Jump to content

Judy Nicastro

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Judy Nicastro
Member of the Seattle City Council
from Position 1
In office
January 10, 2000 – January 5, 2004
Preceded bySue Donaldson
Succeeded byJean Godden
Personal details
BornNew Jersey
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePeter Mansour
ResidenceSeattle, Washington
Alma mater

Judy Nicastro is an American former politician who served from 2000 to 2004 as a Seattle City Council member in Position 1.

Early life and education

Nicastro was born in New Jersey to working-class parents.[1] Living in Saddle River, New Jersey, Nicastro experienced the importance of political power when she and her mother suffered from funding cuts to widows' benefits when President Reagan signed the 1981 budget; her mother had been unsuccessful in lobbying their representatives in Congress to oppose the elimination of the program.[1][2][3] She stated, "They took money away from us. I realized then the power of politics. It matters."[1] This experience helped shape her populist agenda as a city council member.[2]

She lived in New York City and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, later working at Lord & Taylor.[3] At the age of 22, she moved to Washington State in 1988,[3][1] where she went to the University of Washington to earn her bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees.[2] She would later work for Boeing before running for city council.[1]

Seattle City Council

1999 Seattle City Council election

In 1999, Nicastro ran for city council after council member Sue Donaldson decided not to run for office. Ran as an outraged, "pissed off renter" with her campaign centering around a pro-tenant agenda that included rental reforms and greater housing options.[1][3] She was labeled a "Pragmatic Populist,"[3] advocating for a repeal of the state's rent control restrictions, stating at the time, "I don’t know whether or not rent control and overall rent regulation would work for Seattle. But I think we have a right to have that discussion...at a minimum, the law should be repealed..."[1]

Nicastro ran against former city councilmember Cheryl Chow after her failed 1997 mayoral run.[4] Nicastro and Chow got first and second place in the August primary, respectively.[5]

Chow outraised Nicastro by over $12,000 due to support from landlords and other business leaders.[3] Chow and her supporters labeled Nicastro as a "radical leftist," and Nicastro and her supporters labeled Chow "mediocre."[6]

In the November General Election, Nicastro narrowly defeated Chow, 50.49% to 49.51%.[7]

Seattle City Council (1999–2003)

While in office, Nicastro chaired the Landlord/Tenant & Land Use Committee, where she sponsored bills to strengthen tenant rights, lower parking requirements for affordable housing units, and increase density around transit hubs.[2]

She would be the lone vote on various bills, including a 2001 bill to sell off land in South Lake Union due to a lack of affordable housing guarantees and the 2002 Affordable Housing levy because the levy focused on homeownership.[8]

Strippergate Scandal

Former Washington state governor Albert Rosellini assisted the Colacurcios family by lobbying six members of the Seattle City Council and raising funds for three of the politicians.[9] In June 2003, James Bush, a reporter for the North Seattle Sun, reported city council members Judy Nicastro, Jim Compton and Heidi Wills received large amounts of campaign donations from the Colacurcio family and their business associates.[10] On June 16, 2003, in a 5–4 vote, the council approved the parking zoning changes allowing them to use their existing land for parking requested by the Colacurcios.[10] Nicastro, Compton, and Wills would all vote in favor on the expansion.[10]

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission investigated "Strippergate" and determined that Nicastro received $22,000 in campaign contributions from the Colacurcio family. All of the council members later returned the contributions.[2]

2003 City Council elections

Nicastro ran for reelection in 2003 with six challengers in the open primary. Nicastro won the September primary with 25.61% of the vote, and Seattle Times columnist Jean Godden narrowly came in second with 17.65%.[11]

Mayor Greg Nickels would endorse Godden in the November general election, a rare move for a Seattle mayor.[12] Nicastro claimed the endorsement was due to a letter she sent to Nickels accusing him of lying, threatening her, and stealing her ideas.[12]

Partially weighted down by the Strippergate Scandal, Nicastro lost reelection to Godden, 48% to 52%.[13]

Personal life

Nicastro and her husband have two children together.[14] In June 2013, after House Republicans passed a bill that would restrict abortions after 22 weeks, Nicastro released an op-ed talking about her struggle conceiving through IVF and her abortion at 22 weeks after complications carrying twins.[14]

Electoral history

Seattle City Council Position 1, primary election 1999[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Cheryl Chow 29,497 38.76%
Nonpartisan Judy Nicastro 26,592 34.95%
Nonpartisan Daniel Norton 13,019 17.11%
Nonpartisan Bob Hegamin 6,984 9.18%
Turnout 76,092
Seattle City Council Position 1, general election 1999[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Judy Nicastro 79,662 50.49%
Nonpartisan Cheryl Chow 78,111 49.51%
Turnout 157,773
Seattle City Council Position 1, primary election 2003[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Judy Nicastro 28,958 25.16%
Nonpartisan Jean Godden 20,317 17.65%
Nonpartisan Robert Rosencrantz 20,142 17.50%
Nonpartisan Kollin K Min 19,477 16.92%
Nonpartisan Darryl Smith 13,607 11.82%
Nonpartisan Art Skolnik 8,049 6.99%
Nonpartisan David Ferguson 4,567 3.97%
Turnout 115,117
Seattle City Council Position 1, general election 2003[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jean Godden 63,867 52.52%
Nonpartisan Judy Nicastro 58,353 47.74%
Turnout 122,220

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Bolz, Wallis (April 21, 1999). "Can Seattle's Renters Put Judy Nicastro in the Hot seat?". Shelter Force. Seattle Press. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Judy Nicastro Records, 1993-2004". Archive West. 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Feit, Josh (January 25, 2001). "Seattle's Pragmatic Populist". The Stranger. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Steffen, Alex (August 5, 1999). "CHARIOTS OF FIRE". The Stranger. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Couric, Katie (September 16, 1999). "Primary Night Fever". The Stranger.
  6. ^ Corr, O. Casey (October 27, 1999). "Nicastro Doesn't Deserve This Political Mugging". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "November 2, 1999 General Election". King County Elections. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Judy Nicastro". The Stranger. September 3, 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Howland, George (July 30, 2003). "Is Strippergate over?". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Kershaw, Sarah (August 27, 2003). "A Tale of Sex, Money and Politics, in 'Mayberry'". The New York Times.
  11. ^ a b "September 16, 2003". King County Elections. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Mulady, Kathy (October 8, 2003). "Godden gets Nickels' backing". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Historic General And Special Elections". King County Elections. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Nicastro, Judy (June 20, 2013). "My Abortion, at 23 Weeks". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "September 14, 1999 Primary Election". King County Elections. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judy_Nicastro&oldid=1255739456"