A repeat County Council race from 2005
The King County Council 8th District race is a rematch - and, many would say, a mismatch.
It’s the second time John Potter, the Republican challenger who claims only a few hundred dollars in campaign donations, has faced Dow Constantine, the Democratic incumbent who has a long list of endorsers and who has raised $115,813.
Potter, who has also run for the Legislature four times, lost to Constantine in 2005 by a 3-to-1 spread. He says he’s running again because he wants to deliver a “conservative message” to voters in the predominantly Democratic district that includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, Burien and Normandy Park.
Constantine, a lawyer and former state legislator, was appointed to the County Council in 2002 and was subsequently elected three times. He worked to include South Park Bridge reconstruction in regional Proposition 1 on Tuesday’s ballot, fought to keep a Maury Island gravel mine from expanding, championed county-operated ferries on Puget Sound, and shepherded a restrictive critical-areas ordinance through the council.
“I am learning more with each passing year,” Constantine said, “and I think I’m at a point right now where I’m able to be more effective than ever, not just for the district but for the whole region.”
Potter, who calls Proposition 1 an example of wasteful spending, wants to see the Alaskan Way Viaduct rebuilt. He would leave water-taxi service up to the private sector, and he wants to see commuter-rail service on BNSF Railway’s Eastside rail line, where County Executive Ron Sims proposes to put a biking and hiking trail.
Potter is sharply critical of the critical-areas ordinance’s restrictions on clearing trees on rural properties: “I think that right there disqualifies [Constantine] from being a public servant - in effect stealing people’s land.”
Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com