J.T. Wilcox, who used to be chief financial officer for Wilcox Farms, made it official today by announcing that he is running to replace state Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, in the 2nd Legislative District.

Campbell is running for the 9th Congressional District seat now held by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma.

I say, “made it official” because I was told during the past legislative session that a candidate with a very prominent name was toying with a bid for Campbell’s legislative seat. And the word then was “Wilcox,” but I didn’t know which one.

Wilcox, 48, is getting an early start. It’s only August 2009 and the election isn’t until 2010. I guess he wants to work on his name familiarity ’cause probably nobody in the 2nd District has ever heard the name “Wilcox.”

We did a big spread on Wilcox Farms a few weeks back. You can read all about them 700,000 chickens and their eggs. J.T. Wilcox is no longer with the “family” business — he left in 2008 — but he did work there for 23 years.

And the “Got Milk” reference is not a stretch. He was chairman of Milk-Pep, the $100 million program that ran all of those milk mustache and other ads.

His campaign Web site is listed below, but it won’t be up and running until later today or tomorrow.

WILCOX ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
J.T. Wilcox Announced his Campaign for State House of Representatives Today Pledging to be an Advocate for Property Rights, Local Traffic Improvements and For Balancing the State Budget Without Increasing Taxes.

Yelm – WA — Local businessman and community leader JT Wilcox today announced his campaign for the State House of Representatives on the grounds of Wilcox Farms, saying, "Washington State government needs the kind of commonsense I learned right here on the family farm."

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From reporter Lewis Kamb -

Officials for the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association told a city panel this morning they have a clear vision for bringing the agency out
of financial turmoil: Selling properties, getting out of the development business and returning to their roots.

"We’re going to get back to the MLK Corridor, the Hilltop, and get back focusing on our affordable housing," Linda Fotiou, the association’s interim director, told the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority.

In a detailed presentation to the city-commissioned panel, Fotiou and three board members for the non-profit said the agency is now in discussions with several potential buyers of its Tacoma Avenue headquarters and property at Martin Luther King Way and 11th Street, where it had planned a lavish business center.

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This just in: The lottery’s main spokeswoman, Jacque Coe, is available for interviews. Anyone wanna talk to her?

MEDIA ADVISORY

Mega Millions is at $325 Million; One of the Largest Jackpots in North American history

WHAT: Tickets are selling at a brisk pace for Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot of $325 million. The jackpot is currently the fourth largest jackpot in North American history and sales are expected to increase as we near Friday’s drawing.

Lottery Communications Director Jacque Coe is available during Friday morning (yes, she’s up and chatty at 4 am) and afternoon drive

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Former Tacoma city manager Ray Corpuz is involved in political turmoil involving his police chief – in his new home of Seaside, Calif.

Here’s a report from the Monterey Herald site from yesterday.

Seaside Police Chief Stephen Cercone has filed a grievance with the City Council against City Manager Ray Corpuz for retaliation, threats, delaying an investigation and defamation, The Herald has learned.

The actions, the grievance alleges, are cause to fire Corpuz.

Cercone, who was placed on administrative leave Aug. 10, claims in the document that Corpuz removed him from

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Actually the prediction came from Nick Handy, the state elections director. Handy reports that about 85 percent of the signatures have been checked. The sponsors of the measure, which seeks to repeal the latest expansion of gay partnership rights, turned in 137,689 signatures on July 25.

To make the November ballot, petitions must hold 120,577 valid signatures.

Here are the numbers so far: As of Wednesday 117,069 signatures had been checked, 103,198 have been approved and 13,871 have been rejected.

The signature error rate currently is 11.85 percent. The overall rejection rate must not exceed 12.4 percent

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As Sound Transit notes in its news release, that bid was almost $21 million lower than its engineers estimated.

Bids for Capitol Hill light rail tunneling come in below estimate

Apparent low bid is $20.7 million below engineer’s estimate

Sound Transit opened bids today for work that will get underway next year to bore light rail tunnels connecting Capitol Hill and the existing Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.

The apparent low bid was submitted by JCM U-Link Joint Venture, formed by Jay Dee Contractors of Livonia, Mich.; Frank Collucio Construction Company of Seattle; and Michaels Corporation of Brownsville, Wis. Its bid of $153,556,000 came in 12 percent, or $20.7 million, below the Sound Transit engineer’s estimate of $174,304,700.

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I made a mistake in the story that appeared in today’s News Tribune, in both the print and on-line editions.

There will be a meeting of community leaders this Friday at 4 p.m. in the International House at Pierce College in Lakewood, but it won’t be with the consultants who are studying which parts of Washington’s prison system should be shut down.

That will come later.

The governor’s budget office was surprised to see my story, especially since I said the community would be meeting with them and the consultants (and neither had been notified.)

So,

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This for our Washington, D.C. correspondent Les Blumenthal:

Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said today one of her earliest memories of Sen. Ted Kennedy was when she watched him on the Senate floor “patiently and passionately” arguing in favor of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

And one of her last memories was watching him champion equal pay for women.

“When I was young Ted Kennedy was larger than life,” Murray said in a statement. “I could not believe it when I first walked out on the floor of the Senate and he walked over to welcome

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