Updated July 23, 2010 Garden Party 2010 is August 13th
The 34th District Democrats' Annual Garden Party is always a hit of the summer season in Seattle and the District. This year it is on Friday, August 13th and, as usual, is
at West Seattle Nursery, 5275 California Avenue Southwest, West Seattle, doors open 5:30 PM. We need good auction items and volunteers. Contact Garden Party Chair
Chris Porter- 206.856.0182 or via e-mail - if you can help. You can download the donation form here and print it to either donate an item your self or solicit donations from others.
Updated July 15, 2010 July District Meeting Endorsements
At our July District meeting we endosrsed a "No" vote on Initiative 1082 to privatize workers' compensation insurance (more info here) and a "yes" vote on Referendum 52, which will fund retrofitting aging school buildings across the State, both by unanimous votes. A list of all our current endorsements in the 2010 election cycle is here. We also elected Sabra Schneider as the new State Committeewoman (Alternate) - her photo is at the right. More information on the meeting will be posted here shortly.
Updated July 12, 2010 Chair Tim Nuse's Message for July
While it has not often felt like it, July is upon us and primary ballots will soon be arriving at the homes of voters across the 34th District and most of the state. So much is riding on the 2010 elections. We need leaders willing to fight for us every day and never give in to special interests. Financial reform and energy legislation must be pushed through Congress. Limited and careful cuts to the State budget must be accompanied by robust and thoughtful increases in revenue and how it is collected. As we look across the political landscape at the federal and local level it's not difficult to comprehend the importance in electing the Democrats that earned our support....
Updated June 27, 2010 Marcee Stone Campaign Kicks Off
Marcee Stone, the 34th Distrct Dems endorsed candidate for State Representative, kicked off her campaign on Thursday, June 17th, at the Art Wolfe Gallery. Dina Lydia's photos of the event are online here, and the photo at right is from Dina's collection..
Updated June 27, 2010 Morgan Community Festival
Les Treall chairs our Outreach Committee and organizes 34th Dems volunteers to staff booths at festivals and march in parades. A recent event was the Morgan Community Festival.
About 500 - 600 people attended this year, slightly down from last year, but the World Cup and actually the nice weather might have been competitors.
But once again, people commented about how much they enjoy this small scale festival and had a great time. The photo of our booth is at the right, with Les Treall, Chris Weiss
and Steven Butts staffing it. To see a list of other events which need volunteers, and to volunteer, see the Get Involved page.
Updated June 16, 2010 List of Candidates who filed for Elected Office
King County has published the list of all candidates who have filed for office in the 34th District and the County - view it here.
Updated June 16, 2010 Help Democrats Win Elections in 2010!
The 2010 elections are quickly approaching and the Democratic Coordinated Campaign is searching for volunteers that can phone-bank, canvass, and help lead their communities. Colin Bartz-Overman is a young, enthusiastic worker for the Coordinated Campaign who is working in the 34th District.
The Republican leadership in DC has targeted Patty Murray's seat as one of their top priorities in their attempt to retake control of the US Senate. Now that Dino Rossi has entered the race, the Republicans believe they have a real chance to win in November. We simply cannot let that happen, but we need your help...
Patty Murray has worked hard over the last 18 years on behalf of Washingtonians. She has fought to ensure that aerospace jobs stay in our state rather than being shipped overseas. She has voted to curtail Wall Street's excesses and to restore our economy. As a response to the disaster in the Gulf, Patty Murray is pushing to ban offshore oil drilling on Washington's coast. These are only a few of her accomplishments...
Senator Patty Murray and other Democratic candidates need your help to win reelection in November. Come and be a part of Victory 2010!
If you are interested in volunteering, please email Colin Bartz-Overman via e-mail or call him at (206) 605-7648.
Updated June 15, 2010 June 9th Meeting - Mayor and City Council
Our June 9th meeting featured a panel of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, City Council President Richard Conlin and City Council member Bruce Harrell who chairs the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. The main topic of discussion was the difficult state of the City budget, but questions from our membership included concerns about funding the White Center Food Bank and protecting pedestrians on Admiral Way. You can see more detail and video on the West Seattle Blog here.
In other work, we passed a resolution on Offshore Oil Drilling which is on the resolutions page and we appointed five new PCOs.
