David Brewster

David Brewster, a founding member of Post Alley, has a long career in publishing, having founded Seattle Weekly, Sasquatch Books, and Crosscut.com. His civic ventures have been Town Hall Seattle and FolioSeattle.

X-Factor: Is Seattle’s Sleeping Giant Stirring?

Nothing like a roaring recession to focus the mind on economic recovery, and to goad the Seattle-area business community to bestir itself. Let me cite the ways. And the obstacles.

Why Tossing Trump Didn’t Power a Blue Wave

(Big opportunity missed: Biden saying "Defund the Police" was a terrible slogan.) Biden's image campaign as healer also risked discounting by cynical voters of how well this hopey-feely thing would work out. (Yeah, sure!)

Dynamo Tries to Shake Up the Seattle School Board

Hampson expresses a "high" degree of frustration with the District, and has drawn board president Zachary DeWolf and fellow member Brandon Hersey into her impatient camp.

Six Reasons Inslee won’t take a job in the Biden Administration

Those who aspire to cabinet posts don't just sit by the phone. It takes an active and expensive campaign to be in the running, and so far Inslee does not appear to be raising money for this effort or working the phones.

Election Takeaways: Let’s Hear It For More Stalemate!

Overall, I read the election as overwhelmed voters ratifying the American system of checks and balances. Get rid of Trump, but keep the GOP Senate and the Supreme Court.

The Unlikely, Overdue Benefits of the Pandemic

One example of a benefit: Less commuting, since downtown offices are less needed. A related gain: less deification of density. Urbanism will spread from the hub to the satellite towns, redefining and spreading the attractions of humane density.

Arts Fix: Return to the Repertory Model?

The Seattle Repertory Theater (as the name recalls) once deployed a repertory method. It commenced in 1963, right after the Seattle World's Fair, when the repertory idea was the hot idea for regional, non-commercial theater.

After Trump-Solving: Seattle Needs Problem Solving

The situation calls for local politicians to walk (fight Covid's spread) and chew gum (salvage the local economy) at the same time.

Want Better Leadership? We Need to give our Leaders Executive Power

The splitting up of functions and blurring of responsibility stems from the days of Progressivism and Populism, where the only way to counter the railroads' conquest of the Legislature was to fracture power. Once there is this proliferation of offices and semi-responsibility, it becomes very difficult to remove the crabgrass.

Trump Do-Over Is No Better; and a few Thoughts on The Lt. Gov. Debate

He never could say what he'd do in the next term, so busy was he in finding enemies and boasting. No empathy, as usual. Crazy attacks. The moderator saved him from going on and on, but the frothing personality was there to behold.

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