Election Analysis #2: Ryu and Tracey in close race
Election Analysis #1: Roberts pulling upset over Hansen
In the biggest surprise in early Shoreline City Council election returns, challenger Christopher Roberts held a 57% to 42% lead over long-time incumbent Councilman Ron Hansen.
Third Place Books anticipating Google-branded one-off book printer
Foster Dog Adoption Event, Sunday, November 15th
Petsmart Charities will have Seattle area foster dogs up for adoption on that day, at Petsmart #375 (the one next to K-Mart), located at:
13000 Aurora Ave N.
Seattle, WA
206-361-1634
Petsmart will make a donation of $25 per adoption to ESRA (English Springer Rescue America) for applicants that apply and finalize an adoption before November 20th. They will still be going through their normal adoption process to ensure that the dog is being placed in the best home, so the dogs will still go home with their foster family that day while they complete the approval process.
Spread the word about this event and stop by to meet some great foster dogs! Read more...
District praised for improvements to financial outlook
The Shoreline School District "has made tremendous strides in improving its financial outlook since 2005-06," the assistant superintendent of the Puget Sound Educational Service District said in a recent letter to Shoreline School Board President Debi Ehrlichman.
Stephen Neilsen has provided oversight for the District’s finances since it was placed on binding conditions by the state in 2006. The letter effectively ends those binding conditions, as the District has re-established its fund balance according to Board policy and regained fiscal stability.
"We commend the tremendous work and commitment by the Board, staff and stakeholders. Addressing numerous changes with specific contextual decisions enabled the District to regain fund balance, all the while offering a strong and stable basic education program to the students of the Shoreline School District."
Shorewood girls soccer recognized as state academic team champions
The Shorewood High School girls soccer teams has been named as an Academic State Champion for the fall sports season.
Shorewood, coached by Nathan Davis, was selected as the 4A academic champions for girls soccer. The team has a 3.77 grade point average among its 21 participants. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, Dairy Farmers of Washington,and Les Schwab Tires announced the awards this week. The Scholastic Awards Program recognizes the team with the highest grade point average among all Washington high schools in their enrollment classification.The winning teams will be presented with a special plaque at the upcoming WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires State Championships. A complete list of the winning teams can be found by visiting: WIAA Dairy Farmers. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association exists to assist member schools in operating student programs that foster achievement, respect, equity, enthusiasm and excellence in a safe and organized environment.
Aurora Rents in temporary quarters
Aurora Rents, a veteran Shoreline business, is temporarily located in the old mattress factory at 192nd and Aurora, in the shadow of the Blakeley Senior Living Apartments.
The building itself is large enough; however the lack of parking means that the site is not suitable for ongoing business at that location.
Larry Steele, owner of Aurora Rents, had to demolish his old building at 175th & Aurora to make way for the widening of Aurora Avenue. He successfully negotiated with the city for ownership of the section of the Red Brick Road behind his site.
Site preparation is proceeding on the original site at 175th and construction of a new building will soon begin.
In the meantime, business continues at the temporary location on 192nd.
Should we pay to elect PCOs?
By Evan Smith
ShorelineAreaNews
Politics writer
A Seattle Times columnist raised this question a few months ago:
Should our state and county governments pay for election of precinct committee officers for the state’s major political parties?
Every two years, our ballots include elections for PCOs in hundreds of precincts around King County. Printing and counting the ballots is expensive.
Yet while each city, school district and special-purpose district pays its share of the cost of the election, the parties don’t.
The argument for stopping the practice is that the county shouldn’t subsidize the parties. The counter-argument is that it gives voters influence over the parties.
When people in my neighborhood were unhappy with the local Democratic committee last year, they supported a challenger for the PCO position held by a district Democratic officer.
When we pick those PCOs, we are picking people who do more than influence party policy. When the August primary for a seat on the Edmonds City Council went to a hand recount, local Democrats and Republicans supplied the people who counted the nearly 9,000 ballots.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@verizon.net.
Shorecrest, Shorewood open soccer playoffs
October 30, 2009
The Shorecrest and Shorewood high school girls’ soccer teams both open Northwest District tournament actions Saturday.
Shorecrest will play at Mount Vernon at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The winner advances to a second-round game Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Shorewood will host Stanwood in a preliminary round game at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 at Shoreline Stadium. The winner will advance to a district first-round game at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 at Snohomish.
--Evan Smith
LFP reduces school camera hours
By Evan Smith, ShorelineAreaNews Political writer
CleanScapes Community Waste Reduction Rewards Competition
Reduce Waste And Win
Team up with your neighbors to reduce waste and win a community improvement project installed and maintained by CleanScapes, your garbage and recycling company.
- Pocket park
- Public bench and lighting
- Neighborhood entrance landscaping, sign, lighting
- Neighborhood service day
Every day, approximately 60 tons of garbage are collected in the City of Shoreline and buried in the King County landfill. Roughly 75% of that garbage could have been recycled, or better yet, not created in the first place. Yes, we need to recycle our waste, but there is a better way.
Stop waste before it happens!
- REDUCE purchases of wasteful or unneeded products.
- REUSE the products you already have.
- COMPOST at home.
To win, simply reduce the total tons of waste (garbage, recycling and food scraps and yard debris) you produce. The neighborhood collection area with the largest percent decrease in total tons during the competition period will win. Contest period is Fall 2009 to Spring 2010.

