Hi to everyone who helped out on this race! I would like to thank you all personally for helping to get the word out. We ran a good campaign, and in the end we built a new network for future races.

 I would like to ask everyone who has the opportunity to start collecting yard signs. We would like to walk our talk and not leave a bunch of signs blowing in the wind for the next several months. So if you see a Joe Szwaja sign, please grab it and take it home.

 Again, thanks for all your help. And don’t despair, next year is just a few weeks away….

Many thanks to the members of the Phinney Ridge Neighbors for Peace who have been sign waving for Joe every Friday since the summer. I’m proud to be associated with such wonderful peope who stay dedicated to the cause of peace and social justice despite our government’s continually horrific actions abroad. Particular thanks to Neil Planert and Pam Shea for all of their efforts with the Joe for Council banner. Many folks have seen their greaat by the Woodlawn park Zoo.

Many thanks also to Sam Blackwell the owner of Cental Grind, a truly community minded coffee shop at MLk and Cherry near where I teach, a place where all kinds of people swap stories and cultivate connections. I also appreciate the support of Jonah Dempsey my former student who graced our primary night party with his wonderful Jazz piano and Yoshiko his girlfriend.  

I greatly enjoyed sign waving with this enthusiastic group of high school students from Seattle Prep – Max Callahan, Emma  Landis and Eliot Storer. I had fun answering questions about my campaign. Inspiring young people to get involved in positive way in our commuity has always been a big part of what I try to do as a teacher. If elected, I pledge to have one of my staff work at least half time focusing on school and youth issues, and I’ll work overtime to get young people inovlved in city issues. 

Thanks! Joe Szwaja

Summary Letter of Complaint

The Relevant Seattle City Municipal Codes

Blog for King County Coverage

The Paper Noose Blog Coverage Part 1, Part 2

Jean Godden’s Official City Calendar Part 1

Jean Godden’s Official City Calendar Part 2

Jean Godden’s Official City Calendar Part 3

Jean Godden’s Campaign Manager’s Questionable Ethics

The Paper Noose Questions Jean’s Donors

Joe Szwaja showed up early and stayed late talking to the neighbors in Wallingford on Tuesday night. The crowd was lively, and took all the candidates to task on everything from parks to transit. Some of the most lively exchanges came from Tim Burgess and David Della, who traded barbs throughout the evening. While Joe Szwaja was accused by Jean Godden of being a “big guy,” which made little sense to many of us in the room, and showed how she would poke him in the ribs with a pen if he got in her way. A weird moment in the evening to be sure.

Joe made it clear that his support comes from people not corporations, while Jean has taken tens of thousands of dollars from her developer friends, a point she made clear in the KUOW piece on the race for position one which aired on Tuesday as well…. If you haven’t heard the KUOW interview yet, check it out here online:

http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=13683

I was impressed by the number of people in the room who came up to Joe after the event saying they had either already voted for him, or were going to, with statements like, “my grandson was in your class at Nova”. Joe’s support from Nova students, parents and grandparents is apparent in every neighborhood in Seattle.

Update Wednesday Morning:

The Paper Noose Blog has published a lengthy post on Jean Godden’s Campaigning on the City Clock… something Joe was talking about at the forum Tuesday night. Check it out here:

http://thepapernoose.blogspot.com/2007/10/jean-godden-her-cozy-relationship-with.html

Joe Szwaja’s birthday party was a HUGE success. The Supersones played, as pictured above, and were awesome. Held at the Central Cinema, we had a great turnout, and thank everyone who came.

If you haven’t met Joe yet, or have been involved in other campaigns, your missing out on some great parties. In fact, after several years of almost constant political campaigns, I think it’s fair to say that Joe’s been throwing better parties than any other campaign out there…. so don’t miss out, cause the election is coming soon.

And don’t forget, vote for Joe Szwaja!

Joe Szwaja spoke at the grand opening of Dr. Dan’s and Espresso Express’ new joint venture business in Seattle. The new biodiesel pump and espresso stand at 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE, north of the UW, officially opened on September 21. The station, which allows for patrons to pay for their biodiesel at the point of purchase, is different from Dan Freeman’s pay-in-advance system at his original Ballard fueling station.   

In his remarks, Joe made sure to stress the importance of sustainability as the market for biofuels heats up. The emerging demand is growing faster than the care taken to ensure that the biodiesel is sourced nationally or by area farmers in environmentally-friendly ways. The controversy comes from palm oil-based biodiesel being produced in Asia that is then shipped to the U.S. and Europe for consumption. This market is being driven by holes in current law and agriculture subsidies that reward these practices. Not surprisingly, there are local financial interests taking part in fueling this market. 

As part of his platform, Joe thinks that one of the priorities of the city council is to encourage the growth in sustainable enterprises. In fact, three of the ten key values of the Green Party are represented by this business:  1) ecological wisdom (with sustainable practices), 2) community-based economics (in a business that supports local farmers) and 3) a focus on the future.

“Today, I went to the labor picnic at the Woodland Park Zoo with my father. I’ve been here in Seattle for a few days and have been glad to find his campaign thriving. Joe was at his best today with the labor folks; as one would expect, most were more than sympathetic to the issues his campaign has raised. Several signed up to volunteer and offered to put up yard signs.”

“For me though, the event also brought back memories so many similar gatherings I had to attend as a child. Joe would take me when I was very young to the Labor Day picnic at the Madison, WI labor temple; I mostly remember the large tents and the brats ubiquitous at such events in Wisconsin. When I was a teenager, he sent me to what we called “labor camp,” a week-long summer camp organized by the Washington Labor Federation to teach young people about collective bargaining. When I worked for the city in Madison during college, old union folks remembered well his staunchly pro-union record on the city council.”

“I’m glad to have been able to be of some help here these last couple of weeks and expect my father’s campaign to gain steam in the coming weeks.”

-Engel

Well the election night party was a huge success!!!! Not only did Joe win the primary spot for the general election, but we packed Central Cinema and had a lot of fun while the election night progressed and returns rolled in.

Currently Joe Szwaja has captured 8947 votes, and 21.58% of the vote.  Here’s the election results: 

http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/200708/resPage8.htm

Update, Joe’s vote total has now risen to 13258… as the votes keep coming in…

What’s going on Election Night? Come on down to the party at Seattle’s own Central Cinema! 

Location: Central Cinema
1411 21st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122 US
When: Tuesday, August 21, 7:00PM till later
Phone: 206.420.1830
Join us on election night this August 21st at Central Cinema! Enjoy the
new bar and food menu, chat with your friends and fellow activists, and
enjoy a variety of entertainments. Some refreshments will be provided.

Schedule of Events:
7:00  – Doors open; eat, drink, and mingle
7:45  – Video footage featuring Joe compiled by Len Davis, including some
        unseen YouTube blooper footage
8:00  – Results start coming in
8:15+ – Musical performances by Asun, Jim Page, Jonah Dempcy, and Joe
        Comic relief provided by Yoram Bauman and Michael Tivana
        Speeches by Paul Bigman, Mariza Cabral, and Aaron Dixon

Come support Joe and have some fun!

Transportation: Bus #48 runs on 23rd, #3 & 4 on E. Union.
Parking: There is a parking lot on 23rd & E. Union and parking may be
available on side streets, but carpool if possible

See you there…