Grass Roots Party Building in a Red Place

This will be the final blog I, Theresa Petrey, write as chair during the 2011-2012 term.  Tonight our Kittitas County Precinct Committee Officers will elect a new slate of officers for the Kittitas County Democratic Central Committee.  A new chair will be elected and I move "Forward" to what I hope are very productive roles as a precinct committee officer (it will be nice to have a vote!) and, hopefully, pending the reorganization votes, continued work at the state party level as the 13th legislative District Committee Woman and the chair of the Agricultural and Rural Issues Caucus.  Throughout the past two years, I have focused on the history of Democrats in Washington State, and, to a lesser extent, some political analysis.  In this final blog post, I will give a brief review of the Dorothy Stimson Bullitt autobiography "An Uncommon Life" by Delphine Haley, spend more time sharing the good, but largely unheralded work Dorothy's husband Scott Bullitt did in rebuilding the Democratic Party in Washington State, and, to wrap up my term, give a few thoughts on our local election results and our party building efforts of the past two years.

An Uncommon Life, by Delphine Haley

I was loaned this book by another professional woman in the community who got a later start in her career and I found the read extremely interesting in spite of the somewhat stilted writing style given my own late bloomer status as a business person and a lawyer.   When most people might have had an eye towards retirement, Dorothy Stimson Bullitt was just getting started and went on to found a media empire, on her own.  While it was true she inherited wealth, she also was forced by the economic times that she lived in, during the depression, and under laws that were still not favorable to widowed women seeking custody of their own children and assets, to not only hold on to her family's wealth, but to provide for her children and build on what she was left. 

Dorothy's story is not without its downsides though, she lost her husband Scott Bullitt at a relatively young age, and although Ms. Haley makes it clear that the relationship between Scott and Dorothy was not perfect and suffered strain from time to time, it appeared to be one founded on true passion, lasting committment and love.  Dorothy had what could be termed a complicated relationship with her children throughout her life somehow managing to be controlling, distant and loving all at the same time.  A question I was left with at the end of the book, and, one which I surely think the author also pondered, is what would Dorothy's life have been like if Scott Bullitt had not died an early death from cancer and had went on to an expanded role in national politics?

Scott Bullitt and Party Building

Much of the available information on Scott Bullitt was assembled by Ms. Haley and can be found in An Uncommon Life.  However, there is a blog post by another author on OlyBlog, stevenl, which also discusses the work of Scott Bullitt and appears to draw liberally from Ms. Haley's work titled Ungoverner 1928-Scott Bullitt.  A shorter and pithier bio authored by Dana Mason appears on the University of Washington Pacific Northwest Labor and Civil Right website The Great Depression in Washington State.   Here are a few excerpts from the OlyBlog piece: 

"Now the father of three children, Scott Bullitt found himself in an interesting position in the Highlands among Seattle's elite. As Delphine Haley points out in Dorothy Stimson Bullitt, An Uncommon Life, "As ardent Democrats, Scott and Dorothy were aliens in Republican territory, but, because their relatives comprised a quarter of the population, they were tolerated as political eccentrics." His Southern charm was disarming, he made friends easily, and he was a master story-teller. Where Bullitt came from, the upper class were Democrats, and he was not about to change his stripes simply because he was living in a new place.

Bullitt was shocked to discover the Democratic party had no headquarters in Washington. So he created one. In 1924 he attended the Democratic National Convention as a McAdoo delegate. He became the chief advocate for Washington State delegates condemning the Ku Klux Klan by name, but his fellow Dems lacked the will to follow. He later became a forceful opponent to the Klan-sponsored Initiative 49 in the election of 1924 which would have closed parochial schools in Washington. He also took a chance and suggested that the Prohibition laws be modified to allow the consumption of beer and lighter wines. In addition he was on record as being pro-labor.

In 1926 he entered the race for the U.S. Senate against longtime Republican incumbent Wesley Jones. As a point of trivia, Ungovernor David Burgess was also in this race under the Socialist Labor banner. Bullitt had several handicaps: he was a carpetbagger, a neophyte in Evergreen State elective politics, he was wealthy and lived in isolation from the common experience. But he was also determined and ambitious. . . .

