Sound Politics: Susan Hutchison running for County Executive

April 10, 2009

Susan Hutchison running for County Executive

Former KIRO-TV news anchor Susan Hutchison announced Wednesday she is running for County Executive. She has never held public office.

Seattle Times

"I don't like new taxes, and I think it's a very good idea to examine all other creative ways to balance our budget. People in this region pay a lot of tax, and they don't want more taxes," Hutchison said.

She said taxes "should not be the first line of defense" when trying to close a $50 million gap in the general fund, but declined to say whether she would oppose new taxes if they were needed to keep sheriff's deputies on the street.

The office is now nonpartisan, which here means reserved for Democrats. But rocket scientist Dwight Pelz figured out her secret:

"This is why the Republicans ran the initiative to make it a nonpartisan office -- to sneak a right-winger like Susan Hutchison past the voters of King County," said state Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz.

She is currently executive director of the $100 million Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, which funds schools, libraries, museums and other institutions. The Times discovered that she was a director of Discovery Institute, the local think tank that works to find and get broad support for solutions for regional transportation problems and supports intelligent design. But science is not an issue in King County politics.

Posted by Ron Hebron at April 10, 2009 07:24 AM | Email This

Comments

1. What Dwight said. If he says it, it must be true.

I don't know Susan Hutchinson from Adam or Jane, but a declaratory statement about being sorta against taxes makes her a Republican, then the Democrats need to get another fearless leader- say like Boris B.

Posted by: swatter on April 10, 2009 07:49 AM

2. Anybody know why she left the "news"?

Posted by: JoeBandMember on April 10, 2009 07:58 AM

3. "sneak a right-winger...past the voters"? Wow! What an excellent example of the arrogance and fearlessness by Democrats of ANY accountability whatsoever. To make a statement like that shows that they don't even think there IS another party or another valid opinion on how to run things.
I hope Susan can parlay her name recognition and her experience running these other groups into a successful campaign. It will be funny to see her former employer do everything it can to unfairly smear her and prop up whatever little Kim Jong Il clone the Seattle looney left drums up to oppose her.

Posted by: scott on April 10, 2009 08:05 AM

4. I read somewhere that she was pushed out when they brought in an Asian anchor to the KIRO news desk (who left not too long after that). She also sued KIRO for (I think) wrongful termination or discrimination, or something like that, but I don't know the outcome of that suit.

Posted by: Michael H on April 10, 2009 08:06 AM

5. That sounds par for the course. The left will always try to silence any dissent. Visit The Olympian comments blogs and see for yourself what happens when I disagree. One jerk spends hours stalking and harassing me. Ain't it fun?

Posted by: JoeBandMember on April 10, 2009 08:14 AM

6. It's convenient for the party in charge of it all she entered the race. Now there's the appearance that two parties exist in this neck of the woods.

Who's going to fill up PAC's with enough money for her to run a real campaign? My guess is that'd be a pretty small set of the players with $$$ around here . . . .

See, R's don't stand a chance for the next generation or two of holding power. That's because the democrats in this state are corporate whores:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_locke_corporate_donors.html

When I posted that over at HA it was deleted. Goldy and his admin. team are owned by party that controls it all.

Here's the other thing HA will delete if you post about it: "Roger Rabbit" is a 39-yearold former lawyer who works for a PR firm that has a number of clients making big money off of tax revenue. He's paid to fill up HA threads with vitriol from the statist perspective.

Another plant is MR. CYNICAL. Ask that screen name to identify the names of the people who drafted the Sound Transit measure for the ballot and he'll defer. He's a parody of a "right winger."

HA has more plants than a P-Patch.

Posted by: chancre on April 10, 2009 09:04 AM

7. Now Phil Spackman now has a valid reason to continue his bizarre, bordering on psychotic, obsession with her.

Posted by: cliff on April 10, 2009 09:38 AM

8. That was a truly nasty little hit-piece the Times did on Hutchison. Right out of the Sarah Palin smearbook, complete with the most unattractive photo they could find.

You'll never read a piece like that about any Democrat candidate.

Posted by: Bill Cruchon on April 10, 2009 09:48 AM

9. I don't know Susan personally or have any idea what she would be like managing King County but she'd have to be light years better than the pimple that was in there before. I have, however, heard her speak on various topics and she seems like a bright, caring, honest individual.

At the very least she's height weight proportionate.

And, of course, she's not a Demorat.

Posted by: G Jiggy on April 10, 2009 10:58 AM

10. Why does non-partisan have to mean reserved for Democrats? Dwight Pelz is half-right. Now that it's a non-partisan office Republicans actually have a better chance of getting elected to countywide office. Kneejerk Democrats will actually be forced to research the candidates instead of just marking "D". Don't forget that Jim Nobles was elected to the non-partisan Monorail Board, probably in large part because voters had to focus on what he was saying and not the letter next to his name, despite Stochmeir's best attempts to "out" him.

