Every time I see the name Shari Song on signage throughout the length and breadth of Federal Way, I’m inspired to sing.
But from which genre, barbershop, classical, jazz, gospel, country, reggae? Over the last few months, though, I believe that I’ve found the ideal song. And try as I might, I cannot get rid of it out of my head.
This haunting melody, from a most beautiful Methodist hymn, with Tamil/Sri Lankan roots, “Saranam, Saranam, Saranam,” is what I hum to satisfy my urge to sing, “Shari Song, Shari Song, Shari Song.”
I don’t know about anybody else, but deciding on the ideal candidate(s) during voting season is no walk in the park. I put voting decision right up there with moving from one residence to the next or changing jobs — especially when I have to decide merits and demerits on either side of the political divide.
The analogy that best suits me is akin to entering a barbershop for the first time. I gingerly walk in, carefully scan the scene, sizing up each barber to make my final decision.
But the above-mentioned scrutiny is never a foolproof determinant for the perfect haircut. You will notice that over time the worst-dressed barber is the one with the magic touch, and the seasoned one, dressed for success and groomed to the max, is the worst barber inside the shop.
Therefore, it behooves all of us to spend some time to review the facts and scan the scenes before making that final decision regarding the perfect hairstylist or candidate because that decision could have lasting repercussions.
It’s so easy to be blown away when one sees Song getting the endorsements of Senator Tracey Eide, Gov. Gary Locke, Congressman Adam Smith, Patti Murray, among many other notables from the Democratic establishment.
And, yes, those endorsements warm my heart to read/hear the awesome things that are said on Song’s behalf. But truth be told, I am hardly moved by endorsements alone.
What moves me most is what candidates do for community in the background long before they’re elected. The bright and articulate Song has long been busy doing her community’s bidding and making her voice heard through the recesses of where needs matter most.
Reading Song’s list of accomplishments, you will see that the woman’s life is touched by just about every moving part in society: Children, police, diversity commission, voters’ alliance, counseling and mental health, writer, teacher, and school founder/director.
In pharmacology, there’s a term called demulcent, which means that a particular medicine coats the throat and makes swallowing smoother. And that’s what this “Shari Song” refrain is doing. It’s getting more melodious and easier on the throat.
The more voters know about her, the more they will sing her praises. They will find that she’s agreeable, personable, kind, and forward-thinking — attributes that can be swallowed with ease by the 30th District constituents.
Let me admonish you, Shari Song, not to concentrate on what you don’t have. Instead, aim high as you pursue the highest elected office to date. Borrow the unofficial mantra of the U.S. Marine Corps: “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.” Cherish everything that you’ve gone through to prepare you for such a time as this. In the words of Buddha, “Every experience, no matter how bad [or trivial] it may seem, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.”
Many of the 30th District voters with whom I conversed are with you. Just like your colorful background, dare to be different. And love it! An elephant would not be an elephant without its trunk. And what would a camel be without its hump? Beauty exists not in sameness but in differences.
And now that the sweet serenade has taken me to the farm, I’m not singing “Shari had a little lamb” or “Kumbaya.” Instead, I will chide you a bit. There’s something humbling about seeing an elephant or donkey carrying its own grass for consumption. (Party logo pun intended).
Please, for heaven’s sake, get out on the hustings a lot more. You ought to be out at the crossroads waving your signs. You ought to be doorbelling, kissing babies, and rubbing grannies’ hands.
The Puget Sound region is an awesome place to seek elected office. Voters have always cut through the fluff and puffery and vote their conscience.
You owe this allegiance to Bertha Knight Landes, the first female-elected mayor of Seattle in 1926, at a time when women suffrage was only a dream throughout the United States.
You owe this legacy to Norm Rice, the two-term African-American Seattle mayor that served two consecutive terms with an African-American population under 10 percent.
Former Federal Way City Councilmen, Eric Faison and Mike Park, and former Secretary of State Sam Reed are some other distinguished public servants that should bring you much needed inspirations throughout this campaign.
In the meantime, here’s hoping that “Shari Song, Shari Song, Shari Song” will reach its crescendo and command voters to render you their esteemed honor by voting you into office as their next state senator.
Nandell Palmer, Federal Way
