Seattle: Hizzoner Vetoes Tunnel Contract and "Speaks Softly, Carries No Stick, in Responding to Police Shooting Case"

UPDATE: Just as I was posting this, Pete Spalding and Vlad Oustimovitch put this up on Facebook:"McGinn's Flipflop," video (01:11).

"McGinn makes it official: He vetoes tunnel deal" (Cris Grygiel-seattlepi.com):

Mayor Mike McGinn on Thursday vetoed the legislation approved earlier this month that allows the tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct to move forward.

McGinn, who had previously signaled his intention to reject the agreement with the state of Washington, sent a letter to the Council Thursday afternoon. The Council has more than enough votes to override his rejection. MORE...

Rick Anderson (The Daily Weekly):

Privately, a mayoral aide says, Mike McGinn has all along asked what the hell was Seattle police officer Ian Birk thinking when he tossed aside his training and marched within a few feet of a man with a knife, then in four seconds shot John T. Williams to death? Publicly, the mayor has been less outspoken, and yesterday, sitting uncomfortably at a table in the middle of a City Hall meeting room, for the most part disadvantaged--having to look up to questioning reporters and Williams supporters--he seemed passively resigned to the news that Birk would not be charged with a felony. MORE...

Howie P.S.: I have an idea for the theme song for his reelection campaign: "I Fought the Law (and the city council and numerous others) and they all won!"

"Should the viaduct trees be saved?"

The Alaskan Way Viaduct is buffered by trees in this photo taken Tuesday. An effort is under way to preserve the trees when the structure is torn down and replaced by a tunnel.

Larry Lange (seattlepi.com):

If the Alaskan Way Viaduct is torn down and replaced by a tunnel, at least one public official thinks the trees alongside the viaduct ought to be left standing near the central waterfront.

The city has a policy of trying to preserve its steadily disappearing canopy of trees and City Councilman Nick Licata thinks the viaduct trees shouldn't be any exception, even if they're around construction work. He's exploring the possibility with the city's forestry commission, a recent entity created to consider how to preserve the city's disappearing tree canopy.

"I don't see why not," he said of his idea. "If you put in a new viaduct you probably couldn't save them but if you're tearing one down (as planned), I don't see a problem," Licata said. MORE...

Seattle Tunnel: "What Could Possibly Go Wrong"

Dominic Holden (The Stranger):

The Seattle City Council is about to give the state permission to dig the world's largest deep-bore tunnel under downtown Seattle. Here's what the city council doesn't want you to know before they vote. MORE...

Howie P.S.: The Stranger steps back into Seattle city politics, big time. Note to readers: there is no question mark with this headline. H/t to Kata Martin. Meanwhile, the Seattle Times reports "Highway 99 tunnel foes may propose city referendum."