"Governor Chris Gregoire Endorses Joe Mallahan for Mayor of Seattle"

Mallahan for Mayor:

The Mallahan for Mayor campaign is proud to announce Governor Chris Gregoire’s endorsement of Joe Mallahan to be Seattle’s next Mayor. Gregoire highlighted Mallahan’s experience, his understanding of how transportation and job creation go hand in hand, and his determination to rebuild Seattle’s economy as reasons why he is the best candidate to lead Seattle forward.

“Seattle’s next mayor needs to be someone who understands that rebuilding Seattle’s economy and creating family wage jobs must be the top priority of their administration. To do that, the mayor must be someone with proven experience and a willingness to work closely with Seattle’s diverse citizens, businesses, unions and state and local elected officials. The candidate in this race who has those qualifications is Joe Mallahan,” Gregoire said.

“I am deeply honored to have the Governor’s endorsement,” Mallahan said. “Governor Gregoire is right – voters have a clear choice in this race. We have an opportunity to move forward together to strengthen our economy, create new jobs, improve our transportation system and create safe neighborhoods. I will work effectively with the Governor to create jobs, make sure our transportation projects are built on time and on budget, and ensure Seattle city services work for all of us.”

“We took enormous steps in the last legislative session to invest in building a transportation system that will create thousands of new Seattle jobs, and help us emerge stronger from this recession” added Gregoire. “What we did was truly monumental – not just for Seattle, but for Washington’s economic future as a whole. Joe understands the importance of this investment and the need to turn those dollars into jobs now.”

Mallahan added, “Governor Gregoire has shown principled leadership to lead the state through difficult economic times. She has had to deal with the harsh reality of how to lead when tough economic times cripple a budget and she knows the next mayor of Seattle is going to have to do the same thing. I appreciate the governor’s support and leadership and look forward to partnering with her to revitalize Seattle’s economy.”

Joe Mallahan has a history of finding innovative solutions to difficult problems and knows we need to learn how to do more with less. Mallahan has a long track record of finding ways to trim the fat off budgets while still improving services. He will use this experience to make sure Seattle’s budget has more resources available for our priorities. Joe is the only candidate in this race rated "Outstanding" by the Municipal League. He has been endorsed by the King County Democrats, 36th, 37th and 46th District Democrats, Seattle Police and Fire Fighters, King County Labor Council, Alki Foundation, and received all "A" ratings from SEAMEC. Mallahan’s list of group and individual supporters represent the diversity of Seattle.

Howie P.S.: I think this endorsement confers some gravitas ("dignity, seriousness, and duty") on Mallahan.