Hague Holds Lead Over Mitchell in King County Race

In the early returns for what proved to be a bitter King County Council District 6 fight, incumbent Jane Hague leads with nearly 54 percent of the vote late Tuesday. Challenger Richard Mitchell held 46 percent in initial returns.

Hague reportedly was shocked by the large lead. “Whoaaaaaa!” she said after the results were posted, according to the Seattle Times. “I would have been happy with 51 percent.”

A Hague victory will mean maintaining only core functions of county government, such as water and sewer utilities, sanitation, public transit, public health services and public safety.

While the race is non-partisan, Hague is generally considered the more conservative candidate in the race and is endorsed by a number of prominent King County Republicans. In a campaign speech in front of the Rotary Club of Mercer Island, she touted her support of "business-friendly" policies and the county's fiscally conservative approach that won it a triple-A bond rating from financial ratings firm Moody's.

On transportation — a key area where Mercer Island and county interests intersect — Hague was a key vote earlier this year in maintaining current levels of Metro bus service on Mercer Island by supporting a new, temporary $20 car tab renewal fee. In exchange, Metro would offer riders a small number of ride vouchers and eliminated the free-ride zone in Seattle's downtown corridor.

Her wavering support for the car-tab fee, however — which came after several weeks of speaking out against the measure — was of little comfort to Mercer Island Councilmember Dan Grausz. He voiced his concerns over giving North-end residents light rail without offering those living further south a viable transit option.

"The reality is, (Mercer Island) has terrible bus service and it's gotten only worse over the past 5-6 years," he said. "It's hard to say her being in there has helped us — except the vote a few months ago to preserve bus service."

The campaigns turned out to be contentious. Though neither Hague nor Mitchell have any official negative campaign accounting listed by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, both have lobbied official and unofficial complaints at each other regarding attack ads.

that made it appear that initiative author Tim Eyman encouraged Republicans to sit out the Hague-Mitchell race. Mitchell countered with a PDC complaint, saying that expenditures for an ad that attacked his record as an attorney was not reported to the PDC in a timely manner.

Mitchell's campaign tactics cost him an endorsement from the Seattle Times, which switched its endorsement to Jane Hague in the general election after supporting Richard Mitchell in the primary because his ads "were nasty to the point of being offensive."

Hague, A Bellevue Republican, has served on the council since 1994. Her district includes Bellevue, Mercer Island, Redmond and Kirkland. Mitchell, a Mercer Island defense attorney, is a political newcomer.

Results

•Metropolitan King County Council District No. 6

Jane Hague 15,878, 53.80 percent

Richard E. Mitchell 13,551, 45.92 percent

Write-in 84, 0.28 percent