On the face of it, Bullitt's defeat on Election Day (148,783 votes/46.52%) looks just like that, a defeat. In reality it was a dazzling success in re-energizing the Washington State Democratic Party. A network had been created, a new party was being formed from the ashes of the old. Bullitt's final percentage was not the low number slaughter the Dems had become accustomed to receiving. Sidenote: Jones was defeated for re-election in 1932 by Homer Bone and died a couple weeks after the election.

Not letting the momentum of 1926 lose steam, Bullitt entered the 1928 Democratic Party primary election for Governor. . . .It was in the course of this primary campaign Bullitt was approached by a young law student interested in politics named Warren G. Magnuson. Maggie's biographer Shelby Scates points out the future U.S. Senator always considered Bullitt to be his mentor and the "ideal politician." Bullitt steered the young man to his first statewide party convention, where the issue of dry vs. wet was hotly debated. "Magnuson," wrote Scates, "may not yet have had a clear idea about affiliation, but from practice and conviction he was truly a wet." Bullitt gave the keynote address to a very positive reception . . . .

When the campaign Hartley biographer Albert Gunns called "vigorous, muddy, and insignificant" came to an end, Bullitt tallied 214,334 votes (42.73%), "ordinarily an unbelievable number for a Democratic candidate in the 1920s," says Gunns. Bullitt won in a few counties: Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Kittitas and Lewis.

The remainder of Bullitt's short life was filled with victory and sadness. His beloved father-in-law, C.D. Stimson, died in August 1929. The stock market crash in October threatened to eat the family fortune. Brother-in-law and rival Thomas Stimson died in an airplane crash in 1931. But there were also good things out there. His work at party-building was starting to bear fruit.

He became active with the Municipal League, and found a job in the organization for young Warren Magnuson. "Magnuson," wrote O. Casey Corr, "would never forget his debt to Bullitt for giving him a start in politics." Maggie later went on to become probably the greatest of all the U.S. Senators from Washington State. If Bullitt accomplished nothing else, giving Magnuson an entry into politics was well worth all of his work.

Elected Washington State Democratic National Committeeman in 1929 gave Scott a bigger stage. As Seattle's Hooverville expanded and the Depression deepened, he saw a kindred spirit in Franklin D. Roosevelt. "Philosophically, he considered Roosevelt the perfect candidate-- a patrician of noble purpose, yet entirely sympathic to the needs of working people," wrote Delphine Haley. Bullitt became an early supporter of FDR and helped unite the state behind him. In Jan. 1932 he stayed at Hyde Park and strategized.

It didn't hurt to dream. He was to stand before the delegates in Chicago at the National Convention and place FDR's name in nomination. Then he would be appointed National Chairman. Perhaps he would become a cabinet official, maybe Sec. of the Navy. It looked good. But then ---
In Feb. 1932 he became ill with what the public knew as the flu. But it was cancer of the liver and gall bladder. And it was terminal. He died on April 10.

The Bullitt saga and their enormous contributions to the public life of Washington State certainly didn't stop there. Dorothy Bullitt's recovery from stunned widow with three small children to building the King Broadcasting Co. has been the subject of books. Scott's son, Stimson Bullitt, also dallied in politics and became an early opponent of the Vietnam War at a time when it was dangerous to voice such opinions. For these efforts Stimson was given the honor of being placed on Nixon's famous 'Enemies List.' "

For more on Homer Bone and Warren Magnuson please see earlier posts on this blog.

Election Wrap up and Local Party Building

One of the things I love the most about the Scott Bullitt story is that he actually won Kittitas County in his race for the Governor's seat.  Kittitas County is a red, red place currently, but there was a time when, as a Republican elected official told me, a Republican couldn't get elected as a dogcatcher.  While even cursory research will show this not to be true, the point is well taken, that at one time Democrats were more visible, held more officers and were certainly very viable candidates if they were inherently credible to begin with.  Democrats still hold many city council seats throughout the county, but we are currrently not seeing those potential candidates move up to run in county wide elected offices or beyond as we might expect. 

A common misperception is that Kittitas County will not support a Democrat, but the presence of Jerry Pettit as County Auditor and Gene Dana as Sherriff attests to the fact that this is untrue.  Another myth is that we are a very small minority, also untrue, as Auditor Pettit has stated that he believes that the mix is actually more along the lines of 48%  Democrats to 52%  Republicans.  The problem is that our people don't vote as reliably as they should and when they do run, they don't understand (as a group) how much effort and funding is required to actually reach voters, even Democratic voters.  Valid criticisms have also been levelled at our local party as well for not being organized enough to support candidates. 

