Sonics supporters’ slam of mayoral candidate Peter Steinbruek trends in Seattle
Jul 19, 2013, 6:23 AM | Updated: 12:48 pm
The list of things trending on Twitter Thursday night caught the attention of those following local politics.
#SteinbrueckFacts are not actually facts – but (probably) untrue statements about the former Seattle City Councilmember and mayoral candidate, Peter Steinbruek. If you look at the majority of people who started the hashtag, which became a trending topic in Seattle, it appears their comments may have stemmed from Steinbruek’s anti-arena position.
Once you dig into who is tweeting out all these “facts,” …
Pete Steinbrueck uses “air quotes” when talking about the moon landing. #SteinbrueckFacts
— J Dub (@XLandSharkX) July 19, 2013
… you see a trend. Most are coming from either sports fans, local sports bloggers, or in a few instances, the Communications Director of the Washington State Republican Party. Many of the tweets appear to be from Sonics fans.
A year ago, KING 5’s Chris Daniels reported the Port of Seattle had hired a former Seattle city councilmember to help in its fight over the proposed Seattle arena. The Port, which had been adamantly anti-SoDo arena, confirmed it was Peter Steinbrueck who was hired. Steinbrueck confirmed he would be paid up to $40,000 for his work.
It came as a shock to some as he had denied he was on the Port payroll days earlier while making a scathing presentation about the arena proposal and suggested it violated current city codes and regulations.
Steinbrueck has said, “It’s inevitable that NBA basketball will return to the Seattle market, but on our terms. It should not be at great cost to jobs and the economy.”
Report by KIRO Radio’s Owen Murphy.
