There’s a little bit of everything in today’s news coverage of the Seattle City Council, but a lot of Council member Mike O’Brien.
Seattlish recaps the inauguration speeches by the newly-installed City Council members. Crosscut also reflects on the makeup of the new council and highlights how its newest members may be unpredictable. KPLU suggests that Council members Sawant “stole the show” on Monday.
Several outlets are speculating about the political landscape in the city. Seattle Weekly has an interview with former Council member Lick Licata on the influence of developers in local politics. Crosscut suggests there is a “conservative plan to take over city politics” in Seattle and beyond — once again featuring Lick Licata’s views on the movement.
GeekWire and The Stranger report on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s opposition to the recent ordinance allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize.
Puget Sound Business Journal reports that Governor Inslee has re-appointed Microsoft executive Joanne Harrell (who is married to Council President Bruce Harrell) to the Board of Regents of the University of Washington.
The Stranger continues the speculation about who might be candidates to replace Jim McDermott in the House of Representatives for Washington’s 7th district. Kshama Sawant, Lorena Gonzalez, and Mike O’Brien are all mentioned.
Seattle Met notes the first conflict in the new City Council: who King County Executive Dow Constantine will appoint to the Sound Transit board: Mike O’Brien or newcomer (and Constantine ally) Rob Johnson.
And filling out the Mike O’Brien trifecta, The Columbian reports on reactions to the council member’s efforts to increase the number of backyard cottages in Seattle as a partial solution to the housing crisis.