Political Brief: Feb. 19, 2013: Career changes, Holcomb for mayor, breaks for low-income development

By Michael Sarko
- The Capitol Hill Times -

Careers are shifting this week in the politics of Seattle and Washington State. First, former Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna has decided to enter the private sector following a close race for the Governor’s seat that ultimately went to Jay Inslee. McKenna won’t be going far, though. He recently joined the law firm Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe as a partner in data privacy issues, a hot topic that will see McKenna representing the likes of Microsoft from the firm’s office in Seattle.

There are also loud, audible, stage-play-style whispers of the political ambitions of Alison Holcomb. She was the campaign director of New Approach Washington, the group that spearheaded the successful Initiative 502 for the legalization of marijuana. Now, Holcomb is considering a run at the increasingly crowded bid for Mayor of Seattle, or she may veer to less high-stakes territory for a seat on Seattle City Council.

State Representative Jessyn Farrell recently brought a bill to a hearing with Sound Transit that would allow public agencies to sell land at below market rate to developers expressly for the purpose of low-income housing. The bill has early support from many figures around Seattle, but members of the Sound Transit board have expressed concern for how such sales might impact the organization’s budget in an era of multiple, large transit projects.