UNITED STATES: Seattle socialist scores 10%

BY ALISON THORNE

Supporters of Freedom Socialist Party candidate for Position 5 in the Seattle City Council election, held on September 16, were jubilant when the result was announced. Candidate Linda Averill, a city bus driver and journalist with the Freedom Socialist newspaper, garnered almost 11,000 votes. This represented more than 10% of the vote in the six-candidate race.

Averill — the only socialist in the race — gave voters a refreshing and rational alternative in a ballot where the Democratic Party machine offered more of the same pro-business policies. A centrepiece of her program was to call for greater taxation of corporate parasites like Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks so that money can be spent on childcare, public transport and health care, with full funding for reproductive and anti-AIDS services.

Support for Averill's campaign was strong amongst trade unionists, feminists, people of colour and the queer community. Other socialist organisations also backed the campaign.

The impressive list of endorsers included Averill's own union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, which she has represented at the King County Labor Council for the last five years. Support also came from the managing editor of Seattle Gay News, the No War on Iraq Coalition and the Native People's Alliance.

For more information, visit <http://www.socialism.com>.

From Green Left Weekly, October 1, 2003.

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From GLW issue 556