Letter to the Editor: Leave the Trump tactics of campaigning out of Shoreline
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
To the Editor:
I was very frustrated to see the campaign flyer from candidate Kim that falsely accuses Keith McGlashan of “backroom deals” to benefit developers. Keith is a pillar of Shoreline, having devoted his time to many causes such as Shoreline Schools, Teen Hope Center and the social safety net programs funded by the Northshore/ Shoreline Community Networks to name a few. He has proven his commitment and integrity time and again.
Everyone knows that Point Wells is permitted by Snohomish County, not Shoreline, and that the city of Shoreline has done everything they can to minimize the scope and impact of the proposed development, including an emergency ordinance to reduce the road capacity on Richmond Beach road that Keith signed into law (which in turn reduces the amount of housing that can be built at the end of the road).
Ms. Kim is lying and smearing a good man in a cheap attempt to get votes from people who do not know the true story. Keith McGlashan has won numerous awards for his community service and excellence in ethics. I don’t want to see these Trumpian political tactics win in Shoreline. Please take the time to see through the lies perpetuated by candidate Kim and vote for the candidate who has proven integrity.
Shalane Miller
Shoreline
Posts
10 comments:
You mean the awards the council keeps giving themselves?
What about the rezone areas INSIDE Shoreline which Keith McGlashan pushed to maximize over the protest of the MAJORITY of public comment?
Keith voted in the interest of every developer and special interest group. THAT IS A FACT.
Keith voted in the interest of real estate developers, while becomin a real estate broker. THAT IS A FACT.
Shalane Miller - Please take your own advice. What is it but blatant Trumpism to accuse someone of lying with not a speck of evidence?
As Wendy DiPeso points out today in her letter to SAN - see "Letter to the Editor: An historical perspective on Councilmember Keith McGlashan’s record" - Keith McGlashan, has serious conflicts of interest as a member of the Shoreline City Council.
In plain English, Mr. McGlashan speaks and votes at Council meetings on Council issues whose outcome can directly affect his income as a real estate broker.
Land-use issues constitute a huge part of City business – we even have an entirely separate body, the Planning Commission, that is appointed by the Council and makes recommendations to the Council on land-use questions. Real estate brokers and developers have a keen financial interest in the Council's rule-making and legislation in such matters.
Legally, up to three members of the Council may meet and discuss Council business out of the sight and hearing of the public. What influence McGlashan may have on other Council members or staff in land-use discussions out of public hearing I do not know, perhaps none, but the opportunity is there.
One is not judged solely on the good one may do - we have to judge the whole person when it comes to electing our public officials who have so much power to directly affect our lives in our very own neighborhoods.
Ms. Jin-Ah Kim would bring an additional and needed public interest perspective and voice to the Shoreline City Council for the entire range of Council business. We can make this happen by voting for Jin-Ah Kim.
Jin-Ah is not being Trump! She does more for the city than anyone ever has under 35 in this city! Stop being mean you scared white voters!
Keith also devoted his time to voting against the interests of Shoreline homeowners in the rezone areas, while getting his realtor license at the same time. Councilmembers Keith McGlashan, Shari Winstead, Will Hall, and Jesse Salomon are the pro-development block on the city council. All voted for massive rezones that affected none of their owned homes. They allowed outside-Shoreline special interest groups such as FutureWise and Forterra to monopolize time with the council and staff. I'm happy about some of Keith's good work with the school, but the fact that he voted for a 10 to 12 year tax breaks for all new residential development under the guise of creating minimal affordable housing shows how much he really cares about the Shoreline schools. Schools which will now be massively underfunded for decades as new developments are built.
Jesse seems to be the only unbiased member of the pro-development group.
Keith became a realtor/broker while voting for the rezones.
Will Hall worked full-time as a legislative aid for the Snohomish City Council who is pushing the Point Wells Development.
Shari Winstead works full-time for Davis Wright Tremaine, who represent real estate developers.
We need councilmembers who will vote for the people, and those people are the existing residents of Shoreline.
Catherine Williams - North City Shoreline
I was also disgusted by the flyer. I don't know much about McGlashan, but the flyer said a lot about the character of Kim. I got McGlashan's and Kim's on the same day. The difference in the tone and degree of civility could not have been clearer.
As for the comment about the rezone, a majority of public comment isn't the same as the majority of public support. No matter if you capitalize it or not. The majority of folks I know welcome the change. Shoreline can't remain a sleepy burb forever and no amount of NIMBY thinking will change that.
I am not white, but I am scared. At a forum Jin Ah said that we better get ready because the Seattle problems are headed to us. It looks like she intends to bring them here! I looked at her website, and I watched the King 5 news article where she says safe injection sites are one of her priorities for Shoreline. I am not happy about the potential crime that would bring to Shoreline.
My family may descend from Asia, but I am not supporting a woman of color just because she is one. Where is her community service and her knowledge of public policy? As far as I can see, she is basing her readiness for city council on the fact that she was "homeless for 3 months" and that she has taken pictures at the legislature. I am insulted that people would think that reluctance in voting for Jin Ah equates to racism. She needs to sow some qualifications and common sense before she earns my vote.
PART I:
I'm not asking for your vote as a person of color. Nor do I feel entitled to it. I find myself often at odds with my own culture, being raised in a conservative, Catholic, and military Korean-American family. I rejected the notion that a woman should not be able to choose what's done to her body. I rejected the notion that LGBTQ are monsters and a nauseous blasphemy on man and God. I reject the notion that pro-patriotic means blindly following authority when our country was built on rebelling against tyranny.
