Elect Phyllis Booth to the Olympia City Council

topic : Olympia City Council

From the WIP Editorial Committee

One of the most compelling incentives for Olympia residents to head to the polls on November 8 is the opportunity to unseat incumbent Doug Mah and replace him with long-time, hard-working citizen activist, Phyllis Booth.

A self-described "citizen watchdog" working on behalf of local grassroots interests, Booth has attended and testified at hundreds of city council meetings and other public hearings and forums - this, in addition to doorbelling, canvassing and otherwise applying herself on behalf of a variety of community issues and campaigns. Over the years, as her opponent has polished his skills as a politically cautious protector of development and business interests, Phyllis Booth has been a constant presence, defending the common good.

Booth is distinguished by the belief that decisions of local government should reflect local values. At the center of her platform is the assertion that citizens should have as much access as possible to information about issues affecting our community and every feasible opportunity to engage in and influence public policy-making.

Challenging the conference center

The campaign for which Phyllis Booth is probably best known is her tenacious battle in 2003 to stop the hugely unpopular conference center. Despite widespread opposition, Doug Mah was an early and ardent supporter of the project: an effort by hotel owners and out-of-state developers to funnel millions of public dollars into a venture which would benefit very narrow private interests (primarily, the Phoenix Inn). The project would have dedicated all of a $15 million Public Facilities District fund to the construction of the conference center and would have required an additional $750,000 or more annually from the city's operating funds for at least another 20 years.

As the months passed - and despite an overwhelming public outcry in which Booth played a leading role - a majority of the city council, including Doug Mah, doggedly persisted in plans to push the project through. Citizen response organized around the formation of an ad hoc group called Public Funds for Public Purposes, mounting a legal challenge to the project. Booth was instrumental in the formation and support of the group; according to the Public Disclosure Commission, between May 2003 and February 2004, she and her husband contributed a total of $1200.

After an eighteen month battle and approximately $500,000 of wasted city and state expenditures, and only when it was absolutely clear that the legal challenge led by Public Funds for Public Purposes would ultimately and fatally frustrate the process, Mah took the politically expedient action of initiating a motion to end the project. The motion was passed.

Thus, in February 2004, the conference center was defeated.

Friends of the Waterfront

In 2002, Booth worked as a core member of a group called Friends of the Waterfront, rallying massive public opposition to a City Council "mixed-use" plan allowing taller buildings in a nine-block area of downtown Olympia. The City, including Mah, argued that a major benefit to the community would be increased upper and upper-middle income downtown housing -- all condos. Over a period of six months, Booth doorbelled at approximately 500 homes in a campaign to educate the community about the City plan and its problems.

What problems? The project would have obstructed the public view and changed forever the character of the waterfront. As well, it would have provided a ten-year tax abatement for the new condo purchasers. The "Friends" campaign posited that it is not necessary to sacrifice the waterfront in order to increase housing -- especially publicly subsidized condos benefiting a relatively privileged sector of the community.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Phyllis Booth and a few other dedicated citizens, the City was persuaded to abandon the plan.

Campaign contributions

From the beginning of her campaign, Phyllis Booth has made it clear that she is "not for sale." Despite numerous offers, she has refused to accept any money from businesses, unions, developers and "other entities which regularly do business with the City of Olympia." Says Booth, "We've got to get the money out of politics."

This is in fairly dramatic contrast to Doug Mah, whose contributors include a number of realtors, builders, CEOs and investment groups. He also received $500 from the Olympia Police Guild.

At a recent forum, it was pointed out to Mah that 43% of his contributors were from outside of Olympia. He responded that many of these are family members and people who own businesses in Olympia but live outside the city.

At this same forum, sponsored by the Coalition for Low-Income Power (CLIP), Mah criticized Booth for suggesting that voters should visit the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) website to learn more about his financial base of support. He said this was "disingenuous" of her since, having filed as a *mini-reporting candidate, her finances were not posted. Phyllis, sitting next to Doug, handed him a report listing all her campaign contributions and said she would provide a copy for anyone who asked.

We took her up on that. Booth's records show that, except for Phyllis herself, no single donor gave more than $100 to her campaign. Booth provided $400 of her own money, and $100 of that came in the form of a loan against future donations. Her contributors are ordinary citizens, many of whose names will be recognized for their own civic engagement in grassroots issues. (See insert -- Booth and Mah: Top Contributors.)

[* Mini-reporting, in which contributions are not posted on the PDC site, limits a candidate's finances to no more than $3500 for the entire campaign.]

Local homelessness and poverty

In his campaign materials Mah says he "saved a soup kitchen" - which is true. With his contacts from serving on the board of the Food Bank, it was under Mah's initiative that a process resulting in the uninterrupted delivery of meals to the homeless and hungry poor happened. Yet, he has not followed-up on this endeavor by initiating other projects to address homelessness, such as overnight shelters, public restrooms downtown, or a day-use (drop-in) hygiene center for the homeless and poor.

With Booth in office, the underlying morality that values human services would not be lacking - that without which results in political delay or apathy that we see. Mah has the political and community contacts. But Booth has the political will to make something more happen for the poor. Booth can always make the contacts or the contacts will come to her under an initiative. Our fear is that Mah only does something when it is obvious to everyone that we may lose a critical band-aid to a problem.

Citizen Review Board for OPD

In contrast to Booth (as previously noted), Mah accepts large contributions from special interest groups. One of the biggest contributors to his bid for election is the Police Guild, which he unabashedly acknowledges.

