Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed Carol Cockrill Albert as her new external affairs director today, replacing Marty Loesch, who recently moved to chief of staff. Loesch’s move came after chief of staff Jay Manning announced he was leaving.
With the Tacoma City Council backtracking on its legal settlement with Clear Channel Outdoor, the company said it has signed the agreement and officially put it into effect.
The council unanimously approved the settlement that allows Clear Channel to erect digital billboards in exchange for taking down traditional signs. After public complaints, the council backed off. It’s now considering an explicit ban on digital billboards and ordering Clear Channel to take down its traditional signs that violate city laws, as part of a revamp of the sign code.
The settlement says in the event of such a removal order, “the city will compensate Clear Channel for the fair market value of those interests.”
Clear Channel spokesman Tim Thompson said by signing the agreement this week, the company reaffirms its support for the settlement and reminds the city about that requirement for “compensation.”
“The steps the City Council was taking were obviously contradictory to the agreement,” Thompson said.
The company has threatened to sue if the agreement is violated. Thompson declined to talk about future lawsuits; the company remains open to negotiation, he said.
Here’s Clear Channel’s news release and the agreement:
CLEAR CHANNEL REAFFIRMS ITS COMITTMENT TO TACOMA SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT Read more »
For the second straight month, Politico has placed the open race for Washington governor as it’s most competitive.
And for the second straight month it gave Democrat Jay Inslee the edge following the months’ activities. The Washington, D.C. publication thought Republican Rob McKenna stumbled in July when he refused to complete a speech to an activist group because a Democratic videographer wouldn’t leave.
It also noted a complaint by Republicans that Inslee was improperly transferring money from his congressional campaign account to the governors race, a complaint disregarded by state campaign finance watchdogs.
The month before it dunned McKenna …
Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Initiative 1083, the record-setting liquor privatization proposal, for the Nov. 8 ballot this morning. Backed by Costco, the measure would sell off the state’s liquor stores and warehouse and turn both sales and distribution to the private sector.
WASHINGTON – There was never any suspense, but it’s now official: Former Washington state Democratic Gov. Gary Locke is the new U.S. ambassador to China.
With no debate, the Senate gave its unanimous consent today to approve President Barack Obama’s choice to fill the post, which was vacated in April by Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, Washington state’s senior senator, lauded Locke’s confirmation. She said his job of making sure the U.S.-China partnership works “is absolutely critical to ensuring our ability to compete and succeed in the 21st century global economy.”
Locke, 61, intends to move …
Here’s a map showing the property that Tacoma could buy after the developer turns it into a “Waterwalk.”
The developer is supposed to use $5 …
Democratic Reps. Laurie Jinkins of Tacoma and Chris Reykdal of Tumwater made it onto progressive group Fuse’s “all-star team” in 2011, and Jinkins won the group’s “Mother Jones” awards for leading the dozen newly elected Democrats in the House.
Washington state Treasurer Jim McIntire wrote to state congressional leaders Monday, warning that a federal debt deal is needed to avoid crushing a “fragile” economic recovery. “I am writing today to implore you to find a way to avert a national default by passing a balanced, thoughtful and long-lasting budget solution,” the note begins.