I would like to speak to the value of organization and local party building.  At the time I took office, it seemed that there were at least some factions of the local party that revelled in our lack of organization and our free flowing style of doing our business.  Two years past that place, I can say understand that value of being a big tent, but the tent collapses without a structure to hold it in place, suitable maintenance and repair, and so much disorganization that current leadership cannot find the tent.  This is not entirely metaphorical given our drama with our fair booth tent.

If President Obama was elected in 2008 on the strength of his grass roots organizing, it is certainly clear that organizing was even more needed in 2012.  And, it appears to be clear that is what happened in that pundits widely believe that the Obama campaign had a better ground game.  Bringing that a little closer to home, Washington State Democrats chair Dwight Pelz attributed Jay Inslee's win in the Governor's race to not letting any Democratic voter in King County "stay home."  This did not happen with advertising, it happened through party volunteers going out and registering neighbors, door belling, following up with get out the vote calls and contacts.  Consequently, King County matched its previous record turnout of 84% from 2008. 

Interestingly, Kittitas County also had a turnout of nearly 84%.  President Obama received nearly 44% of that vote.  Maria Cantwell, with virtually no presence and a conscious effort to deploy efforts in support of other candidates lost by about 200 votes at just under 50%.  What we know is that not every voter votes for every candidate or every measure.  My perception as chair is that we have significant numbers of Democratic voters who don't know other candidates on the ballot and that is a problem of reach in most cases.  Yes, I know that there are a few of you disgruntled Democrats out there who are still upset with Jay Inslee's vote on the assault weapons bill and others who became quite disenchanted with President Obama.  However, as chair after these two years, I do believe we left 3-5% of our votes off our ballots either by not voting all races or through some Democrats not voting at all.  It's that margin we need to work incrementally on encouraging participation on among existing voters and then getting registration rates up in this county.

Not only have we seen the state party become more focused in terms of ground organization but we have also seen, from reports by old timers, the state party meetings become more focused through improvement in how resolutions are handled.  To some extent, I hope that during my term the procedures, policies and other structures of doing business that were formulated will be carried forward to be built upon.  These are the kind of things we need to continue working on building our institutional capacity to execute.  This is also one of the reasons that I am now convinced that the most important thing I can do for my local party is to be an effective Precinct Committee Officer.

In discussion with other county chairs from Central Washington, it is clear that we have a trend towards these counties becoming more blue over time.  There has even been an argument put forward by Kaj Selmann, our candidate in the 13th, that if registration rates were higher and Democrats voted that the truth is that the 13th Legislative District is actually a blue district.  In Kittitas County we can do our part by continuing the hard and unglamourous work of organizing, being organized and registering voters.  Jerry Pettit, along with stakeholders from the university, has done important and historic work to improve the access of Central Washington University students to voting.

In closing, I would like to thank the 50 to 60 people who volunteered in one way or another this year.  The amount of work needed to keep our party afloat is astounding, to start it on the path to growth doubles or triples that effort.  "My" board has been so supportive and so giving to a chair with a significant illness during this term that it is hard to put into words how appreciative I am.  I still mourn the loss of Anna Powell who I did not have enough years with as a friend and fellow Democrat.  I am thrilled by all of the rank and file party members who never came to a meeting or social event but who volunteered in our office.  And, to those of you who gave money to our committee, in spite of another untrue myth that local Democrats will not support the local committee financially, may I simply say that we could not have moved our party forward during this term and into the future without those donations.  Having a small cushion has allowed us to do more and will now allow the new board to consider things like doing a Jefferson dinner for the first time. 

Thanks again and it has been my pleasure to serve you.

Theresa Petrey
 

Dancing with the Stranger Mathew Manweller Style

Where is Paul Harvey when you need him? 

Never fear, years after Paul's death, the Stranger is here with part of the rest of the story and released many more of the sordid details of Matt Manweller's hypocrisy to the general public yesterday. 

