Before voting for Seattle mayor, consider who makes the bed
Jul 30, 2013, 6:47 PM | Updated: Jul 31, 2013, 9:24 am
(AP/Paul Sakuma file photo)
Glossy, full-color campaign flyers fill mailboxes with primary election ballots due within seven days. One political pitch stands out for its simplicity and its target.
A campaign letter sent only to women voters in Seattle seeks support for incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn.
The end of the letter reads, “P.S. We paid to send this letter from our paychecks. We couldn’t mail enough.”
The letter is signed by five women who work as housekeepers at three Seattle hotels – the Edgewater, Hyatt at Olive 8, and Westin. They explain why they support Mayor McGinn.
“We are working as housekeepers in Seattle hotels. We hope women in Seattle will remember us when you vote for Mayor. Most people don’t really ever think of us.
When you go to a hotel room its all clean and ready for you.
Mayor McGinn stood up for hotel housekeepers so we have respect, make a little more money and get sick days off. Because of him, we can support our families better.
We don’t expect you to vote for the Mayor just because of us, but we hope you consider us when you make your decision.
The powerful developers who are demanding help from the city to build big hotels for conventions are trying to deny us women who clean rooms a fair job to work our way out of poverty.”
The letter was only sent to about 40,000 female voters in Seattle, according to the union behind it.
UNITE HERE Local 8, which represents about 4,000 workers in the state’s hospitality industry, is behind the mailing.
This support of McGinn follows a controversy last week involving the grocery workers’ union.
McGinn said he would block a major grocery store development in West Seattle, claiming Whole Foods doesn’t pay as much as union grocery stores. Whole Foods provided evidence contradicting the mayor’s salary and benefits numbers.
Nine other candidates are on the ballot for Seattle Mayor:
Joey Gray is an information-systems consultant and trainer. Gray is also an environmental activist and bicycle advocate.
Bruce Harrell is serving his second term on the Seattle City Council. Some of the issues he’s advocated for include having police wear body cameras and overseeing police reform efforts.
Kate Martin is a community activist from Greenwood. She ran unsuccessfully for Seattle School Board in 2011. She is running for mayor with a focus on youth, public safety and solving Seattle’s pressing problems.
Mary Martin states in her campaign documents that she represents the Socialist Workers’ Party. Says her top advisers in the campaign are Karl Marx, Rosa Luxemborg, Malcolm X and Fidel Castro.
Doug McQuaid is a West Seattle attorney who ran unsuccessfully last year for state Supreme Court. McQuaid does not have a campaign website yet.
Ed Murray is a State Senator in the 43rd Legislative District. Previously served 11 years in the state House of Representatives. He was a prime sponsor of the state’s marriage equality law.
Charlie Staadecker is a real estate broker who was elected twice to Vashon Island School Board. The areas he’d like to focus on are jobs, education, public safety and quality of life.
Peter Steinbrueck is the son of urban preservationist Victor Steinbrueck. He’s an architect and urban planner who served three terms on the Seattle City Council. He led the charge against putting a new NBA arena in SoDo.
By LINDA THOMAS