Olympia Time

History, politics, people of Oly WA

Author: Emmett O'Connell (Page 70 of 179)

What I wish would change with Sounders FC (and soccer in general) media coverage around here

May 12, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I was a bit too harsh in the comment threads of the TNT just now, but generally, I think I’m spot on. Something needs to improve in soccer coverage around here. The problem generally lies with reporters that are coming to the game now that MLS has entered the fray locally.

There are some exceptions. Don Ruiz at the TNT (I wasn’t picking on him) and Jose Romero at the Seattle Times have been at this longer than a few months, and now their stuff shows that. Other than that, I depend on bloggers and twitter updates for my Sounders commentary.

But, here are a few things that could help things out.

1. Post game talk. I felt lost a few weeks ago driving home from my first Sounders game with no review on the radio. Even just one hour would be something.

2. Round table discussion on Sounders FC Weekly. There are enough reporters and bloggers that get it (see above) where you could replace the puffery that dominates the central news broadcast that covers the Sounders with actual discussion of the game.

Couple more subpoints about the Sounders FC Weekly. Why do they refer to Toronto FC as the “Reds?” Do they just need to have a nickname for every team? TFC is just as official a nickname for Toronto FC as they Reds is. And to that end, FC Dallas is nicknamed the Hoops, but I guess the producers haven’t caught up with that one yet.

Also, the quality of the rest of the league game highlights is horrible.

3. I don’t know how the rest of the reporters could carry this off, but please stop treating this like the first time you’ve ever covered soccer. It shows and its bad. John McGrath’s reference to “soccer purists” rather than people who just understand the game implies that if you actually know something soccer, then you’re outside the mainstream.

Would McGrath ever refer to someone who understands and accepts the infield fly rule as a baseball “purist?” Do only gridiron football purists understand rules regarding the forward pass, or are they just better informed?

And, if McGrath puts himself with “the rest of us” (you know, the normal folk) who don’t understand why a rule exists, then should he be covering soccer?

Adendum: My explanation about why ties work:

1. The game is two 45 minute halvess, so the result is whatever happens at the end of that.

2. The season is a collection of points, not a winning percentage. The Sounders have 14 points, behind Chivas USA with 22. How they accumulated those points doesn’t matter to the standings.

3. Also, the”season” is not a single competition like every other North American sport. In addition to the MLS leauge play, the Sounders may also qualify for the US Open Cup this year. Next year they could be in both Superliga or the Champions League. With so many competitions to possible consider, not playing overtime beyond 90 minutes is a good thing.

Here’s to some hot Olympia on Olympia action

May 12, 2009 / / 0 Comments

As Olympia (in one sense) seeks to lead Olympia (in the sense I prefer).

A kind, knowledgeable correspondent this afternoon reminded me that with Jeannine Roe in the mix, two people off the list of staff at the state senate Democratic caucus.

I wonder why this year there are more folks from the metonymic Olympia coming down the hill to run for the real Olympia’s city council. The only thing I can figure is that running for local office is something that runs in the blood of the senate Dem caucus. Or not.

Chief of staff Rich Nafziger resigned from the Olympia school board when he took his job at the caucus, citing conflict-of-interest. Nafziger said at the time (via 5/17 blog):

Nafziger, who was elected to the board in 2003 and re-elected in an uncontested race in November, said Thursday that his position on the board conflicts with his job as chief of staff of the Washington Senate Democratic Caucus.

…

Nafziger said he hoped to find a way to avoid the potential conflicts and stay on the board, but “I wouldn’t be able to do either (job) well,” he said.

…

Education will be a hot topic in the upcoming legislative session, and attorneys with the caucus and the Senate Ethics Committee said there would have been a perceived conflict of interest between Nafziger’s new job and his elected position, he said.

“My job is to give senators information on education policy,” he said.

Sermonti seems to have sidestepped this issue as a communications staffer. Because, you know, what the Olympia city council does, seemed to be a hot topic during session:

And while Sermonti is ready to wade into the heady world of Olympia city politics, he said he checked first with Senate counsel to make sure it was not breaching any regulations.

It’s not, in part because he does not draft any legislation as communications staff, he said. “Those are two very distinct aspects of my life and I do not mix them.”

Roe is listed as an executive assistant (to Nafziger or just the entire caucus staff?) with a focus on “Pages, Gubernatorial Appointments.” So, not really sure if she has more impact on legislation than Sermonti, but she seems to have waited until after session to launch her campaign.

Jeannine Roe in against Joan Machlis

May 11, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Via email, from Bonnie (Jacobs?) (important parts in bold):

WHO ARE CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT?
Citizens for Responsive Local Government, CRLG, formed after the Council’s isthmus rezone vote, and after various public records requests revealed what Councilmember Kingsbury and some others were doing on their laptops during Council meetings.
CRLG’s endorsement committee included a variety of politically engaged and concerned people from around town, including four people who have been active with Friends of the Waterfront (Bob Jacobs, Emily Ray, Thad Curtz and Walt Jorgensen). Also included was Janet Blanding, a reporter who has been covering the Isthmus issues for Works in Progress, the local progressive monthly that’s distributed from sidewalk boxes downtown.