This follows the lifting of the injunction on the release of Central Washington University's report in attempting to come into compliance with Title IX regulations on sexual harassment allegations made by students against Manweller in 2006 and 2007.  Manweller is attempting to spin this report as absolving him of these actions.  It does not.  The simple problem is that CWU's response at the time was ineffective and the "complaints" were "resolved" on an informal basis and CWU made only the most cursory attempt to correct the problem, i.e. Manweller.  The sad fact of the matter is that CWU bungled the process under the requirements of Title IX back in 2006 and 2007 and knows it.

CWU is not currently disciplining Manweller due only to the lapse of time. 

During the past week, Mr. Manweller, his campaign, and his sycophants have also been distorting an editorial run by the Daily Record's editorial board to claim that the Daily Record endorsed him.  They did not and when confronted with their distortion refused to admit that they were not telling the truth about the endorsement.  Hence, yesterday, Joanna Markell, Managing Editor of the Daily Record, restated that the Daily Record did not make endorsements in two of the local races, the race for the State House (i.e. Mathew Manweller versus Kaj Selmann) and the judicial race in yet another editorial.

I appreciate these two local papers making the attempt to at least provide the information held by Central Washington University.  Democracy is helped by having a free press that strives to at least appear non-partisan.  However, the people in Grant County are not as fortunate as we are here in Kittitas and Yakima Counties, as the dominant paper there, the Columbia Basin Herald,
has essentially refused to even cover the CWU report other than a few lines sandwiched inside a thinly veiled campaign piece.  This is where we can all be grateful for the growth of the internet and the great platform it gives individuals to share information that does not find an outlet due to partisan journalists.

For more information on the actual court hearing lifting the injunction and allowing for the release of the Central Washington University investigative report on the sexual harassment allegations made against Mathew Manweller please go to Steve Verhey's blog post on the hearing.


Updated 11/3/2012 to link to Joanna Markell's Out and About Column.

Credibility Factor Limited-When a Political Thug Recasts Himself as a Bi-Partisan

Some years ago, I was sitting in the dark on a ledge of a windowsill outside the Ellensburg Public Library talking with Debbie Strand, who was then the Executive Director of the Kittitas County Economic Development Group.  I had known Debbie only in her professional capacity, who was, at the time, actively working with the wind farm developers who were facing huge opposition from a coalition of groups and individuals eager to preserve and promote residential development in Kittitas County's wildlands.  Much to my surprise and shock that evening, a man walked up and without any acknowledgement of my presence, and began to verbally threaten Ms. Strand's job if she did not get control of the Development group's board, specifically, Desmond Knudson, a board member and local business owner, who was at the time engaged in a lawsuit to remove the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners.

Ms. Strand, kindly, wisely and diplomatically, I think on behalf of Mr. Manweller, pointedly interrupted him and introduced me to Matt Manweller. 

This is how I first met Matt who was at that time chair of the Republican Party.  My impression at the time of a person that would make such threats in the dark without regard to who might be listening was that he was a thug.  I think he was fortunate that the person he addressed these threatening and bullying remarks to was the long suffering Ms. Strand who very patiently put up with this incident and even covered his back a little bit.

This first impression was indelible and continuing.  It was amplified when Matt was filmed calling a protester stupid (you can easily find the links to this video on the web).  It was further solidified, while pandering to a Tea Party crowd, he called public employees generational parasites (this video also easily found on the web).  Finally, there is the infamous radio show incident involving the parking lot brawl, and its precedent and subsequent messaging by Matt, which was nothing but a display of the worst kind of partisanship.

However, I can also see that there is a new Matt who is now trying to put "his baggage" behind him and emerge as a bi-partisan.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of baggage to tow.

I understand that it is easy to dismiss me as a partisan due to my current involvement in the Democratic Party as the Kittitas County Chair.  However, as a very moderate Democrat, who was self described at the time of my election to my current political role as being 51% Democrat and 49% Republican, I really do have a problem with Matt now trying to present himself as a bi-partisan given what I have witnessed as a resident of Kittitas County for many years.  As a business person,  I also have sincere and serious concerns for those of you in the agricultural and business communities of all three counties he might be representing and whether concerns across the entire spectrum of business activity in our counties will be heard rather than just those segments of the business community Matt has traditionally associated himself with. 

As a former non-profit board member, I am still appalled at the suggestion he made that an executive director of a non-profit board should control the board members.  As most of us who have served in such capacities understand, the board is, at least in theory, supposed to direct the the executive. 