Posted by: WFP on April 10, 2009 11:40 AM

11. Chancre Sore @ 6

You are so WRONG. There are plenty of Democratic commenters on Horse's Ass who rail against folks in our own party that they condemn as corporate whores. Even the authors attack Democrats on this account. For example, just today, Jon De Vore has an article on HA condemning Governor Gregoire as being in the pocket of Boeing:

http://horsesass.org/?p=14895

As for Roger Rabbit, he is definitely a secretive individual who zealously guards his identity. But I have met him in person several times, and he is definitely over 60 and in the retirement age category.

And Mr. Cynical is definitely your typical extreme right-wing Republican type. Not a Democratic plant by any stretch of the imagination.

Posted by: Richard Pope on April 10, 2009 12:18 PM

12. I know nothing about Susan, however today I am on furlough while the Executive and his staff, along with a number of consultants are getting paid for being in the office.
I doubt Susan could turn out to be as big a hypocrite as Sims and his band of charlatans.

Posted by: Furloughed today on April 10, 2009 12:29 PM

13. Michael H above is correct for the most part. Management decided to let her go (I believe her contract was up, but don't hold me to it). They brought in another anchor who was maybe 15 years younger (and asian), so she sued for age discrimination. The new anchor was then let go at the end of her contract because it was decided who wasn't working out either.

Television can be a cutthroat business.

Posted by: Mike H (different than Michael H above) on April 10, 2009 04:45 PM

14. Well, let's ask the lady: DO YOU BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CHANGE AND DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS CAUSED BY CO2? An affirmative answer will tell you she is just another brain dead, crackpot whackoo and a negative answer will reveal her intelligence. One can only assume that any Democrat is just plain stupid based on the current elected examples floating around these days.

Posted by: Jack LeCerveau on April 10, 2009 05:07 PM

15. She is another know-nothing dilletante with delusional aspirations and self-image.

What the County needs is an experienced executive from the private sector or a retired military officer. A person with demonstrable leadership and administrative experience. Politicians and bureaucrats rarely have either trait.

Posted by: Paddy on April 10, 2009 05:30 PM

16. She will be better than any democrat put forth by the King County dem party. I don't see her as corrupt, as I see all the democrat candidates to be. She will be honorable.

Posted by: Daisy on April 10, 2009 05:39 PM

17. "Taxes are not the first line of defense." Great slogan!!! I've met her on several occasions and she would be great. She has my vote.
Oh wait...I just recently moved to S. Cal in order to keep working. (I have Suits on the radio now! He just gets better!) No matter, Logan will make sure all my votes count.

Posted by: Diogenes on April 10, 2009 07:32 PM

18. Any other Republicans running ? If not, it might be better to get behind one candidate instead of having them for lunch - a sure way not to come close to get a Republican elected. The deck is stacked against them from the get go, honorable or not.

In the words of Up-Chuck Schumer, this country is not into Traditional Values or a strong defense - they are not politically viable any more, since the Dems are in the majority. All Obama has to do is say he seeks bipartisanship, then calls the Repubs the Party of No. - Sen. Schumer on Rachael Maddow - on MSNBC.

Posted by: KS on April 10, 2009 11:18 PM

19. Goldy already has run a hit piece.

Posted by: Crusader on April 11, 2009 06:12 AM

20. Sounds like there needs to be another candidate with an R beside their name or a conservative Democrat. The timing and mood of the country as a whole is not very good and it would favor a token liberal to be elected to County Exec. One of the councilmembers, who is Democrat will likely win.

Posted by: KS on April 11, 2009 01:39 PM

21. Here you can corroborate eximious dating resources....
Good Dating Resource

Posted by: protheHoart on April 12, 2009 07:26 AM

22. Where in the
world is Phil
Spackman?
Is he no
longer obcessed
with Susan
Hutchison?
Stay tuned.....

Posted by: Saltherring on April 12, 2009 07:37 AM

23. Hey Richard Pope -

Thanks for your endorsements of the bogus screen names at HA. Catch a clue though - nobody believes anything you say.

What was the reason you were suspended from the WSBA again? Aren't you running for office as a D these days?

Here, answer the question "mr cynical" would not: what are the names of the people who drafted the Sound Transit ordinance it put on the ballot last November? The reason "mr c" looks and smells like a plant stems from how he claims the voters were stupid to approve the measure. The voters were ignorant of the implications of approving it, but the self-interested lawyers who drafted that measure are statist creeps. Take a shot at naming them!

Hey -

Posted by: chancre on April 13, 2009 03:15 PM

24. Gee, there are a lot of angry people out there. Ms. Hutchison's bid is refreshing. I can't see anything that the current regime' has done to get my vote or endorsement. I hope she is successful. Partisanship at best is divisive - nothing democratic about it!

Posted by: So. Cal. Gal on April 17, 2009 10:03 AM