Thursday, April 06, 2006

Watching the 43rd

When I first moved into the University District, and then later the Greenlake neighborhood, I proudly did my civic duty in voting for Sen. Thibaudeau, Rep. Murry, and Speaker Chopp. The three appear on the ballot year after year without opposition or controversy. This year, however, the game's afoot. Rep. Murray's decision to seek the 43rd's Senate seat is the right move for the district and I was ecstatic when I first heard the rumors months ago. But what of his now vacant house seat?

The Stranger has piece out today with a quick rundown of the candidates with focus on Jamie Pedersen, a partner at Seattle power firm Preston, Gates, and Ellis. It's the first piece I've seen on the race and I'm looking forward to watching the race as it develops over the next several months.

This won't be my first experience with Jamie and I'll be honest that I was surprised with the Stranger's characterization as "come[ing] across as too milquetoast." Jamie spoke at the Law School several years ago about same-sex marriage as a representative of Lambda Legal. Going head-to-head with ultraconservative Michael Medved I would say Jamie was anything but milquetoast. What I saw was a man of conviction and determination, prepared to stake his reputation as a lawyer and professional on a topic that is anything but popular in Bush's America. He demonstrated all the bite I think the 43rd has come to expect from Rep. Murray. I would say more than their shared sexually orientation, it is their shared civic commitment that makes Pedersen the so called "heir apparent."

Eagle Scout Lawyer... maybe, but I'm seven weeks away from graduating and eight years removed from my Eagle Court so I know a little bit about what it means to be an Eagle Scout Lawyer. Anyone who sticks to the ideals of the Scout Law and Oath while operating in today's legal environment is made of stiffer stuff than folks give him credit.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is sad to me that the knee-jerk voting in the 43rd district has lead to someone who apparently cares greatly about our state to believe that Thebadeau etal ran without opposition. I ran against her in 2002, and got 21% of the vote. And I am running again. I am not allowed into the Primary, that's exclusive to the Democrats and Republicans, even though there are few Republicans in our district. What I object to is paying for other parties to hold this exclusive Primary. I would rather have Instant Runoff Voting. I also object to the fact that both Democrats and Republicans can bypass the Nominating Convention, while I have to gather 100 perfect signatives of people in my district the week of the last part of June and the first part of July.
If my opponents are so Progressive, why aren't they brave enough to run as Progressives?
Check out MY platform, and if you agree, vote for me.