Archive - April 2, 2013

Sh*t Blair Butterworth Said Seattle lost a political legend with the death of master strategist Blair Butterworth. In his memory, a compendium of his greatest quips. By Knute Berger April 02, 2013 Politics lost a local legend last week with the death of Seattle Democratic political consultant Blair Butterworth (Joel Connelly’s obit is here). One thing Butterworth was known for: quotability. He was, in the terms of old-school press coverage, a “phrase maker,” a guy whose pithy comments about state, local or national politics could make a reporter’s or columnist’s copy sound better. In his memory then, a few bits gleaned from the archives. On Frank Blethen’s threat to move the Seattle Times to the Eastside in 2001: “‘I think anyone reading the comments would think he’s just been seething until he finally imploded,’ Butterworth said, adding that Blethen’s statements were so ‘bizarre’ they wouldn’t be taken seriously. However, Butterworth . . .

From the Seattle Times Longtime Democratic political consultant Blair Butterworth died Friday at 74. By Jim Brunner Seattle Times political reporter Blair Butterworth dies of cancer at 74. When Democratic campaign consultant Blair Butterworth met gubernatorial candidate Dixy Lee Ray in her small trailer in 1976, the irascible pair shared a bottle of scotch and shouted at each other in an hours-long political argument. Nevertheless, a few months later Mr. Butterworth ran Ray’s successful campaign to become Washington’s first female governor. But after four years, Mr. Butterworth, like many Democrats, was at odds with Ray and helped then-state Sen. Jim McDermott oust her in the Democratic primary. Over a career that spanned more than three decades, Mr. Butterworth earned a reputation as one of state’s top political strategists, electing governors and mayors, passing school levies and the state’s Death With Dignity initiative. Mr. Butterworth died Friday at his Seattle home . . .

Paul Clements was a PCV math teacher in The Gambia from 1985-87, and stayed on in Africa with ActionAid (1987-89) and USAID (1989-90). Today he is the  director of Western Michigan University’s Masters of International Development Administration program which has a  “Peace Corps Option,” one of Peace Corps’ Masters International Programs, so many of his students have gone on to the Peace Corps. As director he gets to supervise their field papers, usually studies of large development projects in their countries of service. Paul met his wife, Aedin, in The Gambia. Aedin, an Irish volunteer, was in The Gambia  working as a librarian with Ireland’s semi-volunteer aid organization. Their first daughter, Anna, was born in Royal Victoria Hospital in Banjul. Paul returned to Gambia in 2008 with their daughter,  Anna, after she graduated from high school, and they stayed for a few days with his “family” in Pakalinding, the village . . .