CRLG spent four months asking people about possible good candidates, talking to a large number of people about20whether they’d be willing to run, interviewing a much smaller group of people who were willing to consider running, and eventually deciding to endorse three candidates –

Karen Veldheer (who is running for the open seat)
Stephen Buxbaum (who is running against Jeff Kingsbury)
Jeannine Roe (who is running against Joan Machlis)

CRLG will make a public announcement about its three endorsements soon. Our next email will include more information on their endorsement process, the candidates they’ve endorsed, and what you can do to help elect some new members of the council this fall.

An email that gets forwarded around is a public announcement, FYI.

Thurston County is Obama County (and what it means)

May 11, 2009 / / 0 Comments


John McCain only won 31 of the nearly 300 precincts in Thurston County.

Just a few thoughts:

1. The Republican ticket won just two precincts in urban northern Thurston County, one in Lacey and one in Tumwater. Those should be written off because between the two, McCain/Palin netted just over 50 votes, they were tiny precincts. Democrats rock urban Thurston County.

2. While Republicans dominated in the south eastern portion of Thurston County, their rural dominance isn’t repeated everywhere. The most lacking area is the northeast section, or the Thurston County portion of the 35th LD. Which is a major part of the newly interesting 3rd Thurston County Commissioner district.

3. That said, given all the red around Rochester, if a Republican can unseat a Democrat in that commissioner district, it will be from the south up.

4. In the east of Thurston County, I was surprised by how well the top of the Republican ticket did in an around Yelm. That might help explain how Randi Becker upset the lone elected Dem in the 2nd LD out there. Might also be a warning to newly elected Democratic county commissioner Sandra Romero. If the Republicans take that race seriously and put up one of their own that actually has a chance (instead of getting behind the least bad Democrat), they might have a chance out there.

Lacey is chickensh*t if it doesn’t annex

May 8, 2009 / / 0 Comments

The looming invisible city, which Ken addresses well here.

Here’s the money graph:

Lacey City Manager Greg Cuoio told the group that the City of Lacey comprises 38,000 people in 16 square miles. The urban areas around Lacey hold 30,000 people in their 16 square miles. Cuoio said the general fund budget for Lacey is $38 million. If it were to annex the urban areas surrounding the city, it would receive only $10 million in tax revenue.

“That’s a deficit of about $28 million dollars a year,” Cuoio said. In addition he added, “it would take between a half billion and a billion dollars, to bring those areas up to city standards.”

Makes you wonder why Thurston County is having such money problems and Lacey isn’t, huh? Well, it likely isn’t better management, but just better annexing. Lacey has tons of shopping and very few actual residents. If it were to bring in the residential areas to the southeast, it would bankrupt the city.

But, as Ken points out, Lacey is already using the non-city residential areas to place city owned parks, senior centers and community spaces. Maybe they should just suck it up and start annexing their shadow city.

Hold a special legislative session in Ellensburg

May 8, 2009 / / 0 Comments

The Other Side blog got me thinking just now.

With the news that no special session will be forthcoming, this is a bit of a non-starter anyway, but what would prevent the governor from calling a special session somewhere other than Olympia?

Logistics, for one. All the legislative stuff is here. So, for a month long special session, it would be unworkable.

But, for only a few days, or even just one day, why not hold a special session in Ellensburg?

As far as I can tell, there’s nothing in the state constitution or RCWs that would prevent it. There is some language related to the “seat of government,” but I think that is more open to interpretation.

You would always assume that the state supreme court is a equal level of government as the state legislature. But, while they usually meet in Olympia, they never shy from taking their show on the road. Is Puyallup the seat of government in Washington State? Nope, but the state supreme court met there recently. And, no one really minds that.

Also, and most important to me. If the legislature passes a bill in Ellensburg (let’s just say for keeping certain pork products out of the state), Richard Roesler can write: Ellensburg says not to pigs.

Karen Valenzuela wins Democratic nomination for county commissioner

May 5, 2009 / / 0 Comments

The most interesting part of the nominating convention for the county commissioner position up for election next fall was that it was boring.

Barring Erik Landaas running into the room saying he changed his mind, no one expected anyone to challenge Karen for the nomination. This doesn’t mean a Democrat won’t end up filing against Karen (I guess one already has), but they would do so without the expressed support of the party organization.

Not that I’m saying that would matter, I think the conventions on their own are crap.

But, that nomination sure seems to matter. Jon Halvorson learned that in a much more conservative district just recently.

Olympia wroughting all over your stuff

May 1, 2009 / / 0 Comments

(The metonymy will not die)

As I just emailed a friend, wroughting all over Austin J’s front yard turned out to be a big mistake, because, guess what guys. He freaking noticed: What hath Olympia wrought?

I guess its time to go over there and clean things up. That’s what 1-day sessions are for, no?

In “what ain’t metonymy,” Niki Sullivan at the TVW blog does a great job pointing to some end of session resources without bringing up our local wroughting problem.

Quick Update: Dear Seattle Weekly,

Your blog is not as cool as the Strangers. I think you know that and you’re ok with that. Which is cool in its own way.

So, Josh Feit (who is cooler than you) has stopped trying to ruin Oly (apparently). So don’t you either.

Thanks!

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