Stuart, poor.

SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD

District No. 1: Ken Harer, adequate; Martin Ringhofer, adequate; Ellen Roe # , adequate.

District No. 2: Scott Barnhart # , very good.

District No. 3: Steve Hall, good; Linda Harris # , very good.

District No. 6: Linda Green, insufficient information to rate; Mark Kinzel, insufficient information to rate; Barbara Schaad-Lamphere, good; Gerald Smith, good; Daniel Vallejos-Avila, good.

AUBURN CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Susan Singer, good; Don Spellman, insufficient information to rate.

Position No. 3: Don Kurle # , outstanding; Frederick Poe, good; Porter Sigler, adequate.

Position No. 5: Eugene Cerino, good; Virginia Haugen, adequate; Michael Weekley, good.

Position No. 7: Trish Borden # , good; Gordon Roach, insufficient information to rate; Karen Smith, outstanding.

BELLEVUE CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Georgia Zumdieck # , good.

Position No. 3: Michael Buscher, adequate; Charles Mosher, good.

Position No. 5: Doreen Cato, outstanding; Michael Creighton, good.

Position No. 7: Kurt Springman, very good.

BURIEN CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 2: Shirley Basarab, adequate.

Position No. 4: Kitty Mine # , very good.

Position No. 6: Don Newby # , very good; Melton Parker, insufficient information to rate.

FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Mary Gates # , very good; Bob Munroe, good.

Position No. 3: Jim Campton, adequate; Michael Park # , very good; Gregory Powers, very good.

Position No. 5: Richard Burris, very good; Ronald Gintz # , very good.

Position No. 7: Albert Alvarez Jr., insufficient information to rate; Jack Dovey # , good; Ron Tuma, insufficient information to rate.

KENT CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Connie Epperly, adequate; Janette Nuss, oustanding.

Position No. 3: James Bennett # , adequate; Charlie Kiefer, adequate; William Shelton, good.

Position No. 5: Lee Ann Blessing-Johnson, insufficient information to rate; Leona Orr # , very good.

Position No. 7: Russell Stringham Jr., adequate; Judy Woods # , outstanding.

KIRKLAND CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 2: Michaele Muse # , good; Position No. 4: Sants Contreras # , very good.

Position No. 6: Dave Russell # , very good.

MERCER ISLAND CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Gordon Edberg # , very good.

Position No. 3: Jim Hale # , adequate; John Nelson, very good.

Position No. 5: Del Parker, not qualified; Michael Wensman, very good.

Position No. 7: Greg Lipton, adequate; Peter Orser, very good.

MAYOR OF REDMOND

Mark Denton, good; Rosemarie Ives # , good; Nancy McCormick, very good.

REDMOND CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Sharon Dorning # , good.

Position No. 3: Robert Counsell, adequate; Richard Grubb # , very good.

Position No. 5: Richard Cole # , very good; Robert DeWolf, good.

Position No. 7: Jim Robinson # , good.

RENTON MAYOR

Christopher Clifford, adequate; Earl Clymer # , good; Gary Smith, good; Jesse Tanner, good; Sandy Webb, adequate.

RENTON CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 3: Kathy Keolker-Wheeler # , very good; Jimmie Moncrief, poor.

Position No. 4: Jim Brundage, adequate; Gerry Marsh, adequate; Kingsley Parker, good.

Position No. 5: Antoinette Nelson # , very good.

Position No. 7: Dan Clawson, good; Charles Doyle, not qualified.

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL

Position No. 1: Jordan Brower, good; Susan Donaldson # , very good; Meg Novak, insufficient information to rate.

Position No. 3: Sherry Harris # , very good; John Manning, very good.

Position No. 5: Frank Bradley, good; Charlie Chong, good; Alfred Lee Johnson, poor; Margaret Pageler # , very good.

Position No. 7: Kerman Kermoade, adequate; Tina Podlodowski, outstanding; Pat Strosahl, good; Jesse Wineberry, very good.

Position No. 9: Robert Arntzen, adequate; Martha Choe # , outstanding.