Incumbents Clark, Godden win big; Velazquez, Harrell to face off

Venus Velazquez, a public affairs consultant, and Bruce Harrell, a business and employment lawyer, will face each other in November in the only election campaign for an open seat on the Seattle City Council.

That was hardly surprising. As the only candidates with strong financing and broad support in their five-way primary election contest Tuesday, the two were widely expected to become the nominees.

Primary outcomes in two other council races were also expected, showing that incumbents Jean Godden and Sally Clark are solid favorites for re-election. Both easily outpolled multiple opponents.

The first returns showed Velazquez and Harrell far ahead of the other three contenders in their race, and Velazquez well ahead of Harrell. Tuesday's low voter turnout, however, made the primary showings an unreliable barometer for November.

The two are running for the seat of retiring Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, who has endorsed Velazquez.

Velazquez said much of her emphasis in the post-primary campaign will be on growth, and "how to make sure that housing remains affordable for our families." She said her key difference with Harrell is her "background in doing this work already" with four years as a city neighborhood planner dealing with growth issues.

Harrell said that with the race less crowded, "people will see my style of leadership, one that is very positive and proactive and not as divisive and contentious" as his opponent's. Although trailing in early returns, he said, "We're actually where we wanted to be," knowing that in a five-candidate field with only one woman, the other three "would pull a lot of votes."

The losers were John Manning, an ex-councilman and former Seattle police sergeant making his third failed attempt at a political comeback; Al Runte, a former university professor and unsuccessful 2005 mayoral candidate; and Scott Feldman, a political newcomer who is a program manager for a microfinance firm.

The tussle for the open seat was the most closely followed primary contest, because the ballot didn't include the candidates in the hottest council race involving an incumbent.

David Della, the council member facing the strongest challenger, and Tim Burgess, a marketing consultant active in civic affairs, weren't in the primary because they are the only two candidates for Position 7.

Initial returns indicated that Godden's likely general election opponent in her campaign for a second term will be Joe Szwaja, 50, a teacher at an alternative public high school in the Central District, but she was running far ahead of him.

Lauren Briel, who sells employee transit packages to downtown businesses, and Robert Sondheim, co-owner of a Capitol Hill restaurant and bar, trailed Szwaja in early returns.

Godden, 75, was a reporter and columnist for the Seattle P-I and later for The Seattle Times before her election in 2003. Szwaja was on the Madison, Wis., City Council from 1986 to 1993 and was the Green Party candidate for Congress from Seattle's 7th District in 2000.

Early returns indicated that Judy Fenton, 51, who owns a business selling sandwiches at street fairs, is Clark's most likely November opponent, but Clark drew far more votes than her three opponents combined.

Trailing Fenton were Robert J. (Bob) Brown III, a retired firefighter, and Stan Lippmann, a lawyer, perennial candidate and political eccentric.

Clark, 41, a former City Hall bureaucrat and former council aide, was appointed to fill a council vacancy in early 2006. She was elected to fill out the unexpired term last fall and now is running for her first full term.

		Scott Eklund / P-I
	City Council candidate Bruce Harrell gets a hug Tuesday night from his daughter, Joyce, 10, as they watch returns at the Wellington Restaurant.

The Harrell-Velazquez race is the first since 1999 for an open seat on the City Council. Whoever wins will add racial or ethnic diversity to the council: Velazquez is of Puerto Rican heritage; Harrell is of Japanese and African American ancestry.

Harrell has raised about $140,000, largely from business owners and executives and lawyers. Velazquez has raised about $120,000, much of it from lawyers, lobbyists, public affairs consultants and business people.

Velazquez, 40, a former West Seattle neighborhood planner for the city, is a public affairs consultant mostly for non-profit organizations in dealings with the city and King County. Harrell, too, has represented non-profits, as a lawyer.

The daughter of immigrant parents, Velazquez grew up in St. Louis, was a social worker there in the 1980s, moved to Seattle in 1991 and earned a master's degree from the University of Washington.

Both Velazquez and Harrell are former City Council aides; both are married, each with three children, and live in the Mount Baker neighborhood. Both were rated "very good" by the Municipal League of King County.

Velazquez often notes on the campaign trail that, if elected, she would be the only council member raising children -- and that she is the only candidate in her race with children in Seattle public schools. Harrell, whose children go to private school, often tells voters that he is a native Seattleite, unlike Velazquez.

Harrell, 48, a partner in a law firm specializing in business and employment law, criticizes the council as lacking focus and vision.

Although he has never sought public office, Harrell has said running for office some day was his "childhood dream." He was a UW Husky football star in the late 1970s, something he often mentions at campaign appearances. He grew up in the Central District, the son of two city workers.