Updated May 22, 2010 Rubbing Elbows Event a Success
The West Seattle Democratic Women held their "Rubbing Elbows" event hosting politicians and supporters at the Woodside/Braseth Gallery (co-owned by West Seattleite John Braseth) Thursday night, May 20.
Those attending included County Executive Dow Constantine, State Senator Joe McDermott, State Representatives Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen, Sally Clark, Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess and Jean Godden and County Councilmember Jan Drago.
More information and photos are on the West Seattle Blog and in a slideshow on the West Seattle Herald. The event benefited a number of our local advocacy organizations.
Photo courtesy West Seattle Herald.
Updated May 17, 2010 Marcee Stone Endorsed, Nominated
The 34th District Democrats have endorsed and nominated Marcee Stone for election as State Representative, Position 2, representing West Seattle, White Center, Burien and Vashon Island. In addition, we endorsed Eileen Cody for re-election as State Representative, Position 1, and Sharon Nelson for election as State Senator, 34th District.
We also endorsed Michael Spearman for Judge, Washington State Court of Appeals, Steve Rosen and Willie Gregory for Seattle Municipal Court Judge, and Charlie Wiggins for State Supreme Court Justice. We endorsed a "yes" vote on initiative 1098 to create a State Income Tax for people earning more than $200,000 a year ($400,000 for a couple). Dina Johnson's photo gallery of the meeting is here. The photo at left of the members pledging allegiance to the United States is Dina's.
Updated April 25, 2010 April 14th District Meeting Candidates' Forum; We endorsed McDermott, Cody, Nelson, McDermott, Smith and Murray
Our regular district meeting on Wednesday the 14th included a candidates' forum among the three Democratic Candidates in the race for 34th District State Representative, position 2 - Marcee Stone, Mike Heavey and Joe Fitzgibbon. (Both photos show Chair Tim Nuse, First Vice-Chair Kim Becklund, and candidates Mike Heavey, Joe Fitzgibbon and Marcee Stone - click to enlarge them.)
You can read profiles of our three candidates written by Steve Shay in the West Seattle Herald here, view some news about the meeting on Publicola, view the great gallery of photos taken by our PCO Dina Johnson here, see the West Seattle Blog's article here.
Also, Chair Tim Nuse announced that next month - May 12th, we'll actually endorse a candidate for the position, and immediately thereafter on the same night PCOs will hold a formal nominating convention under State party rules. See Agenda page for more details on that..
In tonight's meeting we also endorsed resolutions for creating a Bank of Washington and Trucking at the Port of Seattle, but we tabled a resolution
on I-1068 legalizing marijuana. We passed a resolution opposing the Seattle City Council's proposed anti-panhandling ordinance.
Finally, we endorsed Joe McDermott for King County Council, position 8, Sharon Nelson for State Senator, Eileen Cody for reelection as State Representative, Position 1, Jim McDermott and Adam Smith for reelection to Congress and Patty Murray for reelection as U. S. Senator.
Details and documents are in the Chair's message here, the April newsletter and on the Agenda Page here.
Updated April 13, 2010 King County Democrats Convention was April 10th The convention is over. Results of the convention, along with the proposed platform and resolutions can be found at the King County Democrats website.
In the meantime, our own Dina Lydia Johnson took photos of the convention - view them online here.
Photo at right courtesy of Dina.
Updated March 23, 2010 Chris Gregoire Blasts Rob McKenna on Healthcare Lawsuit Governor Chris Gregoire sharply disagrees with Attorney General McKenna on his decision to file suit against the recently passed federal Healthcare reform plan. "He obviously does not represent [me or] the majority leader or the speaker and he has a duty to consult with them and he has failed. And if he had consulted with any one of us, we would be clear about what the benefits were to the people of Washington state, and that his attempt to undermine that benefit is just wrong." See more coverage in this KOMO TV video and in the Seattle Times.
Updated March 23, 2010 Joe Fitzgibbon is running for State Representative
Joe Fitzgibbon, Legislative Assistant for State Rep. Sharon Nelson, has announced he is running for the seat she is vacating in November. “I am running because the 34th District needs new ideas, a fresh perspective on the challenges facing our communities, and real Olympia experience to hit the ground running", Fitzgibbon said. His website is here, and you can view more information and news reports about all the candidates on our 2010 State Representative page here.
