Koster for Congress? He’s still undecided

Published 12:01 am Sunday, December 6, 2009

Will John Koster run for Congress in 2010 or won’t he?

Everyone’s waiting to find out.

“I’m thinking about it. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten,” Koster, a Snohomish County councilman, said this week.

Koster, fresh from victory for a third and final term on the council, appears to be the biggest Republican name floating around as a potential challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen.

GOP faithful are urging him into the race by phone, e-mail and, for 271 people, through an online petition that concludes, “John Koster: Can you hear us?”

This wouldn’t be the first time Koster and Larsen have faced off.

Nine years ago, the two competed for the same congressional seat, which was vacant and very much desired by the national Democratic and Republican parties.

Koster won the September 2000 primary by 4,000 votes. In the eight weeks that followed, the national parties put up gobs of money and sent in campaign workers for the battle.

Larsen finished with 50.01 percent of the vote to Koster’s 45.93 percent in the general election. Two other candidates, one a Republican and the other a Natural Law Party member, completed the roster.

Larsen has won four times since then, the last two by very wide margins. A prodigious fundraiser, Larsen had $439,000 bankrolled for the campaign as of Sept. 30.

Koster knows the challenge and recognizes time is a luxury he cannot afford to waste. When will he decide?

“Fairly soon. I need to make the decision fairly soon,” he said.

Four years ago, the Oil Spill Advisory Council was born, and Mike Cooper was appointed its leader.

Five months ago, the board’s budget was neutered, leaving Cooper with his title but no money, no staff and nothing to do.

Four days ago, the council appeared on the latest batch of government commissions Gov. Chris Gregoire wants legislatively euthanized.

The council is one of 78 panels she has asked the Legislature to wipe from the books next year. Gregoire axed 17 others with an executive order this week.

Among them was the Marysville Community Citizens Violation Board, a panel created in 1996 to assist the Department of Corrections. It has finished its work and has been dormant for several years.

While no one will be mourning its loss, Cooper, a Snohomish County Councilman, will miss the Oil Spill Advisory Council.

Created in the wake of a spill at Point Wells in Snohomish County in 2003 and another near Vashon Island in 2004, its 19 unsalaried appointees aided by a professional staff put out reports on the state’s oil spill prevention programs.

Early this year, it produced what appears to be its final document, a nearly 400-page, research-rich analysis on the state’s strengths and weaknesses in dealing with large oil spills in the Puget Sound.

Cooper understands the governor and Legislature are looking for coinage in every cupboard of government to deal with a state budget deficit. The council costs nothing today, but if it’s left on the books, it could be reborn in the future.

“I still feel strongly that when the economy rebounds, the state is better served if an independent third party like the council is looking at these issues,” he said.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.