The King County Council is scheduled to vote this afternoon to confirm Sherril Huff's appointment as Director of Elections.
I expect Huff to be confirmed (and they wouldn't have put it on the agenda if she didn't have the votes), but this is regrettable. The public has been (and surely will continue to be) badly served by Huff's stewardship. And the Councilmembers will come to be embarrassed for having confirmed her.
Huff has shown contempt for transparency and public disclosure. She is an expensive PDA judgment waiting to happen. Correspondence shows that she was one of the underlings primarily responsible for concealing requested documents during the Dean Logan era. More recently, she has refused to comply with her obligations to release many of her own e-mails.
And her pattern of impeding public disclosure is not mere incompetence. It is surely intentional. She has actively expressed her "disgust" with citizens who seek transparency and identify problems with election administration.
Huff has inappropriately used public funds to hire campaign consultants to promote herself in the news media.
Huff has primary responsibility for the vote-by-mail transition plan, which has drawn significant criticism for its excessive cost, for its reliance on unproven technology and for its failure to address many known and anticipated problems that would arise with the massive increase in mail voting.
If the vote-by mail plan is implemented and the November 2008 forced mail election experiment doesn't work out very well, the people who should ultimately be held accountable are the Councilmembers who not only approve the plan but confirm their confidence in Sherril Huff to implement it.
Instead of confirming Huff now, the Council should place the I-25 charter change on the November ballot and wait for the public's decision. If I-25 passes (which polling shows is probable), Huff can run for the job next February and make her own case to the voters.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 02, 2007 01:14 PM | Email ThisThey celebrate that dubious resume
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on July 2, 2007 01:36 PMWhile we should certainly hold the Democrats responsible when the 2008 election blows up, the Republicans know better, and should have withheld their affirmative vote.
I plan to blame the Republicans just as strongly as the Democrats when the whole election goes pear shaped again.
Remember Bill Huennekens? They guy who helped Dean Logan irretrievably screw up the 2004 election? He was a 13 - O confirmation as well. So was Logan, for that matter.
Not the most stellar day at the office for either side of the Council today.
Posted by: Astonished on July 2, 2007 02:40 PMCollusioner in Chief, drove the ultimate getaway car for people who purposely outed covert CIA agent in charge of recovering loose nuclear weapons material in time of war.
END OF LEGACY
Posted by: busdrivermike on July 2, 2007 03:06 PMGiven the fairly sordid history of the King County Department of Elections and the points listed by Stefan in this post, I'd say no.
And yeah I realize I-25 is a longshot even if it passes. King County is so liberal that it's disgustingly likely the electorate will vote in a leftist Director of Elections. That's to be expected when moonbats move here in droves. Barf.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on July 2, 2007 03:47 PMSame 'ol same 'ol...
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on July 2, 2007 10:31 PM
Collusioner in Chief, drove the ultimate getaway car for people who purposely outed covert CIA agent in charge of recovering loose nuclear weapons material in time of war.
END OF LEGACY
Speaking of legacy, perhaps it is the legacy of the 'Chimpy McBushishitler' crowd to yell loudly while knowing very little.
Especially considering that Libby is not accused, nor has ever been accused, of 'outing' Plame, Plame was not covert, and she had nothing to do with the Niger Uranium thing (that was her husband, she just helped him get the job, which they both later lied about).
Typical.
Posted by: Cliff on July 3, 2007 11:28 AMAt the end of the letter they tell you how to become a mail only voter and if you're already one no worries.
Talk about social engineering at the utmost!
Not unlike DOT leaving the most congested areas to last when widening. Make those drivers frustrated so they'll approve more road and transit taxes.
Posted by: MB on July 6, 2007 08:12 PM