King County election records show three of the four candidates seeking the top two executive jobs in the region, mayor and county executive, skipped too many elections. How embarrassing.
CITIZENSHIP is not a part-time responsibility.
Over the years, the act of voting has become one of the easiest things an individual can do. Voters who do not wish to leave home can wait for the ballot to arrive in the mail, fill it in, lick a stamp, send it. Done.
A candidate desiring to become mayor or county executive who didn’t bother to vote in numerous elections leading up to the moment of entering a political campaign should be ashamed and embarrassed.
Tall, pointy dunce caps to Seattle mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan and King County executive candidate Susan Hutchison. Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn gets slightly shorter head gear. All three now wish to lead a major city or county but in recent elections were too busy or disinterested to bother learning the issues or expressing their views.
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Of four candidates seeking election to high-level executive jobs this fall, only King County Councilman Dow Constantine has anything to brag about in this regard, say county records. Constantine’s perfect record is what a voter expects of someone wishing to lead.
The other three make it seem like they just woke up one day and decided to get involved in politics. What does their lack of commitment say to more-committed citizens who arranged baby-sitters and ran out on cold, rainy nights to ensure their vote counted?
Many people are out of town or distracted from time to time. Everyone understands a missed vote here or there. But Mallahan missed 13 elections since 2001, Hutchison skipped eight and McGinn opted out of four elections, according to Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner. Three part-time citizens.
Ouch, ouch and ouch.