Opposition leader credits City campaign with passage of Shoreline Prop. 1
Monday, November 15, 2010
By Evan Smith
ShorelineAreaNews Politics Writer
Shoreline Proposition 1 opposition leader Wendy DiPeso said recently that she attributes the measure’s passing to a long campaign by City officials and other supporters, a campaign that had a big head start on the opposition campaign.
“The City of Shoreline started their PR program during the Long-Range-Financial-Planning meetings,” she said. In addition to those meetings, there were 38 community meetings, according to City staff, in which they showed a power-point presentation outlining what general-fund dollars were spent on, where the money came from and the projected deficit.“They augmented these with multiple video's promoting Shoreline and the services that the City provides.“After Prop 1 was put on the ballot the City continued to aggressively schedule presentations to all the nonprofits, Rotaries and neighborhood groups they could get in front of, in addition to publishing information in “Currents” from June on, they published a special campaign piece devoted exclusively to Prop. 1.”
DiPeso also said that some proponent tactics were deceptive.
“Separate from the City efforts, the signs that the Prop. 1 proponents used had an illustration of children, she noted. “Many of the people who voted for Prop. 1 thought the funds were for schools, just by the visual association of the illustration on the signs.”She said the pro-Prop-1 campaign was well financed with generous donations from senior City staff members, adding that the “No” camp obtained donations from local businesses. “By the time they received a generous contribution from the Association of Realtors it was too late to plan a second mailing, DiPeso said.
By comparison with a similar measure that Lake Forest Park voters rejected in August, she noted, LFP City staff members did not spend a lot of money and time building their case for a property tax increase.
So in essence, DiPeso said, “the City spent a year and a half to two years with this aggressive PR campaign vs. the ‘No On Prop. 1’ waiting until after the City Council voted in July to put Prop. 1 on the ballot.
The Monday Vote Count
CITY OF SHORELINE
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Proposition No. 1
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• Basic Public Safety, Parks & Recreation, and Community Services
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Maintenance and Operations Levy
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YES
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12,041
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56.20%
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NO
Total Votes
Undervotes
Total Ballots
Voter turnout
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9,384
21,425
1,641
23,066
69.93%
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43.80%
100.00%
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5 comments:
Wow, what a case of sour grapes. We the people have spoken at the ballot box. This is a democracy. Wendy DiPeso is out of touch with the community. We made our choice. She should respect the will of the people. Instead, she is whining. Is it her arrogance that makes her accuse 56% of us of being too stupid to know the difference between the school district and the city, or of being too dumb to understand the issues? She needs to stop whining and let the city do what the voters asked it to do. Shoreline is one of the best places to live, thanks to many, many great people in this community who volunteer or work to keep it that way. The community understood that this was our choice, not the city's choice. Only those of us who live here and vote here can make the decision to fund city services. Wendy should stop fighting against everything that makes this a great place to live. She should stop listening to special interests who don't live here, and we should stop listening to her whining.
I seriously doubt that "many" of the people who voted for Prop 1 thought it was a school levy. I certainly was well aware of all of the details when I voted yes. We're not morons, Wendy.
Sometimes you lose because people disagree with you, simple as that.
It is sad to hear that someone who was trying to be a councilmember and run as a write in during the 2009 elections (Wendy DiPeso) thinks that 56% of Shoreline residents are so ignorant that they voted for Prop 1 because it had kids in the pro signs and they thought it was for the schools. REALLY? I guess we don't know how to read. If I were Wendy I would speak a little nicer about the Shoreline voters ... putting them down does not give her extra votes in the next elections. We all can tell where she is trying to position herself.
Ok. I'll try to be nice. I think it's time that Wendy DePeso retire from being a "talking head" for those people in Shoreline who only think of their own power base and profit. Her comments and actions of her confederates are disrespectful of the community at-large and her arrogance can only come from the people that are working her puppet strings (former Mayor, Council Member, and former Chamber President). The fact that she dismisses the voice of the people (majority) indicates her lack of objectivity and candor and definitely eliminates her for Public Elected Office. Ms. DiPeso's lack of leadership is further exampled at the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce where she routinely uses that venue for her and their agenda purposes. Leadership is best demonstrated when you have objectivity in your agenda and concern for the greater good. Shoreline is one of the "Best Neighborhoods" to live in not because of negative and spitful enuendo, but rather the hard work of the community leadership, city administration listening to what the residents want and need, and the overall desire to improve the "Quality of Life" in Shoreline's future. Ms. DiPeso and her backroom puppet masters should go somewhere else and spread their fear mongering and self-absorbed agendas in a community that has no future or appreciation of a higher standard of living. Ms. DiPeso should get a job, maybe as a political fiction writer.
I think Wendy DiPeso has it right! Yes, the City Administration has been campaigning, but for years, by bring to this community the Quality of Life that we all deserve. It's no accident that Shoreline was voted "Best Neighborhood" in the Greater Seattle area. The City Staff have given this community a parks system that is second to none; a community center that is the envey of Lake Forest Park (they use our fields and Community Center as much as we do); they initated the revitalization of Aurora Avenue from Slum Boulevard to an example of what a community can accomplish- to think Mayor Ryu sued the city over that project and now she has the nerve to take credit for its success; the Parks & Recreation programs can't be matched; and most important; a professional admin staff that out performs and produces more positve results than any other city large or small. The reason Wendy resents what the Staff is being paid is that she doesn't have a real job or maybe she just isn't qualified for anything more than being a receptionist at a cat hospital. Maybe she should move back to Barstow California, they really have alot to whine about, especially the horn toads and sage brush conspirators. I'm sure they would elect her City Council member.
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