Tuesday evening is the Candidates Forum in south Seattle (5pm, Rainier Valley Cultural Center) where voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates on public safety issues. Candidates for city attorney, city council and King County Executive will all be there.
Not Susan Hutchison, however.
The event is considered the forum for progressive voters and organizations tackling public safety and criminal justice issues and their impact on the south end and boasts a staggering sponsorship list of more than 40 local organizations including the African Youth United (AYU), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Pacific Northwest Region Arab American Community Coalition (AACC), Black on Black Crime Coalition, Black Prisoners’ Caucus (BPC), Casa Latina, City of Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Board, Coalition to Undo Racism Everywhere (CURE) and Jewish Voice for Peace (event info here).
Invites to candidates were sent mid-August, and scheduling didn’t seem to be a problem for any of the other candidates.
According to the Seattle Times, Hutchison’s spokesperson has insisted “It’s not that it is more important than the other. It’s that one was scheduled before the other. He also offered that Susan would attend a forum the following day with the King County Bar Association and one with the Minority Executive Directors Coalition in Kent.
Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade.
To argue that Susan is unable to attend Tuesday night’s forum because she had something else on the calendar first, is well, kinda insulting because ultimately it’s absolutely not a reason to not rearrange her schedule so she could be in attendance.
I wonder if a canoeing trip is involved…
Not attending the forum sends the message from Hutchison that the issues (or the people) being addressed therein are not important to her. To pump up the other forums she will attend- also not helpful. The WSBA does not represent the issues impacting south Seattle- one forum doesn’t take the place of the other.
With such disingenuous reasoning, hell, they might as well have said Susan is going canoeing- at least keep it real.
Everyone knows that candidates attend events with constituents for strategic reasons- votes and fund raising. For her camp to pretend it’s a scheduling snafu out of their control is a slap in the face. If she wanted to be there, if she valued that community or the mission and work of the agencies and organizations involved, she would be there- it’s a simple as that.
Pinning Susan down on the issues this campaign season hasn’t been easy- she is often not available for forums and interviews and is known for giving evasive, noncommittal answers to straight forward questions. Not attending the south end forum provides yet another opportunity for her to avoid addressing policy issues. Many want Hutchison to clarify her statements around the King County budget and human services, but so far it hasn’t happened.
The minority vote is as strong as it’s ever been- and Susan Hutchison has sent a message that she feels she’ll do just fine without it come election night.
What event- and audience- will see Hutchison in attendance Tuesday night? Her spokesperson will only say it is a “private” event.
White water rafting, perhaps?
It’s especially noteworthy that she’s skipping the forum for a private event. There are competing interests out there tonight. The incumbent City Council members also have a Town Hall to attend; my understanding is that they will be attending both events. There’s also the King County Democrats’ endorsement meeting, which starts at 7 in Renton. That’s an event that would ordinarily draw all not-yet-endorsed candidates. I imagine they’ll be headed down to Renton after the forum, but the point is that every candidate has prioritized going to the forum, despite competing PUBLIC events.
One other thought–some people have suggested that Hutchison has essentially chickened out, but this probably isn’t going to be the easiest forum for any of the candidates. Unless I’m forgetting someone, they’re all middle class and all white. It’s safe to assume that none of them have personally experienced the problems or issues that may come up tonight. In as much as it’s a chance for the community to hear from them, it’s also a good chance for the candidates to hear from the community. It’s too bad that she isn’t taking advantage of the opportunity.
I believe Tom Carr is also blowing off the forum tonight for a private event. Hutchison I can sort of understand, but for the sitting City Attorney to skip a major event in SE Seattle is rather insulting and telling.