January 15, 2005
Dow Constantine Recall
Armen Yousoufian has filed a petition to recall King County Councilmember Dow Constantine [Democrat representing West Seattle, Vashon Island, Burien]
The grounds: misrepresenting facts about the Critical Areas Ordinance; voting for unlawful provisions of the Critical Areas Ordinance that are expected to expose the county to expensive litigation; campaign finance violations.
Reported in the Seattle Times here.
The recall petition is posted here.
Contact Armen Yousoufian at: ayousoufian .at. comcast .dot. net
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 15, 2005
08:32 AM | Email This
1. You have such entertaining politics over there.
All we have in MA is guys who don't even need to campaign in order to win.
Anyway, good luck! Don't take this crap lying down!!!
2. Yeah!! He needs to go. The CAO is the most disgusting piece of communist crap I have ever heard of. If the council was so damn concerned about over development they should have done something back in the 1980s. To go to such extreme measures and not even compensate the landowners for loss of property is inexcusable.
Let Dow pay the price for this ignorant garbage.
3. I'm all for recalling any of these weasels who voted for the CAO (they were ALL democrats, of course).
4. Can Sims be recalled too? He's at the head of this corrupt county, he appointed the heads of the Elections Division, he led the charge for the CAO. Recall Ron, too!
5. I am in total agreement that any King County representative who voted for that disgusting land stealing ordinance should get kicked out. As a CAO referendum signature gatherer said, "Sims has never seen the rath of a Farmer". I say throw the bunch out, and also anyone ithat had to do with the latest ruling outlawing the use of the Referendum to eliminate this land steal. These people have the rath of the voters to look forward to next election. WE WILL NOT FORGET!
6. A Recall petition for Councilman Dow is pathetic. Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of Dow, but his constituents are mostly the same ones who vote 80% Bagdad Jim.
Its one thing to point out to the rest of King County and the world how rediculous Dow and his cronies are, but why waste valuable political and public capital tilting at windmills.
I am beginning to suspect that this and Reed's recall effort are actaully being orchestrated by the left to divert attention from the real battle in Wenatchee.
7. Well all I will say is hell has seen no fury like a Farmer (or landowner for that matter) that has had Government Steal their land and without compensation to boot. Even the King County website is starting to wake up to the rath that there is out there.
http://www.metrokc.gov/exec/news/2005/0111_ExecOnCAOJudgment.htm
This is not the same situation as the Sam Reed recall, The DOW recall was caused by his own pompus attitude against the landowners he mistakingly thinks he supports. The CAO anger will not die till the wrong is righted.
And Oh, by the way Ron Sims, we are NOT ALL IN THIS TOGETHER - Your land and the land in the city was not subject to these outrageous land grabbing rulings.
Typical KC BS
8. We need to make sure the Republicans play there cards right and do not go overboard. Simms is up for reelection this November along with some council members, the Rs have the political tide in there favor so they need to sit back and push these issues at the proper time. Trying to recall everyone will not work, first we need a revote then we need to worry about cleaning up King County. People are upset about the CAO and the election mess no need to use extreme measures to take out everyone. The political tide has turned and I see the state turning from blue to red.
9. "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat" - Will Rogers
Hmmm. Someone doesn't like the way his County Councilman voted on an ordnance, so that constitutes mal/misfeasance?
Does anyone recall one of my reasons for supporting the re-vote for Governor? It was because without a re-vote, every time Ms. Gregoire didn't come to a complete stop at a stop sign, someone would try to recall her.
Frankly, I read the Critical Areas Ordnance, and thought it was vastly overreaching. Really bad law. Here in Pierce County, a similar batch of regulations was proposed, and I was one of the people that spoke out against it at our County Council (and at least most of it was voted down.)
I also read the complaint. At its basis is that Mr. Yousoufian disagrees with the CAO and the Councilman's interpretation of it.
If an honest vote that a constituent disagrees with constitutes mal/misfeasance, then nobody could ever vote on anything controversial. While some would think that's a good idea, our state's Constitution does not provide for recall because we don't like what a politician voted for. We're supposed to wait until the next election, then toss the bum out.
Ask yourselves, would you want a Republican to have to face recall every time he did something pro-business? I wouldn't, but I know some in the far left of my party that would do just that, if these floodgates are opened.
Certainly, you should remember how your Councilman (and any other politician) voted when the election comes around. This, however, seems like a really bad idea that could have ramifications throughout the state.
10. yes, 7 democrats made the decision on what people can do with their property.
If these people are truly concerned with the environment then why don't they clean up Seattle first? Please it is so obvious it is not really about the environment. I think the Feds should stop funding these wackos.
# 1 priorty for us is the Gov's race but
#1 1/2 is SIMS.
11. Acts like the CAO make me think that Milton Friedman is right: the Bill of Rights should have included economic rights.
12. I support the petition and believe that a petition to recall all of the council members that voted for the CAO is warranted. The CAO is the most outrageous act that any government body in Washington State has made in my lifetime. The governors race is an outrage, but the CAO tops even that.
How can the county allow growth for years and years, despite the occasional protest of people that have lived in rural areas for their entire life and then turn around and basically take away the land of these very people that didn't want the growth in the first place. It's absolutely insane. I can't imagine any circumstance where someone's land should be restricted so dramatically, but to do this because of the actions of the council and not the people that live there is totally unacceptable.
