G.P. replies: Well, Christal, since you asked--and others have also inquired, less snottily, over the years--I'm not ever likely to run for anything. The most obvious reason is that since 1991 I've had three comas, an experimental double organ transplant, a stroke, three types of cancer, 26 surgeries (the two most recent of which were last month), and ever since 1994 I've had no effective immune system. My health couldn't support the energy needed to sustain a credible campaign to win (as opposed to, say, the campaigns you've run)--let alone doing the actual job. Last I checked that doesn't disqualify me from either reporting or offering my opinions.

So what would you like covered? The formal filing period is June 1-8; there's been nothing to cover, yet. As of May 20, only seven active campaigns have reported to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission that they're running, and four of them are incumbents (the others being Venus Velasquez and Bruce Harrell for the open seat, and Tim Burgess challenging David Della). All seven were mentioned in last issue's article. None are consistently progressive.

The good news is that others are jumping in. Former mayoral candidate Al Runte has just registered with SEEC for the open seat, and an outstanding progressive candidate with a real shot at winning is getting ready to announce. More on that next issue.