Council: Taking attendance

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Cody Olsen Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Council: Taking attendance</h1>
                <h2><p>How do we measure the success of Seattle’s city council members? Since one of their primary responsibility is attending meetings, looking at their attendance record might be a good place to start. The Seattle Times breaks down the attendance of our nine members, showing the percent each one showed</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/cody-olsen-crosscut-com/">Cody Olsen</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>How do we measure the success of Seattle’s city council members? Since one of their primary responsibility is attending meetings, looking at their attendance record might be a good place to start. <a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2015/02/02/grading-the-attendance-of-seattle-city-council-members/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">The Seattle Times</a> breaks down the attendance of our nine members, showing the percent each one showed up at a meeting they were expected to attend. Three council members broke 90 percent, with four more in the 80s. Helping everyone else to look good: Kshama Sawant at 75 percent and Tom Rasmussen, who's not seeking re-election, at 69 percent. Maybe there's a lesson for council watchers of the future: If a member attends less than 70 percent of the time, is he or she getting ready to step down? — C.O.</p>
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How do we measure the success of Seattle’s city council members? Since one of their primary responsibility is attending meetings, looking at their attendance record might be a good place to start. The Seattle Times breaks down the attendance of our nine members, showing the percent each one showed up at a meeting they were expected to attend. Three council members broke 90 percent, with four more in the 80s. Helping everyone else to look good: Kshama Sawant at 75 percent and Tom Rasmussen, who's not seeking re-election, at 69 percent. Maybe there's a lesson for council watchers of the future: If a member attends less than 70 percent of the time, is he or she getting ready to step down? — C.O.

By Cody Olsen

Cody Olsen was an editorial intern with Crosscut. He has a degree in Political Science from WWU, a passion for Journalism and a love for making movies on the side. This past summer he spent a few mont