Reality TV can't match civic wannabes

This "Casting Call" was a reality show worth watching.

Performers included a man whose life was changed by the musical group ABBA, a woman who described her attributes in Italian musical terms and a former editor of a magazine of erotica called Squirm.

And they want to represent you at Seattle City Hall.

Ninety-eight people seeking appointment to a vacant City Council seat each got three minutes Thursday to make a case for why they should replace Jim Compton, who resigned his $97,000-a-year job last week to write in Romania.

Candidates touted these credentials in letters and résumés:

• Edward Song told how ABBA's song "Fernando" helped him overcome paralyzing social anxiety. "I say as Fernando fought for liberty by crossing that fearful Rio Grande, I cross my river of anxiety to fight for community principles."

• Evan RL Sutton, a former bartender at Larry's Nightclub, boasted in his application that he "maintained an average output of 100+ drinks per hour."

• Elizabeth Hovance, the one-time Squirm editor, explained she also founded Inertia, a journal of poetry and fiction, and now works at public radio's KUOW.

• Aaron Shuman, an ex-Marine, installs copper cable at an airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

• Glenn Hampson is the only openly Republican applicant for the nonpartisan post. Sort of. "I ran as a Republican," Hampson said about his 1992 campaign to unseat Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott, "but I am not a Republican in the modern sense of the word."

Less-colorful and better-known candidates also have applied, including three former council members: Sue Donaldson, John Manning and Dolores Sibonga.

Other familiar faces at City Hall include neighborhood leaders Stella Chao and Darryl Smith, police-oversight activists Peter Holmes and Harriett Walden and union representatives Bob Zappone and Verlene Jones.

But Thursday's audition was mainly a show for the 85 or so applicants the council expects to eliminate from the field by the middle of next week.

One after another, they lined up, fidgeted with their notes, stepped to the microphone and told council members about their love for Seattle, their concern for affordable housing and their ability to "hit the ground running."

Some told Capra-esque stories. Ven Knox said she almost died in a car wreck last week and saw her survival as a sign she should serve on the council. "My brush with death got me thinking about all I had not accomplished yet," said Knox, the city's former director of human services.

Others seemed to sense their audition amounted to three minutes of fleeting fame.

"What we have here is the ultimate reality show for political junkies," said Cindy Simmons, noting she was the "only belly-dancing feminist to apply."

Jo-Ann Christen, a cellist who recited her strengths in Italian, using terms such as "appassionato," commended council members on their stamina, saying the five-hour audition was equivalent to sitting through a Wagner opera. Douglas Mays, former manager of the reggae band Burning Spear, threatened to sit in the front row of every council hearing if he wasn't appointed to Compton's seat.

Jack Whisner, a transportation planner, bragged that in addition to supporting toll roads and accessory dwelling units, he could also bake a pie, throw a bounce pass and think like an economist.

The Rev. David Bloom offered the most humble speech. Bloom started by joking that he should get Compton's seat because the council ought to replace "one 60-something white man" with another. He then stressed the importance of racial and gender diversity on the nine-member council — which now includes just two women and two racial minorities — and that a minority candidate be appointed instead of him.

Councilmen David Della and Richard McIver have said they'd be inclined to appoint a woman of color to Compton's seat.

The council expects to swear in Compton's replacement Feb. 6.

A few groups, such as the Alki Foundation, the political arm of the Chamber of Commerce, have informed the council they will be endorsing candidates. One group, the Latino Political Action Committee, already has barraged the council with e-mails backing Venus Velazquez, a public-relations consultant, and Javier Valdez, a Democratic activist and City Light worker.

"This is an amazing display of civic zeal," Mark Hinshaw, applicant No. 59, concluded Thursday. "It's too bad the council can't have 109 [members] ... instead of nine."