Ryu out of County Council race
Sunday, May 19, 2013
By Evan Smith
State Rep. Cindy Ryu will not run in the coming election for a position representing north King County on the Metropolitan King County Council.
Ryu was a finalist when Council members from the County's other eight Council district appointed Rod Dembowski in February to represent Council District 1 after former Councilman Bob Ferguson left the position to become State Attorney General. She announced at the time that she would challenge Dembowski for a full term.
She said May 9 that she was reconsidering running because the special legislative session that started May 13 would delay her ability to raise the $150,000 she thought she needed.
Finally, she decided not to run, meaning that Dembowski will face two little-known challengers, John Fray and Naomi Wilson, in the non-partisan August primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the November general election.
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3 comments:
A more complete analysis would include that Dembowski in April reported more than $90,000 on hand with May yet to be reported, not to mention that with 3 candidates filed, a primary must be held in order to determine the top 2 for the general in the fall. Therefore, Ryu estimating the need for $150,000 is probably conservative and the legislature is back in session with no end in sight, meaning not only can she not raise money, but cannot campaign for the primary.
Rep. Ryu did the right thing, certainly the money factor a big part of it. Another is Councilmember Dembowski's assertive management of his appointed post, which has offered him frequent visibility and "credits" towards being elected to the seat outright. This includes his attendance at many meetings throughout the district, remembering to bring a previous concerns up at said meetings - city by city, and getting appointed to a plethora of county council committees.
While Rep. Ryu matches the councilmember for energy, she needs to come up with better reasons for being elected to said position than she offered in her interview for it a few months ago. Being a woman, a minority, an immigrant, and the oldest, as she offered then, are statistics, not reasons for appointment. Rep. Ryu has executive experience (mayor) and legislative experience (current position) and needs to expand on what she specifically accomplished legislatively in both, as part of a majority and also as being out of the majority, while also reflecting on what she learned from those experiences, i.e. what she would have done differently. And, what she's accomplished for her constituents from throughout the district.
@7:31 pm - what you described in the second paragraph as to what Rep. Ryu needs to do, that is part of a political campaign -- something hard to do when you are in Olympia doing your job and the RCWs do not allow you to do any campaigning (much less any fund raising) while the legislature is in session.
From what I can see so far, Dembowski has done more campaigning than actual work as a legislator since getting appointed. However, you are correct in pointing out that he has energy.
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