Deja vu all over again | Inside Politics

Published 3:14 pm Friday, May 6, 2016

There are several rules of behavior in politics, one of them being that Democrats don’t appear in Republican campaign literature and Republicans don’t appear in Democrats’ literature.

If you identify with a party, the expectation is that you share their general philosophy. Appearing in the literature of the opposing party calls into question an office holder’s loyalty and core beliefs. Additionally, candidates don’t put a picture of anyone, let alone an office holder from the opposing party, in their campaign literature without their express permission.

In last year’s District 30 special legislative election between appointed Democratic incumbent Carol Gregory and Republican candidate Teri Hickel, many Democrats were upset with Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell for failing to remember he is now a Democrat. First, Ferrell gave Hickel the Key to the City after she retired from her years of community activities, even though it was common knowledge she was planning to run against Gregory. The issue wasn’t her qualifications for the award, but rather Ferrell’s timing: If it had happened several months earlier or after the the election, there would have been no political fallout. As it was, Hickel ran a picture of Ferrell presenting her the award in her campaign literature. Ferrell said at the time he did not endorse Hickel, but it wasn’t until very late in the election that he appeared in a picture with Gregory.

Second, Democrats noticed that, despite being the incumbent legislator, Democrat Gregory was not included in some of the key pictures of the groundbreaking of the Performing Arts and Events Center, yet Republican State Sen. Joe Fain from the legislative district next door was included. Democrats were aware of Fain’s assistance with the PAEC funding in the Senate, but they did not feel Gregory should have been excluded. The snub of Gregory was even more obvious since Democrats controlled the House of Representatives and Gregory had helped with funding in the House.

Ferrell had been a Republican, and he switched to the Democratic Party for his second run for mayor in 2013 against Republican Skip Priest. The mayor’s job is non-partisan, but switching parties gave Ferrell a new base of support and helped him avoid splitting Republican voters with Priest. Some Democrats still have reservations about whether or not Ferrell is a DINO, or a “Democrat in name only.”

After all the behind-the-scenes rancor about last year’s picture with Hickel, many assumed Ferrell wouldn’t make the same mistake again. As Yogi Berra says, however, “It’s deja vu, all over again.”

This year, Ferrell has stated he is not endorsing any candidate running for the legislature. But there he is, pictured in a political brochure with incumbent Republican legislator Linda Kochmar, who is running for re-election! Kochmar said she asked Ferrell if she could use the picture in her brochure and Ferrell said “yes,” although Kochmar knew he was not endorsing her.When Ferrell was asked about the picture he said, “Linda was kind enough to let me know she was using the picture,” implying a lack of consent. When asked about the difference in stories, Ferrell sidestepped the issue and says he has to work with both parties.

But Democrats have noticed the picture and some are not happy about it. Particularly since Kochmar’s opponent, Mike Pellicciotti, used to work with Ferrell in the county prosecutor’s office and also contributed to Ferrell’s 2013 mayoral campaign. Democrat Sharry Edwards, who recently dropped out of her race against Hickel in deference to Democrat Kristine Reeves, had recently defended Ferrell on an issue with a Letter to the Editor. Asked about Ferrell’s lack of endorsement and his appearance in Republican brochures, Edwards declined comment. Pellicciotti referred questions to Ferrell.

In both pictures Ferrell was acting in his capacity as mayor. But this is partisan politics and everyone knows it. Control of the legislature is at stake. There are no misunderstandings, and all involved know what they’re doing. Kochmar is an old pro and was trying to reach across party lines and attract some Democratic voters, of which she has many. Hickel was trying to do the same thing because of the voter distribution in the district and because she was running against a good incumbent.

And Ferrell didn’t make a mistake either time. He knew what he was doing; he was trying to play both sides for future gain. Next year, when Ferrell is up for re-election to his non-partisan position, he will likely ask all of the candidates for the legislature, Republican and Democrat, to endorse him. He will expect the 30th District Democrats to endorse him because he is a fellow Democrat and he will remind the Republicans about the use of his picture. Will Democrats continue endorsing him or will their patience have a limit?

But there may be an even bigger issue in play. Ferrell has made several political moves, and issues like these have increased speculation in the community about his plans beyond 2017. It is “deja vu all over again,” but just like last year there are reasons. And it’s all about politics.

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is the former mayor of Auburn. He can be reached at bjroegner@comcast.net