Updated March 21, 2010 Mike Heavey announces for State Representative
Mike Heavey, 34th District Democrats member, has announced his candidacy for 34th District State Representative.
Read about why he is running in an interview by Steve Shay on the West Seattle Herald's website. You can visit Heavey's campaign website here. (Photo by Steve Shay, courtesyWest Seattle Herald.)
Updated March 21, 2010 Sabra Schneider Announces Candidacy for 34th District State Representative
At our District meeting on March 10th, Sabra Schneider announced that she is seeking the nomination and election to the open 34th District seat. Sabra has a background as an educator and
technology innovator in King County government. Her goals include improving education, and providing services for our vulnerable populations including the 10% of Washington residents
who are unemployed. More about her candidacy is on Sabra's website www.votesabra.com, in the West Seattle Blog here, in the West Seattle Herald here, and her formal press release announcement is here.
The district meeting was well reported in the West Seattle Blog, and included appearances by Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien.
Updated March 13, 2010 Endorsement Rules and Processes
Last year was an intense year for candidates, our candidates' forum and our endorsement process. We had new endorsement rules, and the endorsement meeting went on until almost midnight in July. We surveyed members about their satisfaction with the process. In general, most members were satisfied with the fairness and details of the candidates' forum and endorsement process, other than the long meeting. But members had lots of comments. View all the results on the by-laws committee page here.
Updated February 11, 2010 Marcee Stone Announces Candidacy for 34th District State Representative
Marcee Stone announced her intention to seek the position of 34th District State Representative at the 34th District Democrats meeting on Wednesday, February 10th.
The current 34th District State Senator, Joe McDermott, will seek the 8th District King County Council seat in November, 2010. Current State Representative Sharon Nelson will seek the Senate Seat. That means Nelson's State Representative position will be open.
Marcee's campaign kickoff will be on Sunday, February 21st at the
ILWU Union Hall, Local 52 at 2414 SW Andover in West Seattle from 5:00 PM to 7:00PM. Marcee has filed documents with the State Public Disclosure Commission
indicating she will collect funds to run for the State Representative Position. She also has signed a campaign pledge not to take money from corporations or Political Action Committees, and to conduct a fair campaign. View the pledge here. Marcee grew up in the 34th District and raised her family here as well. She is presently the State Committeewoman for the 34th District Democrats.
Updated February 11, 2010 Renew Your Membership Now!
Now is the time to join or renew your membership in the 34th District Democrats. Click the link at right to see membership levels and options.
Updated January 20, 2010 Cherisse Luxa, Rest in Peace
In place of the normal Drinking Liberally, Burien, we will celebrate the life of Cherisse Luxa at Mick Kelly's pub next Wednesday, January 27th. All are welcome. Details on the calendar.Click here or on the image at right for a eulogy to Cherisse (thanks to Liz Giba for sending us this eulogy).
Updated January 17, 2010 34 Dems Endorse Schools Levy, Pass Resolutions in January
At our January meeting, we unanimously endorsed "yes" votes on both the capital and operating levies for the Seattle School district, which will be on the ballot on February 9th. We heard from Steve Sundquist, Seattle Schools Director, and Glenn Bafia, 34th District member who is also the Executive Director of the Seattle Education Association. We appointed seven new PCOs:
Elisabeth Carr: 34-1436, Damiana Merryweather: 34-1469, Betsy McConnell-Gutierrez: 34-1496, Catherine Stineback: 34-1517, Elizabeth Shedd: 34-3175, Scarlett J. Foster-Moss: Baker, Sandra Cooke: Seaview, Dan Morris: 34-1516 (Acting in -1532)
In other action, we passed resolutions recognizing the Vietnamese Flag and supporing Adam Eisenberg for appointment as Superior Court Judge.
Newly appointed King County Council Member Jan Drago spoke and was introduced by State Senator Joe McDermott (see news item below). And many people - including 34th District Republicans' Chair Jim Clingen, spoke in tribute to Cherisse Luxa, long-time local activist for progressive causes and a 34th District member (see news item further down on this page). Minutes of the meeting will be posted shortly.
Updated January 5, 2010 Jan Drago is new King County Council Member
Jan Drago was appointed the 8th District King County Councilmember on January 4th. Jan will replace Dow Constantine who was elected King County Executive in 2009. Jan will fill out the remaining term. The position will be open for election in November 2010. Read more about the appointment process on the West Seattle Blog which has a detailed timeline plus video statements from Joe McDermott and Larry Phillips, or on Publicola. Jan served four terms or 16 years as a Seattle City Councilmember.