I hope my story is something those of you serving on port district boards, economic development boards, and other non-profits throughout the 13th Legislature District will take to heart and ponder as you cast your vote in a few days.  There is an alternative to Matt Manweller in Kaj Selmann.  I urge you to call Kaj, talk to him and think about who can best deal with the entire spectrum of business interests in our district, including who would be best suited by temperament and track record in situations where various segments of the business community have conflicting interests.

YES I-502-WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRATS ENDORSE

This is a guest post by James W. Green who is the Second Vice Chair of the Kittitas County Democratic Central Committe and the State Committeeman for the 13th Legislative District. Committeepersons from both the county and legislative districts are voting members of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.  This is heartfelt commentary on party unity and consistency as it pertains to forward progress on all issues of importance to Democrats and a reflection on a recent local endorsement vote where the Kittitas Democrats did not vote to endorse I-502, which provides for limited decriminalization of marijuana use, but the Washington State Democrats did vote to endorse I-502 and recommend a Yes vote. 

To vote for or against Initiative 502 is an individual vote by each on their ballot. To endorse on behalf of an organization is the decision through vote of that body. This is done to aide, and, perhaps educate, individuals in determining their vote on their ballot. The issue of I-502 came up at the State Democratic Party convention in June and it was endorsed by the vote of the delegates.  While individually one may not support this endorsement, this body debated, and vetted their support through endorsing. I-502 has also gained a great deal of other respectable endorsements since then.

 At this point, several points come to mind to set the grounds for this document. One is that the progressive path to legalize (decriminalize, medical use, and distribution) is also supported in the Kittitas County Democrats Platform; and strongly supported in the Washington State Democratic Platform, both of which were recently updated. Also, one must be aware of the organization of the Democratic Party which is that the state party is under and supports the national party; and that the 13^th Legislative District and the Kittitas County Democrats are under and support the Washington State Democrats. These two entities join to conduct the business of the state through their respective voted committeepersons. At the time Kittitas County Democrats decided to not endorse this measure, I took a look at my definition of a state committeeperson.

First I defined STATE COMMITTEEPERSON; as; ”one who provides representation and a conduit for communication to and from the state organization and the represented organization.”  Next, I sent a request for their opinion or comment to Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democratic Party Chair, who referred me to the state charter and bylaws and to Jaxon Ravens, Executive Director of the Washington State Democratic Party, who referred me to the same and added,” the state charter and bylaws do not specifically state the role of the state central committee member in regards to the relationship to the local party organization although your description seems reasonable.”     

 The Washington State Democrats Charter reads, in part in ARTICLE I:

A. the Democratic Party of the State of Washington exists to:

 

1.      Adopt and promote statements of policy to serve as standards for democratic elected officials and goals for the people of the state, and
2.      Nominate and assist in the election of democratic candidates at all levels who support thegoals of the party.

In the Kittitas County Democrats Bylaws it reads that “ State committeepersons shall serve as liaison between county and state central committees.”

So, as the state committeeman for the 13^th Legislative District and a member of the Kittitas County Democrats Central Committee, I believe we have an obligation to acknowledge and, not hide from, the state party’s endorsement of I-502.  The fact is that Kittitas County Democrats voted to not endorse this measure. This is why I spoke out to acknowledge the state party’s endorsement, while still supporting the local vote to not endorse.  While I do believe we do not need to follow the state party blindly, I also believe we should strive to be basically united to remain strong and move “ FORWARD.”  It is also my opinion that going “FORWARD” we as democrats should be promoting and educating the goals and positions of the party statewide and nationally as well as locally.

On the issue of I-502, I encourage each to look for the information and the supporters (or lack of) for each to make your own decision as this is the only measure moving this issue “FORWARD” this election cycle, then get involved to move us “ FORWARD” to 2013. There is great opportunity to be involved early on as these positions and policies are brought forth,and, it becomes harder to move most issues in the final moments. Thus moving “FORWARD” as Democrats we should become engaged early and often to effect changes we believe in early on.

     James W. Green

The View Through the Windshield, Brightly

I've logged many miles, in all types of weather, behind a car windshield the past few months for medical treatment and I'm looking forward to the bulk of my drive time to shift to court appearances, a little fun and meeting my volunteer commitments with the Washington State Democrats. The past few weeks of sunshine was a real blessing.  Metaphorically speaking, the view through the windshield for our party locally is brightening as well. In 2008, locally and throughout the country, Democrats experienced the Obama campaign in a wave of excitement, that I'm not sure had been experienced with such intensity before. While the euphoria has subsided, and the political weather has varied and there may remain a variety of frustrations, the commitment to move forward down the road in support of President Obama and the middle class remains strong here in Kittitas County.

