As sure as the tides, with each election cycle the Municipal League of King County issues its ratings of local candidates.
Those with high marks trumpet the news in their political advertisements.
The accolade sounds nice, but what’s behind it?
The Muni League’s mission is shaped by its origins; it was founded in 1910 as part of a recall effort aimed at the corrupt and colorful Seattle mayor, Hiram Gill.
Gill, a balding, spectacled man and staunch Republican, looked the very image of post- Victorian probity, but prostitution and gambling were only part of his repertoire. As a result of that clean-up effort, local politics are a little more boring today than in those raw days.
The Muni League is volunteer driven, relying on 90 to 120 community volunteers to interview about 80 to 100 candidates each election cycle, Those volunteers make up the Candidate Evaluation Committee,
The four critical markers of inquiry are a candidate’s knowledge, effectiveness, involvement and character.
“Our mission is to improve the caliber of public officials and quality of decisions,” said Chuck Sloan, chair of the Municipal League’s Board of Directors. As far as their volunteers are concerned, “We try to include diverse groups throughout the city. Those with political ties are not allowed.”
Sloan says the proceedings are strictly non-partisan: “If you want the endorsement of the Democratic or Republican Party or Chamber of Commerce, that’s out there to be had,” he said. “We conduct our interviews more like job interviews.”
Sloan 35, grew up in Shoreline, attended O’Dea High School and graduated from the University of Washington before heading to Louisiana as n AmeriCorps volunteer. He returned to the Northwest to do post-graduate work in Political Psychology at Pacific University in Portland, Ore. Back in Seattle in 2005, Sloan started out with the Municipal League as a volunteer.
A typical interview, he said, features 15 to 20 committee members in a room. The interactions, or lack of, Sloan noted, can interesting: Most political candidates relish the personal give and take of politics. In the Muni League process, the candidates are questioned from an existing template.
“They don’t laugh at every joke,” Sloan said of the volunteers. “They’re taking notes.”
The Municipal League, Sloan added, is always looking for volunteers.
For more information and current Municipal League ratings: www.munileague.org
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