Updated January 4, 2010 Cherisse Luxa Passes Away
Long-time member Cherisse Luxa succumbed to stomach cancer on December 13th. She was one of the founders of Drinking Liberally Burien, and a former alternate King County
Committeewoman for the 34th District. You can view tributes to her on the White Center Now Blog and
Burien's B-Town Blog as well as at Horse's Ass and Daily Kos with 88 comments..
Updated November 24, 2009 Dow Constantine sworn in as King County Executive
Updated October 15, 2009 New Officers Elected at Oct 14th District Meeting We elected Dorsol Plants as the new King County Committeeman Alternate. Dorsol most recently has run for Seattle City Council, butwas also a leader in the Highland Park neighborhood opposing siting of the proposed new City of Seattle jail in the 34th District. We also ratified appointments of Justin Anderson as Communications Chair and Tara Jo Heineke as Diversity Chair for theDistrict. Tara Jo is formerly chair of the 33rd District Democrats. Precinct Committee Officers picked up their piles - LARGEpiles - of literature to distribute to over 14,000 households in the District. Those PCOs or others who need to obtain literature to walk their precincts should contact Kimber McCreery (see her info on the sidebar at right) to get the material.
Updated September 25, 2009 Endorsements for the November 3rd General Election
At our July 8th and September 9th meetings we've made the
the endorsements below. More news about the September 9th meeting is on the West Seattle Blog here, and here are the complete set of endorsements: • King County Executive: Dow Constantine
• King County Assessor: No endorsement
• Seattle Mayor: Mike McGinn • Seattle City Attorney: Tom Carr • Seattle Council Pos. 2: Richard Conlin & David Ginsberg (dual)
• Seattle Council Pos. 4: Sally Bagshaw & David Bloom (dual)
• Seattle Council Pos. 6: Jessie Israel & Nick Licata (dual)
• Seattle Council Pos. 8: Robert Rosencrantz
• Seattle School District Director Pos. #5: Mary Bass and Kay Smith-Blum (dual)
• Seattle School District Director Pos. #7: Wilson Chin
• Burien Council Pos. 1: Sue Blazak
• Burien Council Pos. 3, 5: No endorsement
• Burien Council Pos. 7: Brian Bennett • Port Commissioner Pos. 1: No endorsement
• Port Commissioner Pos. 3: Rob Holland • Port Commissioner Pos. 4: Max Vekich
• State Referendum 71 (Support Domestic Partnerships): Vote Yes
• State Initiative 1033 (cap revenue growth): Vote NO!
• Burien Transportation District Vehicle Fee: Vote YES
• Seattle Housing Levy, Proposition 1: Vote YES
•
King County Charter Amendments: Vote YES
Updated July 19, 2009 Beth Greiser Volunteer Award
Our member Beth Greiser was recognized on July 14th by the West Seattle Blog and other organizations for her volunteer work with the White Center Food Bank, the Democratic Party and
other organizations. Read full details on the Blog. Photo courtesy West Seattle Blog.
Updated April 18, 2009 Rep. Sharon Nelson Named "Legislator of the Year"
Rep. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island was selected by aides of her 62 fellow Democrats as the Legislator of the Year. The Legislator of the Year Award was established to recognize outstanding leadership and professionalism within the House of Representatives. It recognizes her ability to work across party lines and with people of differing opinions to create good policies for all Washington citizens. See more details on the West Seattle Blog or the Tacoma News Tribune. Congratulations Sharon!. Photo courtesy the West Seattle Blog.
