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Block by Block, King County Council Candidate Ferguson Works to Build a Base
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Jun 26, 2005 07:58am |
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| Category | Perspective |
| Media | Newspaper - The Stranger |
| News Date | Wednesday, July 16, 2003 01:55:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Bob Ferguson, candidate for King County Council, is a trim, boyish 38-year-old who looks at least a decade younger. He sports an unfashionable, middle-parted mop of dusty brown hair and a set of prim wire-framed glasses that give him a patrician, if slightly anachronistic, appearance. Some, including his opponent, incumbent King County Council Chair Cynthia Sullivan, would argue that Ferguson's politics are as conservative as his appearance: Though an avowed Democrat, Ferguson supported a Tim Eyman-backed initiative that would have shrunk the county council from 13 members to nine. He's intrigued by freeway monorail, a light rail alternative that would run down the middle of I-5. And he believes Sound Transit should freeze funding for its costly light rail project before it tunnels deeper into King County's budget.
All of which would seem to be political suicide in the district Ferguson is seeking to take, a staunchly Democratic North Seattle swath that has, for the last 20 years, been represented by the pro-light-rail, anti-Eyman Sullivan. But on a recent doorbelling trek through the View Ridge neighborhood, on the northeastern edge of Sullivan's district, residents seemed receptive to Ferguson's message, though the majority of their questions--How do you feel about rent control? (Ferguson claims no position); whom do you support for president? (either Kerry or Dean)--had nothing to do with the county. "People want to get a sense of who you are," says Ferguson.
Ferguson's stance could be a political liability. Christian Sinderman, a consultant for Sullivan and frequent Eyman opponent, says Ferguson's association with Eyman may make him "DOA in [liberal] northeast Seattle." Sullivan claims to have 65 percent name recognition in her district, and will likely outspend her opponent two to one. That's why Ferguson says he's personally knocking on the doors of every primary voter in the district--a minimum, Ferguson says, of 20,000 doors in all. |
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