The city is currently in the process of exploring new police accountability mechanisms, where the city has had to publicly acknowledge that there already exist state laws to protect officers as employees. And despite these discussions, the council (including Mah) signed the newest guild contract for the next three years -- effectively nullifying any serious notion of a Civilian Review Board for serious police accountability in the immediate future. What is going to happen in the next council term of office will decide the fate of police accountability in Olympia. (Of note, candidate Jeff Kingsbury also responded to the same question that he would support a Civilian Review Board)

At the CLIP forum, candidates Booth and Mah responded to the following question posed by Olympia CopWatch activist Drew Hendricks:

Hendricks: "The Olympia Police! A two part question: Do you think they are doing a good job? What do you think about the accountability possibilities and what would you change about it?"

Booth: "I personally have had good service from the police when I've needed them. But as a city watchdog, I have noticed a number of community complaints about police harassment, particularly of homeless people. . . . I support a Citizens Review Board, but not just appointed by the council. I would look to other groups to say who is appointed to that board to review police action."

Mah: "I believe the Olympia Police Department is doing a good job. In fact, I think we have some of the finest officers around in this area. I also believe the accountability process is balanced between the employee's rights and the public's right to know and participate. I believe the way we are handling that is working.

"I also want to say that my experience with OPD and law enforcement is different than most. Since I am former law enforcement and have spent my entire adult career working in law enforcement, my perspective is different. We still have work to do, such as getting 'Community Oriented Policing' out there to make sure what they're doing reflects the community."

Nuclear Free Zone ordinance

From the Olympian's reader-submitted questions: Recently, the City Council passed an ordinance calling for the city to be a nuclear-free zone In particular, where do you stand on that action? In general, what do you see as the role of the City Council in addressing statewide, national and even international public policy issues?

Doug Mah: "I voted against the ordinance. The ordinance is beyond the scope of the city's responsibilities and not enforceable. I support the City Council's legitimate duty to communicate how state and national policies may impact the community. However, we should not exceed our legal authority in order to send a message."

Phyllis Booth: "If nothing else, this moratorium will make people think about the pros and cons of nuclear energy and about such failed costly taxpayer projects as Washington Public Power Supply System and the Hanford mess. When the federal government fails to act, state and local governments must. Look at the leadership of states in setting higher standards for automobile air pollution standards."

In summary

Incumbent candidate Doug Mah knows how to function in the political arena and perform the basic duties of a city council person. But his record lacks luster. He rarely takes initiative on any issue of significance; his intervention to prevent an interruption of soup kitchen meal delivery might be the singular noteworthy exception.

And while Mah's public presentation has a more practiced polish and brevity - yes, Booth at times could probably summarize her thoughts more concisely - we trust that, once in office, she will hone those skills very effectively.

Our support for Phyllis Booth is a choice which favors principled substance over a calculated and buttoned-down political style. Phyllis has solid, deep-rooted democratic values. While her opponent has a record of favoring business and development, Phyllis has clearly demonstrated her commitment to defending grassroots interests and a willingness to work diligently on behalf of those interests. She would serve the community well as a member of the Olympia City Council.

We strongly urge you to vote for Phyllis Booth, Olympia City Council Position 6.

Booth's Campaign Contributions at or over $100:

Walt Jorgensen: former Tumwater city council-- 100

Thomas/Kuniko Hess -- 100

Lynn Salerno: Retired -- 100

Bob Jacobs: former Olympia Mayor -- 100

Calvin Johnson: local rock star -- 100

2 contributions over $50

28 contributions at or under $50

No Special Interest money

Mah's Top 30 Contributors -- $100 or over :

"*" denotes out of city residence & business = 55% of total

(What are all these Investors investing in?)

*Steve Chan: WA IT Specialist -- 1000

*Lee Phuong: WA Accountant -- 500

*Fred Finn: Attorney/Realtor -- 500

OPD Guild: PAC -- 500

Roberts Frank: retired -- 500

Dave Prutzman; Investor -- 500

Patsy Prutzman; 'Educator' -- 500

Arthur Foley: Plastic Surgeon -- 250

Timothy Seth: Landlord -- 250

?Fred Goldberg: Investor -- 250

*Operating Engineers (Tacoma): PAC -- 250

Scott Bond: Hospital CEO -- 250

*Renee Ries: Private Executive -- 250

*Mary Jo Mathies: retired -- 250

*John/Laura Guthrie: DOL/Discovery Tours -- 200

*Jane Mah: retired (California) -- 200

George/Karen Tellevik: retired -- 150

Jay Goldstein: Landlord Attorney -- 100

*Margaret Holm: Nurse/Attorney -- 100

*Joe Daniels: Consultant -- 100

Lew Yarbrough: retired - 100

Bill/Jackie Brennan: *Physician -- 100

*Elmen Spencer: Invester (Arkansas) -- 100

Linda/George Lamb: BD Education/Physician -- 100

*Terry Kluh: Nurse -- 100

Peter Overton: Investor -- 100

*Wayne Williams: Attorney -- 100

Rhonda Olnick: Realtor -- 100

*Richard/Emily Mah: Attorney (Bellevue) -- 100

Ray La Forge: Oly Downtown Assoc -- 100

*Patti Moore: Oly Downtown Assoc -- 100

*Heritage Foundation: PAC -- 100

Evalyn Poff: retired -- 100