Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, September 9, 2007

Starbucks puts Everett official's words on cup

City Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher's words of wisdom are being read in coffee shops across the U.S.

By David Chircop, Herald Writer

 EVERETT -- City Council President Brenda Stonecipher is keeping elite company these days, joining notable American authors, poets and philosophers.

She has a quote gracing a Starbucks cup.

The certified public accountant, proud mother of two and double tall latte drinker is spurring coffee house conversations from coast-to-coast with her contribution to the Seattle company's The Way I See It series.

"Give me world politics, gender politics, party politics, or small-town politics ... I'll take them all over the politics of youth sports," Stonecipher quipped.

She sent her quote online about a year ago, after coming across a contest in the store asking customers to submit their own deep thoughts for fellow coffee drinkers. The best quotes would be printed on Starbucks' cups.

A selection committee composed of Starbucks employees and people outside the company liked the quote, which became No. 52 in The Way I See It cup series, behind the likes of comedian and U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken (No. 3) and conservative columnist and editor of National Review Online, Jonah Goldberg (No. 22).

Since cup No. 52s started hitting stores this month, Stonecipher has received e-mail kudos and stories from latte-crazed soccer moms from as far away as Florida and Ohio. A city staffer asked her to autograph her cup, which was a No. 52.

Stonecipher figures her message resonates with people, because just about anyone with kids enrolled in competitive athletics has seen unsportsmanlike behavior especially from parents getting carried away with their passions.

"The problem with youth sports is adults are involved," she said. "If (kids) were left to themselves, they would figure it out brilliantly. But because adults try to figure things out, they step in and often mess things up."

Stonecipher first took office in 2004 and is running unopposed on the November ballot.

She has a son and daughter, ages 12 and 14, who have played soccer, baseball, hockey and lacrosse.

One might expect the fast, aggressive sport of hockey to generate the most problems, but Stonecipher said she thinks the more popular game of baseball has the worst offenders.

Starbucks started putting quotes on its cups in North America in January 2005 in an effort to encourage conversation, company spokeswoman Bridget Baker said.

Quotes come from a wide variety of people, famous or plain folk. Some are asked to contribute. Others offer words of wisdom on their own. Starbucks' Web site is still accepting quotes.

Shortly after it started, controversy erupted when a national Christian organization took aim at Starbucks for publishing a quote by novelist Armistead Maupin. The author of "Tales of the City" about San Francisco's gay community in the late 1970s and 1980s, expressed regret for keeping his homosexuality secret for too long and encouraged closeted gays to come out of the closet.

More than 280 quotes have been used since the program started nearly three years ago.

In Everett, coffee and youth sports are common denominators among the City Council.

It's hard to say who drinks the most coffee on the council, said Councilman Paul Roberts.

"You'd have quite a competition for that," said Roberts, who is also the public works director for the city of Marysville. Between his two jobs, he figures that he works 65 to 75 hours a week. "The question is, who is taking it intravenously?"

Roberts, whose children are now 20 and 18, coached little league for six years and filled in as a home-plate umpire.

He said youth sports are a great way for children to learn valuable life lessons that transcend the playing field, but it's not always cheerful.

"Hell hath no fury like an irate parent," he said.



Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
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