            We’ve also just finished a very interesting primary season in which six Republicans and one Independent vied for two open county commissioner seats here in Kittitas County.  Interestingly enough in the District 2 race, the endorsed Republican candidate, Steve Senger, failed dramatically.  Del Knudson, one of our truly great local real estate agents and a long-time Republican PCO, also did not advance to the general election.  Leading the race without doing significant fundraising and simply attending candidate forums, is Paula Thompson who is running as an independent.  Gary Berndt, who for all practical purposes was a Democrat prior to running for county commissioner as a Republican, is running a close second behind Paula.

            Many local Dems do not see the lack of a D behind either Gary or Paula’s name as problematic because they believe either candidate if elected will represent all the people of our county regardless of party affiliation and that Democrats and others who have not been listened to will now have access to the “courthouse.”  While I have not personally experienced any action or response from a Kittitas County Commissioner that would lead me to feel as though my voice could not be heard, I have heard anecdotes that do help me to understand why others might feel that way.  And past and sitting commissioners have engaged in prolonged bouts of boneheaded fighting of the wrong battles in terms of land use and water issues here in Kittitas County, at taxpayer expense. 

            In the District 1 commissioner race, Catherine Clerf, who like Paula Thompson, is well known across the political spectrum as an exceptionally dedicated advocate for sensible land and water use and the protection of Kittitas County’s agricultural economy, is mounting an aggressive challenge against incumbent Paul Jewell who is the endorsed Kittitas County Republican Party candidate.  While many local Dems (but not all as Paul has a few Dems supporting him as well) and others often express concerns about Catherine’s ofttimes acerbic personality, they value her independence, consistent messaging and work ethic, even though they may not always agree with her.  And, this includes several of the local Dems who might have been potential candidates in her district.  As chair, I have to simply conclude that many of those potential Democratic Party candidates either see her as the right candidate for this time, or like Paula and Gary, a Republican who will listen and act for all the concerns of the people not just a select few. 

            In terms of the local superior court judicial race which is non-partisan, I marvel at the opportunity we had as a community to see three qualified candidates grow as members of the bar, members of the community, and as individuals.  Each one of the candidates became a better person because they ran for the bench. And, we became a much more informed electorate about what the role of judges is at the local level. 

            Probably the greatest delight in the past eighteen months as the chair of the Kittitas Democrats, was to witness the emergence of a true citizen politician in Kaj Selmann who stepped up to “offer an alternative” to CWU professor and erstwhile conservative opinion purveyor, Matt Manweller.  I am sincerely grateful to all the Democrats here in Kittitas County who are organizing to assist Kaj now that the primary is over.  All of the difficult work that you are doing will help to build not only Kaj’s campaign, but will build our party’s infrastructure in Central Washington.  To me that is the bright sunshine down the road for us in the local party.  It will also help us to incrementally support our 8^th Congressional District Candidate Karen Porterfield, Jay Inslee for Governor, Maria Cantwell as Senator, the entire slate of state executive office candidates that we endorsed at our last General Business meeting and President Obama. 

 

Kaj Selmann website link

http://www.selmannforstaterep.com/ 

Kaj will have more information, like the name of his dog, and more issue related pages as the website continues to be built.  In the meantime, you can volunteer, donate, contact Kaj with questions and sign up to receive email newsletters.

Manweller Timeline-Just the Facts Ma'am

What we Kittitas County voters know that the rest of you may not know about Matt Manweller who is now a candidate for the 13th Legislative District:

2008-  First wife, Oralynn Manweller, files for Divorce in July, 2008.  The couple had no children.  Source Washington Courts Website Docket.

2008- "You're dumber than a post . . ." video from the 2008 Rossi Campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UQmh7jOPnU

2009- Dissolution proceedings between Oralynn Manweller and Mathew Manweller final in April.

2010- Fist fight with Fred Huber in the KXLE parking lot in Ellensburg in Sepetember..

