Executive Candidates Debate King County's Green Future

Dow Constantine (Photo: Lucas Anderson)

Last night, the candidates for King County Executive met at Town Hall for a debate on the environmental problems facing the county. The candidates had similar views for the future of the county, as every candidate opposed an increase in county or property taxes to support programs, supported a strong transit system, and unanimously agreed upon the county’s responsibility in the Duwamish river pollution problem. But, they had mixed reactions to the problem of the much-needed Eastside railway. While all candidates expressed interest in purchasing the corridor, they settled on what became a recurring theme in last night’s debate: who or what will fund it?

Moderated by Clifford Traisman of the Washington Environmental Council & Washington Conservation Voters, the debate pitted four potential candidates against one another: State Representative Ross Hunter, Councilman Larry Phillips, State Senator Fred Jarrett and Councilman Dow Constantine. Susan Hutchinson was invited, but did not attend.

Phillips pushed his environmental action agenda "Green Print" saying it would improve existing programs and create new ones as well. Candidates Jarret and Hunter have backgrounds in management, with Jarret’s 35 years as a project manager at Boeing and Hunter’s 17 years at Microsoft as management. Both cited these backgrounds in the debate. "We need to change the way the county thinks about managing itself," said Jarret.

Dow Constantine made a strong showing, touting his experience as an elected official and popular supporters like the Sierra Club and the Cascade Bicycle Club  throughout the debate. He displayed his passion for the environment while talking about the Puget Sound pollution problem. "We need to stop the damage, and stop the projects pushing past our environmental regulations…it can’t wait," he said. 

Hutchinson's absence was noted with one audience member shouting, "Where’s Susan?" Hutchinson was said to have a prior engagement for last night, and her campaign stuck by that story when contacted this morning.