Yes, its an election year.

There are almost two dozen candidates running for 5 seats on the Seattle City Council. COLA has sent a survey to those council candidates in an effort to educate Seattle citizens on candidate positions on off-leash area issues.

Their answers are listed below. You can view the survey results either by all candidate answers to a specific question or a particular candidate's answers to the entire survey.

COLA will also be hosting a candidate forum sometime after the primary. Details of the event will be posted on our website. You can also send an e-mail to coladog@tripod.net and we'll send you the date and time for the forum. The candidates forum will be your chance to hear from the candidates and ask them questions on off-leash issues.

COLA, as a 501(c)3 organization, will not be making endorsements of the candidates. We do strongly encourage our members to learn more about the candidates and to vote in both the primary (September 14) and general (November 2) elections. Let me say it again -- don't forget to vote!

The COLA survey consisted of the following questions:

  1. Tell us about your experience with dogs?
  2. Which off-leash areas have you visited?
  3. How would you balance the competing desires for dedicated public spaces such as ballfields, off-leash areas, boat launches, etc.?
  4. Seattle Municipal Code states that the Volunteer Park off-leash area is a temporary site, but it will remain open until another location on Capitol Hill can be found for a permanent off-leash area. If no other location can be found on Capitol Hill, as a Councilmember would you vote to make the temporary site a permanent site?
  5. How would you allocate funding amongst competing city-supported recreational activities: i.e. ballfields, off-leash areas, boat launches, etc.?
  6. Given that off-leash areas have proved to build community, deter crime, and provide a place for voting, taxpaying citizens to recreate with their family and pets, where would you support siting additional off-leash areas?
  7. When you are elected to the Seattle City Council, will you vote to support off-leash areas?
  8. If you don’t respond to this survey, can we assume that you believe dog off-leash areas are "for the birds"?
  9. Please add any comments you would like to share with our members and supporters.

Here are the candidate answers by question:

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Here are the answers from each candidate who has responded:

Judy Nicastro, Position 1

Thomas Whittemore, Position 7

Curt Firestone, Position 5

Bob Hegamin, Position 1

Peter Steinbrueck, Position 3

Lenora Jones, Position 3

Alec Fisken, Position 9

Margaret Pageler, Position 5

Heidi Wills, Position 7

Dawn Mason, Position 9

Cheryl Chow, Position 1

Charlie Chong, Position 7