Proposition No. 1: Levy Lift Lid (Thurston County Medic One)
Vote APPROVED
The short and sweet: it costs money to provide services, and Medic One needs more funding. It's not a lot of money, and this service is well-managed. The highest number that the opposition could put on the possible increase is that six years from now it might cost homeowners an additional $7.50/month.
Low-income homeowners over age 61 will be exempt from this tax, as would low-income homeowners with disabilities.
City Council Position No. 2
Vote YEN HUYNH
Huynh and Kessler are clearly the two primary contenders for this position, and I'd be happiest if they both make it through the primary so that we can hear more from each of them.
In the meantime, the Progressive Voters' Guide makes a compelling argument against Kessler:
"Kesler does not have a plan for homelessness or housing affordability on her website, but her answers in local interviews did not point to an effective strategy. She states that she wants to consider "plan[s] to remove trespassers from private property," but does not expand on critical affordable housing needs, instead of saying that the city should focus on rapid rehousing. She also wants to increase law enforcement funding, which she states may or may not go to more police, instead of mental health funding."
Meanwhile, Huynh has an impressive list of endorsements, not to mention recent city council experience.
City Council Position No. 5
Vote TALAUNA REED
This is a really hard choice, and it's another situation in which I hope two people make it through the primary: Lisa Parshley and Talauna Reed.
I have reservations about Reed which I think might be addressed if she can get through the primary. I am unsure how much she wants to be involved in government versus protesting it; although both of those skillsets are needed, sometimes what makes a person excellent in one venue doesn't translate to another. I also have a personal dislike of populist rhetoric, which I sometimes see in her communications.
That being said, it's clear that she is committed to the Olympia community, and particularly to people of color. And we could use a person who's further to the left on the City Council.
At this point, I think a vote for Reed is a good strategic choice: Lisa Parshley will have a lot of support and will likely make it through the primary, so a vote for Talauna Reed will hopefully be a vote to have her and Parshley face off in the general election.
(The third candidate, Wendy Carlson, is a former corrections officer who thinks we've been too lax with homeless people and that the future of our city is at risk.)
City Council Position No. 6
Vote SARAH DESTASIO or DONTAE PAYNE
This section has been edited to include either Payne or Destasio. This is because when I went to fill in the bubble on my ballot, I realized that who you chose in this race really comes down to who you think the majority of other people voting in the primary will vote for.
My goal is to get Payne and Destasio on the general ballot. My analysis is that there will be a lot of liberal primary voters who will vote for Payne because he's a solidly middle-left candidate and because they didn't vote for Reed, so a vote for Payne will help assuage their conscience. That means that a vote for Destasio - the DSA candidate in this race - might be more likely to get both of our candidates onto the final ballot.
The more conservative primary voters will all vote for Gauny, but there will be enough liberal primary voters to ensure that at least one of the two other candidates is on the ballot, so there's no risk to splitting the vote here.
In short, my suggestion is to vote for whichever of these two candidates you think other primary voters in Olympia won't be voting for. Given Payne's endorsements and background, I think that's Destasio. But I have been overly-optimistic on the effects of racism before in my life, so take that analysis with a grain of salt.
Dontae Payne is a very solid candidate with great endorsements. His background (military, gay dad) and more middle-of-the-road-left ideas on policy around homelessness and policing might make him a helpful voice on a more diverse city council that's dealing with difficult community conflicts.
Sarah DeStasio is a strong DSA candidate with real background in business and organizing a workers' co-op for home healthcare.
Just please don't vote for Corey Gauny. First of all, never vote for someone who puts their Six Sigma credentials as a main bullet point on their mailers. His main endorsements are the Master Builders and the Realtors Association, his website is skimpy on any policy details, and his long post on his ride-along with OPD is revealing.
Olympia City Council Position No. 7
Vote JIM COOPER
Jim Cooper has been a great city council member. He's running against one guy whose election catchphrase is "Common Sense and Compassion with Accountability" but who has zero actual policy info on his webpage, and another who doesn't even have an election webpage
School Board Director District No. 3
Vote DARCY HUFFMAN
Darcy Huffman seems like a reasonable person. As for the people she's running against, I'm just going to quote the Progressive Voter's Guide here:
"Wealth advisor Mark Boyer is also in this race. He is running on a vague platform that highlights no priorities or policy and states his campaign’s purpose as bringing a new perspective and leadership to the school board. Boyer has been involved in a number of community organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Olympia Rotary Club.
Gary Landis is an Army veteran running a conservative, conspiracy-based campaign against critical race theory, communism, and mandatory masking in public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. He has stated that he wants to 'bring God…back into our schools.'”
School Board Director District No. 5
Vote SCOTT CLIFTHORNE
Honestly, I'm just going with the Progressive Voter's Guide on this one, too.
"Incumbent Director Scott Clifthorne is running to retain his seat serving District 5 on the Olympia School Board, which he was first elected to in 2017, and where he now serves as president. Clifthorne works as a negotiator for Teamster 117 and was formerly the president of the Lincoln Community Council. Previously, he was a member of the City of Olympia Community Workgroup on Homelessness.
During Clifthorne’s time on the board, Olympia was able to secure PE, art, and music teachers in all elementary schools beginning in Fall 2021. In this race, Clifthorne wants to continue expanding student opportunities, deepen lines of communication for families and schools, and address system inequities particularly relating to race, disability, and socio-economic status. With three kids enrolled in Olympia public schools and ample support from community leaders, Clifthorne will continue to bring progressive values to the board.
PTA member Rebecca Cornelius is also in this race. Cornelius works for an insurance broker agency and has no campaign website as of mid-July. Her voters’ guide statement emphasizes her focus on dismantling educational inequities and providing life skills learning, though she doesn’t offer detailed policy suggestions to accomplish these goals.
Don Mitchell is a nurse and assistant professor of nursing, who is running to utilize his expertise in child health to better his local school district, where his children are also enrolled. Mitchell is running to expand parental sway, defend standardized testing to identify and address opportunity gaps, and promote student health that includes attention to both physical and mental health.
We recommend Scott Clifthorne in this race because of his school board experience and inclusive plan for the school district."