For more details, visit CleanScapes on the web. Read more...
Northwest Artists' Holiday Show
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sunday, Nov 8
10 am - 5 pm
Website
Located just west of Hwy 99, on SW 224thLook for parking signs. Shuttle service between overflow parking lots and main front door of event. Read more...
More politics at a council meeting
By Evan Smith
ShorelineAreaNews politics writer
Since I wrote the column below, I’ve watched another televised Shoreline City Council meeting, one where the public comments were even more offensive than they were a week earlier.
Even more people spoke about whether we should vote for or against Councilman Ron Hansen, Councilman Keith McGlashan or Councilwoman Cindy Ryu. The speakers owe the Council members an apology. To turn Voltaire’s quote around, even when I agree with what you say I can’t defend your right to say it.
Campaign in newspapers, campaign on the internet, campaign through the mail, campaign over the phone, campaign at forums, campaign in person, but avoid campaigning where our elected officials are supposed to be doing public business.
After watching the Oct. 26 Shoreline Council meeting, I watched the Edmonds Council meeting. The members and public speakers discussed City issues, but no one mentioned the coming Council elections.
Two Edmonds councilmen are in the middle of expensive, hard-fought campaigns and another lost in the primary, yet citizens left the campaign alone long enough to do city business.
Published: Wednesday, October 31, 2009
Politics at council meeting
By Evan Smith
Enterprise political writer
There they were at the Oct. 19 Shoreline City Council meeting, speaker after speaker blasting council candidates – both incumbents and challengers – or defending them.
Two different challengers spoke during the public-comment period, one defending herself against attacks from other speakers.
The incumbents didn’t have that chance. They had to sit there and take it.
Should they respond? No, but we shouldn’t subject them to such abuse.
I’m told that the public comment period is an open forum; so the council can’t restrict the content. Still, it seems to be the wrong place for electioneering.
We have plenty of places to speak for or against candidates. The council meeting shouldn’t be another.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@verizon.net.
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Shorecrest boys headed to State cross country - more to the story
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Shorecrest boys did well in their second place at district for the 3A division.
Shorecrest also qualified an individual female runner, 12th grader Dani Lyons.
The Shorewood boys missed qualification in 4A by 11 points.
Shorewood did qualify individual 12th grader Joe Gladow.
The Shorewood girls missed qualification by 20 points. This was without their #1 runner Erin Johnson. Erin came down with the flu 2 days before the district meet. Erin had finished 2nd at Westco the week before.
Joe Gladow at the WESCO Divisional Championships on Oct. 24th. Photo by Grant Gladow.
Shorewood did qualify 10th Grader CharLee Linton, who is making her second trip to the state meet.
CharLee Linton, in Shorewood blue, at the Jim Danner race at the Nike prenationals in Portland last September. Photographer unknown.
--Todd Linton
Shorecrest boys headed to State cross country
LANGLEY —The Shorecrest High school boys’ cross-country team and Shorewood’s Joe Gladow qualified for the State high school boys’ championships in Pasco, Saturday Nov. 7.
The Shorecrest team qualified by finishing second to Everett in the Northwest District 3A championships at South Whidbey High School, Saturday, Oct. 31.
Gladow qualified by finishing 10th individually in the 4A championships.
Shorecrest took second in the District 3A meet by putting its top five runners among the top 20 finishers. All of the top five Everett runners finished in the top 16 overall.
Joe McConaughy led Shorecrest with a sixth-place finish in 17:05 for the 3.1-mile course, behind first-place Jon Hanson of Meadowdale in 16:28. Other Shorecrest scorers were eighth-place Chris Freeborn 17:12; 13th-place Carter Osborn, 17:38; 15th-place Abiel Tekle, 17:46; and 18th-place Morgan West, 17:54.
The Shorewood team finished fourth in the 4A team standings behind Jackson, Lake Stevens and Cascade. The top three teams and top 15 individuals qualified for the State meet.
Gladow ran the course in 16:49, behind 1st-place Blake Nelson of Jackson, 16:18; Dylan Hopper of Cascade, 16:20; Mitchell Briggs, Jackson, 16:27; Sean Roe, Jackson, 16:32; Nathan Calacat, Jackson, 16:37, Tyler King, Oak Harbor, 16:41, Bryton Reim, Kamiak, 16:42; Connor Frederickson, Jackson, 16:43; and. Juan Castillo, Lake Stevens, 16:44.
The District meet was run on a muddy, bumpy course.
---Evan Smith
Senior Center Bazaar
Saturday, October 31, 2009
It's not WWI - it's a Park!
Detailed information is available at the City website under Parks & Recreation, Cromwell Park Improvements. Read more...
Record Crowds at Halloween Carnival
The costumed crowd slid down the slightly damp inflatable slide, jumped in the bouncy castle, and tried all of the sixteen game booths. Brave souls dared the Haunted House and the sugar-deprived enjoyed the cake walk and concessions.
Volunteer Valerie Speed takes a break from handing out prizes at the bean bag toss at the annual RBCA Halloween Carnival.
Sheri Ashleman points out that "the carnival is a tradition that holds our community together and promotes a sense of identity and a feeling of belonging. Over 150 people volunteer to make the carnival happen, showing that our community values this event for the positive feelings it creates."
Read more...
Call to Artists
Friday, October 30, 2009
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