Civic Cocktail episodes

The Seattle City Council will have four new faces, and possibly more, once all the ballots are counted from the Nov. 5 general election. Political consultant Heather Weiner tells host Joni Balter, "When Amazon dropped $1.5 million into our local election... politics suddenly hit home for the people of Seattle." But, Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Marilyn Strickland says money has always been a part of politics. She adds, "...declaring victory is more about the work that's going to happen after the election is over." And two men who really know their numbers also weigh in. The Seattle Times' Gene Balk, author of the popular data-centric column FYI Guy, says some of the political tension in town may be due to a growing generation gap, as 3 out of 4 people moving here are millennials. Seattle pollster Stuart Elway's latest poll on the City Council left him with this topline conclusion: those he polled want to change the people in the Council chamber and elect new people to keep doing the same work the council's already been doing!