Evan Smith: County Councilman Ferguson attacks McKenna’s joining health-care suit
Saturday, April 3, 2010
By Evan Smith
ShorelineAreaNews Politics Writer
Local King County Councilman Bob Ferguson is taking a leading role in opposing Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna’s joining other state attorneys general in the lawsuit to stop the recently passed health-care bill.
Republican McKenna has joined a suit that claims that the health-care reform bill exceeds Congressional powers.
Ferguson helped draft a letter in late March questioning the legal basis of the suit. Then, when I asked him about running against McKenna, he seemed more open to it than he had earlier.
After Ferguson won re-election to the Council in November, I asked him about the possibility of a run for statewide office. He told me that he was considering a run as a Democratic candidate for attorney general in 2012 but only if McKenna wouldn’t be running.
McKenna probably would run for re-election if he should decide to postpone a run for governor.
I asked Ferguson about his future plans again last week after the letter to McKenna became public. Again, he said he was thinking about running for attorney general but nothing about not running if McKenna would be on the ballot.
Apparently whatever relationship Ferguson and McKenna developed during the brief time that both were on the County Council is gone.
Ferguson represents the 1st County Council District, a district that includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and part of north Seattle. He was elected twice to the Council as a Democrat before a Charter amendment made the office nonpartisan, forcing him to run as a nonpartisan candidate last fall.
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Kagi, Fairley also oppose health-care lawsuit
Democratic State Rep, Ruth Kagi told me last week that the Legislature should stop funds for the lawsuit.
State Sen, Darlene Fairley joined other senators in a letter asking McKenna to drop his participation in the suit.
Fairley and Kagi represent the 32nd Legislative District, which includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and an area near Kirkland, plus Woodway, unincorporated Esperance and south Edmonds.
--Evan Smith
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1 comments:
his is just political grandstanding on the part of Ferguson. On a local level, Ferguson bailed on saving the King County public health clinics and other public health issues.
He should focus on fixing problems with funding critical infrastructure issues in public health. Public health is part of homeland security and he is dropping the ball on this key issue.
My advice to Ferguson, clean your own house before you start to look at running for another position - everybody knows that you thinking about running for AG.
And you have made a mess out of King County Animal Control, destroyed a program, foisted it off onto the suburban cities, and had no absolutely plan in place when you pushed it through. You claim you care about animals, but it was grossly irresponsible and political grandstanding to close animal control without a new program already designed.
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