I attended the re-vote rally last week, have a bumper sticker on my car, have donated money to the revote effort and desperately want Rossi to be Governor, but, I would trade that goal for the removal of the council members that voted for the CAO. I don't even live in the area in question. I just feel it's so horribly unfair that this was forced on people that don't deserve it.
13. Dave,
Good for you and the next move for these Democrats will be the entire state and it will effect you. Is this the new democrat and is this their religion? is taking away or limiting our cars next? I'm sure they can invent reasons why this would be a rational thing for them to do. Not that is't possible but they can dream of a light rail and not improve our freeways.
The CAO must be overturned and so must Sims and the rest. I say empty the KC Bldg, clean it up and then start accepting applications.
14. It's past 1 AM Sunday morning, January 16, 2005 and I'll be brief as I want to go to sleep! However, I just read the above posts and wanted to comment. #1: thanks for the support most of you are providing for the recall effort I've launched of Dow Constantine. #2: the state recall statute (RCW29A.56.110 to 270) doesn't allow for recalling an elected official just because one doesn't like how that person voted. It does take more than that and such is the situation here. The grounds have to be misfeasance, malfeasance, or violation of oath of office. I believe Constantine made some serious misrepresentations and omitted material information to his constituents in an article in which he claimed to be clearing up misleading comments made about the CAO (quite possibly a reference to my own commentaries in that same paper, and information meetings I'd held). If I had done that to my investors in any of over a dozen real estate ventures/securities offerings I'd organized since 1976 it would be securities fraud - a felony. Why should a politician be allowed to get away with such conduct when there is a remedy? He also voted against the advice of the county's own attorney on a matter that had been litigated in Federal courts and where the law appears clear. Etc. #3: I thought about recalling Sims a year ago, and had evidence and grounds on him as well. As with the current situation, I spent much time on this with my lawyers before deciding whether to attempt a recall of Sims. I discussed why I didn't in an email to my list, and if any of you email me and ask to be added to my list and to get that email, I'll send it to you. #4. If you aren't already on the CAPR - Citizens Alliance for Property Rights email list, consider going to www.proprights.org and signing up. #5. If you are willing to contribute to the CAPR effort, or to help me with the legal fees to recall Constantine, that would be great. Email me at ayousoufian@comcast.net and I'll provide details/we can discuss. #6. If you'd like me to speak to a group, let me know. I give talks once or twice a month and let my email list know of them. #7. If you want to know more about my litigation against Ron Sims, google on "Armen Yousoufian", in quotes, and you'll get to articles, links to streaming video and audio of talks I've given, etc. #8. Forgive any typos, it's late...#9 Hope this all made sense... did I say it's late? Armen Yousoufian
15. Thanks Armen for your comments and all of your work past and present. I plan to do a number of things you've suggested above. A first step for me and others here would be to sign the petition (or is this a petition that is not based on collection of signitures?). If it is, is there an online method of doing so? Thanks again.
16. Armen....
Just a few questions..point of order for me...
Individual, and special interest groups had a great deal of input into the CA ordinance...the Council did not come up with this on thier own.
Now it seems that we cannnot amend this effort by referendum...a will of the people. Special interest groups created this mess I want to see the Quid Pro quo as it relates to those council memebers.
I just purchased 7.5+ acres in South King County. I Live in Pierce...so no voting right as of yet. There will be two more Repulicans movin' in soon.
Where are other efforts now being concentrated in fighting the CAO land grab?
17. First of all,I am not one of you right-wing geniuses who gets his daily war news from arms manufacturers(G.E.owns N.B.C.Westinghouse owns C.B.S.foxes people ostensibly are flat out for sale etc...)My problem with Mr.Constantine is his propensity to chop up other peoples communities into 25 foot cubicles onto which his long line of real estate monied campaign contributors can now build over priced,cracker-box housing for our constant flow of immigrant-corporate slaves.That's what this bastard did(and continues to do to my neighborhood"White center"This cao ordinance has nothing to do with"liberal"you morons!They're all whores to the same pimp,corporations!P.S.Don't take my word for it,just look at their lists of campaign contributors.Constantine took alot of real estate money!
18. I just have a question, are the people against the CAO in favor of developing on their land or just having the right to develop? Because it seems to me that most islanders (at least that is the impression I get when I attend the land trust meetings) are not in favor of developing large portions of Vashon. If that is the case, why would people care whether or not they are allowed to develop on the island? It reminds me a lot of a child who does not play with a toy until another child wants to play with it.
Trying to frame something in the most favorable light, regardless of what is left out, is not lying or misrepresentation, it is politics. There is no reason why Mr. Constantine can't vote the way he thinks and feels is right. If we start punishing our politicians for doing something that is unpopular, we will just start costing the taxpayers millions of dollars in frivolous lawsuits that are endless.
19. To Forrest Smith:
Recently at a meeting, a Democrat official said that rural property owners want to live in a rural milieu, therefore, it is obvious that they will not be using most of their land. His reasoning was, "therefore, what is wrong with taking it if we just know that you don't want it?" Huh?
This reminds me a lot of a child who takes your toy because you are not using it,
Also, making false statements in order to "frame something in a favorable light" is what the Democrats do. Republicans us tell the truth.
20. republicans are lying scum, so are democrats, so are your mothers, losers.
you all got what you deserve inthat state, it reperesens just how stupid you all really are...losers! go drink a rainier, oh wait it's gone, now rainier is made in California!
hahahahahahahahahhahhahahahahahahahaahhahaahaaha!