Seattle Times and Washington Coalition for Open Government host Attorney General Debate

Reagan Dunn

Bob Ferguson

The Seattle Times (our news partner) and the Washington Coalition for Open Government will host an Attorney General debate between Bob Ferguson and Reagan Dunn on September 12 at 6:30pm at The Seattle Times, 1000 Denny Way, Seattle.

Both men are members of the King County Council. Bob Ferguson represents a north King County area which includes north Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore.

Mike Fancher, vice president of the board for the Washington Coalition for Open Government and former executive editor of The Seattle Times, will serve as moderator. Panelists include Ross Reynolds, senior host of KUOW’s The Conversation, Bob Young, Seattle Times government reporter, and Shoreline resident Michele Earl-Hubbard, principle at the Allied Law Group and an open government expert. 

“As chief legal officer for the State of Washington, the Attorney General plays a vital role in government openness, transparency and accountability,” said Fancher. “Washington residents should know as much as possible about the candidates’ commitment to open government before casting their votes. This debate will be an important test for the candidates.”

The debate will focus on issues related to open government as well as on broader matters with which the state Attorney General’s office has interface. Preferred seating will be offered to subscribers of The Seattle Times through its e-Vantage program.  Subscribers not currently signed up for e-Vantage may do so here. The weekly email offering of e-Vantage, including preferred seating for the debate, will be distributed on Wednesday, September 5.

TWV will live webcast the debate on its website and will televise the debate at a later time. KUOW will air the debate at a later time. A link to the live webcast will also be available at Seattle Times. 

“The Seattle Times is pleased to host this debate between the two candidates to become the state’s top legal officer,’’ said Kathy Best, Times managing editor. “We hope it will illuminate the candidates’ positions and give Washington voters valuable insights to inform their decisions this fall.’’

About The Seattle Times

The Seattle Times is a 116-year-old locally owned journalism and community service company. Founded in 1896 by Alden J. Blethen, The Seattle Times is a fourth and fifth generation family business. The family's flagship newspaper, The Seattle Times, is the 2nd largest newspaper on the West Coast. The flagship website,  is the largest local news information web site in the Northwest. The Seattle Times digital content is available in multiple formats: website, digital replica, smartphone app and tablet app. Other Blethen-owned newspapers in Washington are the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, the Yakima Herald-Republic, The Issaquah Press, the Newcastle News, the Sammamish Review and the SnoValley Star.

More company information, including links to the newspaper Web sites, is available. 

About the Washington Coalition for Open Government

The Washington Coalition for Open Government is an independent non-partisan nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the state’s open government laws and protecting the public’s access to government at all levels. Members of the Coalition include individual citizen activists and representatives of government, media, law, education, labor, business and public policy organizations.