I will point out that your statement - I took that as a direct hit against my gender and age: "she is basing her readiness for city council on the fact that she was "homeless for 3 months" and that she has taken pictures at the legislature." - is without a doubt, one of the most awful forms of sexism and prejudice I've faced so far in this election.
I too had those thoughts: "I'm too young. I'm not experienced enough. My past is too difficult to reconcile." NO. That is exactly how my generation ended up being the largest demographic in the state with the least amount of representation and what folks want women of color to believe everywhere. Because we are chronically trying to prove ourselves - over and over, again.
Well I'll state the reasons why I am qualified - even though I’m extremely annoyed I have to “prove myself” once again:
My opponent was a hairstylist & barista when running for office. Really? What made you assume he, too, was "qualified" (whatever that means in your head) when first elected? Is it because he's older and male that you assumed he was a lawyer or something more “dignified” than a photojournalist?
I believe local government should go back to the original intent on simple representation by a normal citizen. It used to be that a city council member was just another neighbor. Someone who had a heart and passion for this community. It is important that a council does not comprise solely on people from one occupation or fit only the set criteria of what is considered "qualified"
In the 12-step fellowship I provide service in, I am the current Chair of the Structures & Bylaws Committee for the entire State of Washington. I don't put this on my resume. We (the fellowship) encourage anonymity whenever possible to encourage the principle of 'humility' - but it is up to my discretion on whether or not to break my own anonymity. I have been writing our very first draft of bylaws that will be used for generations to come. It is modeled after the bylaws of other states, particularly Utah - where we use the organizational pattern of "Article I, Section II, etc.".
PART II:
We also use Robert's Rules of Order. THAT'S where I learned parliamentary procedures, training for years in my recovery, unknowingly being prepared for “real-life politics”. When I attended my first "real-life" political meeting...I knew exactly what I was doing and didn't skip a beat joining in. After watching people in long-term recovery throw chairs at each other with 18 years of sobriety shouting "Out of Order!"...Politics is nothing compared to that. I cut my teeth with the best and I'm ready. My BS meter is so high that I can spot manipulation from a mile away. This is exactly who you want in politics. Someone who dealt with manipulative and corrupt souls their entire life and can see right through them. I had a State Senator try to intimidate me once. Senator, you don't scare me. I've had a gun pulled on me before. And not only did I pull out of that situation and change my entire life, I blossomed like a flower in the Sun. How many people can claim the same?
My entry into “real-life politics” quickly led me to serve on the Executive Board of the following organizations: 32nd District Democrats, King County Democrats, and APACE (c4 board) - Asian Pacific Americans for Civic Empowerment. I'm a voting member of the King County Young Democrats and served as a Summer/Fall Communications Intern for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's 2016 campaign for both the Primary and General Elections.
And if you're going to downplay my achievements as being "homeless for 3 months" and took some pictures; let's not downplay the fact that I’m damn good at pictures. I’m an international photography awards winning photographer and served in your state legislature, giving me the best seat in the house (and senate), to witness EVERYTHING. I not only made it out of a disease most grown men will never be able to do, I thrived. I truly wonder - would you have been able to do the same?
Let me illustrate something to you that I learned as a direct result of my qualifications and gave me the confidence to run:
"While I was working as a photographer in Olympia for the Washington State Legislative Session from January-April 2017 - I saw everything. It was a non-partisan position so I didn’t have an opinion while I was down there. In fact, many Republican legislators just assumed that I too was a Republican. Some even went so far as to suggest that I doorbell for some of them (oh, if they only had known). Being a photographer, I had a front row seat to all of the action. I probably saw more than some of the legislators because I had to attend committee meetings as well, especially to build portfolios of the new legislators, both in House and the Senate. I saw it all.
PART III:
One moment that particularly shocked me perfectly illustrates the state of reckless abandonment that flies around our capitol when it comes to drug policy. I once witnessed during a House floor debate Representative Brad Klippert (R) say: “Marijuana kills 60% more people than Tobacco cigarettes.” He said that with all seriousness in his voice. And if you’re a state representative, you don’t have to cite your sources MLA or APA format. You can just say whatever you want and proclaim it as truth! I had to hide my face behind the camera to keep from bursting into laughter. But laughter quickly turned into horror as I realized “Oh dear God, that man is making our laws.” This was during a floor debate. As in the bill had already made it past all of the committees and was now being deliberated on for approval within the House. Another time, during a Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing Committee hearing - I once saw UW researchers give a short 10-15 min. powerpoint presentation on Opioids talking about the need to increase education for doctors and at the end of their presentation announce: “Senators, you now have more of an education on Opioids than every single UW Medical School graduate.” If that is true, then every person I know in recovery has a goddamn Ph.D. in the subject of Opioids.
I’ve always thought that I was too inexperienced, too young, and not educated enough to become a lawmaker. It turns out that I’m not. People in recovery are some of the most capable people I know. We are people who wake up broke and are rich by noon, every single day. If you want to get anything done…ask a person in long-term recovery. Frankly, we are already cheating death every single day simply by breathing clean & sober."
Jin-Ah, This one of the most thoughtful, intelligent comments I have ever read!
YES, you are extremely well qualified! Certainly at least as much, if not more than the 3 term, hairdresser/barista/realtor wannabe Keith McGlashan!
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