Bachety endorses Richey in November Shoreline Council election

By Evan Smith

Shoreline City Council candidate Michael Bachety, who finished a distant third in the primary election behind incumbent Councilman Jesse Salomon and challenger Lorn Richey, has endorsed Richey for the November general election.

Final results of the Aug. 4 primary showed Salomon with 64 percent of city votes to 26 percent for Richey and 9 percent for Bachety.

Bachety said last week that he had expected Richey to run closer to Salomon in the primary.

Still, Bachety said that he thinks Richey can win.

Bachety said that Richey can win if he reaches more voters with the message that the city needs to change.

Bachety added that he and Richey share a passion for change.

“We want to grow as a city but not at the expense of dramatically changing the aesthetics of what we all love,” he said. “I hope we all stay involved and help our city grow responsibly.”

Richey became involved in local politics early this year over opposition to the city’s rezoning of property along the proposed light-rail line. Bachety’s involvement started last year with opposition to a land-use issue in his Richmond Highlands neighborhood.

“We all moved to Shoreline, or chose to stay here, because of all the things Shoreline has to offer, not for what some people want it to become,” Bachety said. “I got involved because our community is forever being changed into a borough of Seattle, built upon an infrastructure designed for a simpler time.”

Richey said he and the friends and neighbors who support him are in a strong position after the primary.

“We are on the right side of the city planning issue – as urban history, Seattle’s experience and common sense will tell you,” he said.

“This is a grass roots campaign triggered very late in the political season by the people’s realization that incumbent Salomon has let them down on the most important issues: quality of life, public safety and the environment,” he said. “Voters across the city will realize that Salomon’s plan, to radically rezone 25 percent of Shoreline to apartment buildings has little to do with light rail or the Growth Management Act, and that they will ultimately pay for the massive infrastructure.”

Bachety added that, for the general election, the city needs more debate and that more people need to vote.

Voter turnout in the primary was 28.09 percent in Shoreline.

Bachety and Richey noted that Salomon had gone into the primary with the advantage of incumbency and with the advantage of having more campaign money than the other two candidates combined.

Salomon now has raised $21,731 and spent $6,576 for the primary and general elections to Richey’s $9,168 raised and $2,632 spent.

Salomon said Tuesday that the support in the primary election indicates that voters are pleased with the improvements the Council has made to Shoreline.

“This includes stimulating local business development at Aurora Square near Central Market, starting a farmer's market, upgrading the park and beach area at Echo Lake, building more sidewalks near our schools and much more.”