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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM O CTOBER 24, 2012 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 3 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW WHAT NEXT FOR FIRE STATION? Big Fight for Gov’s Race Campaign is one of the most competitive races in the nation PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED By Rachel La Corte The Associated Press Community activist Omari Tahir Garrett and other community members listen to a discussion of what should be done with Fire Station 6 after it closes in November. The city held a public meeting Oct. 17 at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center to discuss the future of the building which is a historical landmark. Several groups made proposals including turning the building into a low to no cost Holistic Community Healthcare Clinic, the Umoja Fest Peace Center, a cultural facility or a black fire fighter’s museum. Eyman Seeks Taxing Restrictions Perennial anti-tax crusader tries again with legislative majority rule By Manuel Valdes The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Anti-tax crusader Tim Eyman’s initiative to renew the two-thirds legisla- tive majority requirement to create new taxes is on the ballot again this November. This time, however, Initiative 1185 is seeing little resistance. Opponents say they don’t have as much money to combat it as they did in the past, partly because there is a stiff competi- tion for donor dollars at a time when there are numerous other initiatives on the ballot — such as legalizing pot and gay mar- riage. ``There aren’t new donors. There are more issues to cover,’’ said No On 1185 campaign manager Brianna Thomas. The two-thirds restriction has become the bane of Democrats and their allies, but so far oppo- nents have only raised about $80,000. They raised $1.6 mil- lion in 2010, but their effort did- n’t persuade voters to vote down the measure. INDEX News ........................2,4 Calendar ....................2 Opinion .......................3 Bids/Classifieds............3 This year, Eyman and his part- ners in the beer, oil and restau- rant industries raised nearly $1.3 million and gathered the signatures to put it on the ballot. Even as the ballot measure is facing little resistance, the main fight over the two-thirds restric- tion is happening in the state Supreme Court. Justices are mulling a decision against the rule based on the state’s constitutional duty to fund education. Arguments from both sides were presented in September. A ruling is not expected for months. In the last two tries, voters have sided with Eyman, approv- ing his initiative in 2010 with 64 percent of the vote. So far, Ini- tiative 1185 has been polling well. Since the 1990s, the two- thirds restriction has been approved four times. Since Eyman took over spon- soring it in 2007, he has taken to filing the initiative every other year to deter lawmakers from suspending the two-thirds See TAX on page 3 OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A new poll released Thursday shows an exceptionally close race between Democrat Jay Inslee and Republican Rob McKenna in the final stretch of a campaign that’s considered to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests in the nation. The KCTS 9 Washington poll showed Inslee with a 47.9 percent to 44.7 percent lead over McKenna among registered vot- ers, with 7.5 percent undecided. Among likely voters, Inslee and McKenna are near- ly even, with Inslee holding just a 47.1 per- cent to 46.3 percent advantage over McKenna, with 6.6 percent undecided. In both camps, the numbers are within the mar- gin of error, showing that the race continues to be very close. ``The governor’s race is just an absolute tossup right now,’’ said Matt Barreto, direc- tor of the poll. ``This makes it really inter- esting.’’ The telephone survey was conducted Oct. 1-16, sampling a total of 782 registered vot- ers across the state, 644 of whom were con- sidered likely voters. The margin of error for all voters is 3.5 percent; for likely voters, 3.9 percent. The poll, conducted by the University of Washington, also found voters supporting four ballot measures dealing with gay mar- riage, legalizing marijuana, approving char- ter schools and limiting taxes. Referendum 74 asks voters to either approve or reject a gay marriage law that was passed by the Legislature earlier this year. That law is on hold pending next month’s vote. The poll showed that 56.3 percent of registered voters back gay mar- riage in the state, compared to 35.6 percent who oppose it, with 6.1 percent undecided. Among likely voters, support decreased to 54.1 percent, with 38.4 percent saying they would vote against the measure, and 5.7 See GOVERNOR on page 3 Some Mail-In Ballots Need 2 Stamps But Postal Service says all will be delivered no matter what By Doug Esser The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — As more than 3 mil- lion Washington voters finish filling out their ballots in the state’s first presidential all-mail election, some should put two stamps on envelopes in counties where the ballot weighs more than an ounce. But don’t worry if the postage is short; the Postal Service always delivers. Kitsap County ballots, for example, need two stamps. Its counting equipment requires heavier paper stock, said Auditor Walter Washington. If two stamps are a problem for voters, they can leave ballots in drop boxes, he said. All 39 counties have a least two drop boxes, said Sheryl Moss, certification and training program manager in the Elections Division of the secretary of state’s office. Ballots vary by county and the state leaves it up to counties to deal with the post office, she said. ``We will deliver to every election office whether they have sufficient postage or not,’’ said Postal Service spokesman Ernie Swanson. ``They will make up the differ- See STAMPS on page 3