Long-time Member Norman Kunkel Passes
Norman C. Kunkel died April 2, 2009 in Seattle. He was born Sept 17, 1918 in Wessington, SD to Joseph E. and Winnifred B. (Wright) Kunkel and later moved to Yakima
where he finished high school. He worked in Alaska, at Job Corps, CCC, Seattle City Light and in China with UNRRA. He served in the AFS Ambulance Corps during WWII
in India, Italy, and was a liberator at Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Germany. In 1946, he married Georgie M. Bright. He attained a BA from the UW in 1954 and
taught at Gregory Heights Elementary in Burien for 25 years. For many years he served as Democratic Precinct Officer for the 34th District. After retirement he spoke
about his war experiences completing a book about it, traveled around the globe with Georgie and volunteered for Sightline Institute. He loved gardening and supplied
azaleas for Saltwater UU church which he and Georgie attended. He is predeceased by his parents and all 7 siblings and is survived by his wife, Georgie; son Stephen (Alice)
Kunkel of Bellevue and their children Samantha (children--Isaac & Toby) of Renton and Farrah of Bellevue; daughter Susan Kunkel (Dan Wilson) and children Gregory and
Kenneth Williams of Tacoma; daughter Kim Waligorska of Seattle; and children of son Joseph (deceased 2001): Curtis Kunkel, Jolie (Lance) Taylor (children--Joe, Trevor, Heath),
Mica (Chelsea) Kunkel (children--Hazel and Ezra), Farron and Travis Kunkel. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sightline Institute, Children's Hospital or the
charity of your choice. The memorial service is to be held at Saltwater UU Church at 25701 14th Pl S., Des Moines, WA on Saturday, April 18th at 3;00 p.m.
Updated March 12, 2009 34th District Endorses Dow Constatine,
Contributes $3,434.34
The 34th District Democrats overwhelming endorsed King County Council President Dow Constantine in his bid to become King County Executive in this year's election.
In addition we voted to contribute $3,434.34 to Constantine's campaign. This contribution adds to the almost $60,000 Constantine has collected in only three weeks
since he announced his campaign. The 34th District Democrats' endorsement of Constantine adds to an impressive list of early endorsements, including State Senate
Majority Leader Lisa Brown, Senators Joe McDermott, Kevin Ranker, Ed Murray and Ken Jacobsen, and State Representatives Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson. (More information on
Dow's fundraising and endorsements is here.)
In accepting the endorsement, Dow spoke eloquently 25 years of work on behalf of the people of King County, advocating for transportation, public health and
clear performance management goals for County government. Constantine has served West Seattle, White Center, Burien and Vashon and Maury Islands not only as
King County Councilmember, but also as State Senator and State Representative. He is also a past Chair of the 34th District Democrats.
In other business, we heard from two West Seattle candidates for Seattle City Council, David Ginsberg and Dorsal Plants. We also passed a resolution calling for the West
Seattle Bridge to be renamed in honor of long-time Seattle City Councilmember Jeanette Williams. More details of the meeting will be posted here in a few days.
Updated January 14, 2009 34th District Democrats Elect New Leaders
We elected a new set of leaders at our biennial reorganization meeting on January 14th.
The new leadership team is pictured below (click it or click here for a larger version with
names and positions). The new leadership includes Tim Nuse (Chair), Kim Becklund (First Vice
Chair), David Ginsberg (Second Vice Chair), Stu Yarfitz (Treasurer) and Miki Meahan (Secretary).
Marcee Stone and Chris Porter are our state committeewoman and man respectively. Lisa Plymate
and Ivan Weiss are the King County committeewoman and man, and Asha Mohamed and Robin Hess are
the alternates.
Updated January 14, 2009 Chair Nuse Appoints Committee Chairs
Newly Elected 34th District Chair appointed committee chairs during our regular meeting
on January 14th. They are pictured below and include Jackie Dupras, Newsletter Editor,
Beth Greiser, Greg Doss (Legislative Affairs), Brian Earl (By-Laws Chair), Les Treall (Outreach), Jeff Upthegrove (Membership), Walter Sive (Finance). Click the photo for a larger version with names.
Updated July 30, 2008 Nels Ekroth Passes
Nels Ekroth, long-time 34th District Democrat and PCO, passed away on July 29th. He was born in 1918 and was 8 days short of his 90th birthday when he died. See additional information and photos on his tribute page. If you have a quote or thought or photos to share as a tribute, send them to the webmaster.
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Updated July 23, 2010
Updated July 15, 2010
Governor Chris Gregoire sharply disagrees with Attorney General McKenna on his decision to file suit against the recently passed federal Healthcare reform plan. "He obviously does not represent [me or] the majority leader or the speaker and he has a duty to consult with them and he has failed. And if he had consulted with any one of us, we would be clear about what the benefits were to the people of Washington state, and that his attempt to undermine that benefit is just wrong." See more coverage 
Updated January 5, 2010
Updated January 4, 2010
Long-time Member Norman Kunkel Passes
