"Neighborhoods said 'no!' to Mallahan co.'s cell tower plans"

Chris Grygiel:

Neighborhood activists cheering for Mayor Greg Nickels?

It may seem strange now that Nickels has lost his bid for a third-term, but in 2003 Nickels had many fans when he pushed back against cell phone companies trying to install cell towers in residential areas.

People thought the towers that could rise to almost 60 feet were "big and ugly." And the city heard concerns companies may have been targeting poor people and those who didn't speak English well, trying to convince them to accept monthly payments to put the towers or associated materials on their property.

Among the companies that wanted to put the structures in neighborhoods was T-Mobile, where mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan is a vice president.

In March of 2003 Nickels proposed legislation banning cell towers from areas with single-family housing. "He did right by us," said Sharon Nakamura, a Beacon Hill woman who was involved in the group Residents Against Cell Towers in Our Neighborhoods.

Nickels' legislation was ultimately amended and the 13 towers that companies wanted to build in places like West Seattle and Beacon Hill weren't banned. However single-family neighborhoods were made the "least preferred" options for cell towers by the city.

"We believe for the most part they can locate in other areas, like commercial and industrial," said Diane Sugimura, director of the city's Department of Planning and Development.

Worries about aggressive tactics

Sugimura said prior to the change in rules the city heard complaints from neighbors that cell towers would impact property values and there were also health concerns about living next to the structures.

There were other issues, as well.

"Some people felt there were predatory practices, in terms of trying to convince property owners that they should have (cell towers) on site and get a monthly payment," Sugimura said. "There were some people that were saying it appeared they might be targeting low income people, or people that maybe English was a second language. Those are the kinds of stories we heard."

Sugimura didn't name specific companies, but in media reports from the time residents complained that T-Mobile was moving ahead with deals with neighbors, despite the fact that the agreed-upon public comment period to voice concerns about such projects had yet to expire.

Like his general election opponent in the mayoral election, environmentalist Michael McGinn, Mallahan has never held public office. During the primary he touted his managerial experience with T-Mobile, the Bellevue-based cell phone giant, saying he would run the city better than Nickels.

Charla Neuman, Mallahan's campaign spokeswoman, said as a vice president for corporate strategy during the early part of this decade Mallahan was focused on how to best further the company's goals on a national level and wouldn't have been involved in discussions about individual neighborhoods in Seattle.

"Joe had input on national market network investments and strategy," Neuman said Monday. "He had input on how much investment you put into Seattle, or D.C. or Houston or other areas. Certainly not at the micro level….He had no say on actual site, data or implementation."

In a statement, T-Mobile said it was responding to "unprecedented" demand for cell service in Seattle and across the country.

"To meet this demand, T-Mobile is constantly improving its coverage areas and expanding its network capacity to handle the growing number of customer calls and data transmissions," the statement said. "The company works closely with communities and neighborhoods to understand their needs and any concerns they may have. The company also complies with all local regulations as we consider new sites and expand the coverage and services we provide to the Seattle area."

Sugimura, the head of the city's planning department, said cell companies must now show that they tried to find other locations in Seattle before they try to move forward in residential neighborhoods. There's also now an independent, third party review of such proposals for single-family zones. The changes appear to have appeased neighborhood groups.

"It's been a long time since I've received a complaint," Sugimura said.

Howie P.S.: Does this story tell us how the local media will cover this race: big business versus the Sierra Club? And every libruls' favorite journalist, Emily Hefter, has this one: "State Sen. Ed Murray: a write-in for Seattle mayor?"