Really Fascinating Stuff in Gen X/Y Voter Guide

Seattle Works, a new civic group for those under 40, has interviewed candidates and published a voters' guide. It is good stuff and fascinating reading. They ask some usual questions like:

"Some people describe the Seattle way of decision making as inclusive but inconclusive. How would you describe Seattle’s decision-making process and what, if anything, would you do to change it if you are elected?"

but then ask for a favorite band and coffee shop (only in Seattle).

Darlene managed to put her whole resume into one answer and said this to the question

"Is the current school board model effective?
It is as effective as the current U.S. Presidency or Congress “model”."

Most of the SB candidates were thoughtful in their answers(some need to watch their spelling and grammar, sorry it's true). Patrick K. kind of fudged the question about how much time he spend on "school board service". He said 10-15 hours on "school board business" and if there are no committee/board meetings in a week, he'd spend it "engaging people in the community". I doubt there would ever be a week when he didn't have a committee meeting, a meeting with upper level staff, civic leaders, etc. As for engaging people, well, he likely would need to return phone calls, e-mails, go to PTSA meetings in his district. It's all going to add up to a lot more than 10-15 hours. Same for Maria Ramirez.

It's a great read. I still need to read it for the other races.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Melissa, I don't see a posting for Steve Sundquist as all in the document you linked; Maria Ramirez's posting states 10-15 hours per week. What am I missing?
My apologies; it was Patrick Kelley and not Steve Sundquist (how I got them mixed up I don't know) and indeed Maria Ramirez said 10-15 hours. Again, I still think it's more like a 20-30 hour job if you are going to be responsive to constituents, community and civic leaders.

Oddly, they did not ask the time question to all candidates; that may explain the confusion.
Anonymous said…
I think it is only fair that you amend your or remove your intial posting, as not all people look at the comments and are not necessarily going to know that what you wrote was not true.
Anonymous said…
Melissa, what anon 11:14 proposes seems most fair - you can amend your original post, can't you?
Okay, I fixed it but please, this isn't my full time job and I'm not a journalist. I try to make corrections and it is easier to do it in the comments section. I will consult with Beth on this issue.
Anonymous said…
I am sorry Melissa, but if you choose to blog, then you better do it responsibly. Otherwise, save yourself the time by not lodging a post that is wrong.
Beth Bakeman said…
Anonymous, your last comment is infuriating and insulting. Mel volunteers to post on this blog, and we all benefit from the time she puts into that.

There are no editors, no fact checkers, no copywriters like at a newspaper, and no paid staff. Mel does a great job and if she, very occasionally, makes a mistake, give her some slack please!

I have invited several people to join this blog as contributors who could have provided wonderful insight and a variety of perspectives, only to be told they didn't want to because of the way Charlie and Mel are treated by people posting comments.

When you find mistakes in the future, please point them out. But leave out the insults.
Dan Dempsey said…
Beth I agree with your statement about courtesy. Everyone involved in this enterprise to make things better is entitled to a fair amount of slack.

If Melissa was negligent in some duty she was supposed to be fulfilling to us, some criticism might be warranted.

If we want life to be better, let us give the volunteers a pat on the back and not a push to the ground.

Great Job - to Melissa, Charlie, and Beth.

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