Dominic Holden: "Walk into the Light McGinn---Why the Mayor Is Weaker Than Ever, Even with His Base"

Dominic Holden (The Stranger):

Let's not be contrarians just for the sake of being contrary. Mayor Mike McGinn was the indisputable loser of the August election. Face-plant. In the mud. Limbs hog-tied and floundering. He's in a far worse place now, even with the toxic tunnel issue off his plate, than ever before.

It wasn't only that voters approved the tunnel on August 16 (a tunnel that McGinn campaigned to stop) by a 16-point margin. And it wasn't just the brute strength of business lobbies that funded the pro-tunnel vote and cast it as a referendum to reject the mayor.

It was also the parade of McGinn's self-created losses that culminated on August 16. That date marked the deadline for McGinn to fulfill promises he made when he ran for office and after he was elected. That is, deadlines that he missed. MORE...

Howie P.S.: I guess the The Stranger has been liberated from its relentless cheer-leading of the mayor, at least until it's time for the re-election campaign. Goldy is still there, however.