Yakima Herald Coverage:  http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/09/22/radio-comments-lead-to-fisticuffs

Daily Record news article with audio clip Mr. Manweller's talk show the "Right Opinion:" http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/article_b1bf7122-c5ae-11df-8562-001cc4c03286.html

Protection Orders Denied:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/manweller-huber-not-granted-protection/article_d3337306-c812-11df-9191-001cc4c03286.html

2010- An "aging and pregnant" second wife of Matt Manweller, Shelley Manweller, stands by her man in a Daily Record Letter to the Editor on October 1, 2010.  Note that she walked the parade route with "their son":  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/article_f78bd21a-cdae-11df-9a82-001cc4c002e0.html?login_success=true 


2011- Calls supporters of collective bargaining and state unions "Generational Parasites" and states that they are uneducated and ignorant:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI9s-GFpnWo


2012-Promises to represent scoflaws of Washinton State's Hydraulic Code regarding law enforcement actions by WDFW and other state agencies:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-battle-with-ecology-one-reason-for-seeking-office/article_1f2c2d90-5753-11e1-959b-001871e3ce6c.html#user-comment-area

Responsive letters to the editor from local water and fisheries professionals: 

Dale Bambrick:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-manweller-needs-to-step-out-of-ideological-vacuum/article_7cb90bd2-59af-11e1-a8f1-001871e3ce6c.html#comment-7a7141fe-5e6a-11e1-8469-5f2abd6ca4b4 

Scott Nicolai:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-rerouting-a-creek-is-not-flood-clean-up/article_f09441ca-5cd9-11e1-bf8c-0019bb2963f4.html

Kaj Selmann announces run for 13th Legislative District

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/kaj-selmann-to-run-for-state-house-of-representatives/article_64135a76-5c05-11e1-ac88-001871e3ce6c.html

Tub Hansen, the Maverick Conservative Democrat

After a long delay, I'm back to exploring Washington State Party History. Due to the ongoing concerns I've been fielding from potential Democratic Party candidates mostly of the moderate variety, I am featuring in this post the "Maverick" moderate, and self described "Conservative Democrat"  Tub Hansen of Moses Lake.

Tub Hansen served nearly 20 years in the legislature in Washington State,  He began his legislative career in the house in 1972 representing the 13th Legislative District.  He was re-elected in 1974 and 1976 and was known for his staunch defense of Agriculture and "plain talking."  He carried that reputation with him to the State Senate where he served for nearly 14 more years. 

When interviewed by the Daily Record on November 9, 1972, over lunch in Ellensburg the day he came to pick up his plywood election signs, he said,  "I've always been a Democrat . . .[But, I] may be something of a Maverick."  And, "I'm going over there (Olympia) as a Democrat, but I'm a clear thinking man, I'm not a liberal Democrat, I'm conservative. Maybe two-thirds of the Republicans are more liberal than I am . . . And I'm not a pawn to anyone." 

Last fall, when I asked members at a Kittitas County Democrats general business meeting to talk to me if they had known Tub Hansen, Alice Yee buttonholed me after the meeting.  She had worked on several of Tub's campaigns and explained that while he was a Democrat, his unique ability to keep a foot in both parties was the reason that Central Washington kept returning him to the legislature. But perhaps more importantly, it was his staunch defense of farming and agribusiness that was key to his staying power in the heavily agricultural district he served as Representative and later State Senator.

Tub came by his cowboy reputation honestly, being born into a ranching family near Neppel, Washington, now Moses Lake.  At 26, he ran off to Wallace, Idaho with his 16 year old girlfriend, Wanda, and got married much to the dismay of both families.  Tub and Wanda lived in a very rusticly remodeled chicken coop lean to behind Tub's parents house before purchasing an old school house in Mae, Washington which had to be moved.  The old school house almost made it a mile or two down the road towards Moses Lake when it couldn't be moved between power poles.  Nonplussed, Tub had the house set off the roadway right there and it became Tub and Wanda's family home until 1971 when he became a legislator.

Tub and Wanda were very much a partnership when Tub served in the legislature and both were passionate about seeing that needs of the people back home were met.  When Tub died in 1991, Booth Gardener appointed Wanda to serve out the remaining year of his term.  Wanda died in 2009 and has been widely recognized for the work she did officially in taking up the remainder of Tub's term, but also for all the unofficial work she rendered as a highly active and visible legislative spouse.