Say "Hello" to Mayor (elect) McGinn

"Pizza: The Taste of McGinn's Victory" (Dominic Holden-SLOG):

Mayor-elect Mike McGinn is spending his victory night the same way he spent many nights of his campaign: at his Southeast Seattle campaign headquarters in a room full of volunteers, surrounded by phones and empty pizza boxes. “It looks like a phone bank night,” McGinn says.

McGinn credits his victory with his now legend staff of volunteers, several of whom he plans to hire as his new mayoral staff. “I would be foolish not to take advantage of some of the talented people who we found during the campaign,” he says. “We will also have to bring people with skills and experience that the campaign staff don’t have. It will be a mix of both.”

He faces challenges, however, establishing relationships with the individuals and institutions that historically have held leverage over the mayor’s office. Many key power brokers in Seattle—such as labor unions, veteran politicos, and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, whose former chair, Tayloe Washburn, actually joined Mallahan’s campaign—made their opposition to McGinn clear by pledging their allegiance and money to Mallahan. But McGinn seems undaunted by potential friction.

“I know that the folks who supported Mallahan had legitimate concerns about the direction the city would go,” he says, “and we are going to reach out to them, hear their concerns, and involve them in decision making.”

“Campaigns are different than building coalitions for government … when the passion of a campaign ends, there is the opportunity for people who care about the city to work together to solve problems,” says McGinn, extending a veritable olive branch. “The opportunity will bet there for everyone to participate.”

McGinn has already started mapping his transition from a neighborhood activist in Greenwood to the city’s most powerful politician at City Hall. Yesterday morning, he had breakfast with Ron Sims, the former King County Executive—and current Deputy Secretary of HUD in the Obama Administration—to discuss “tips on effective transition and the challenges ahead of us,” McGinn says. They discussed regional government planning, McGinn said, but he wouldn't share the details of their conversation.

Among McGinn's ambitions before taking office is influencing Mayor Greg Nickels's search for a new police chief (a political football in the campaign). McGinn says he wants to look at the selection committee to “see if I have any suggestions for who else might be involved,” he says. “I have an interest getting it started as soon as possible.”

McGinn hasn’t named members of his transition team yet, but, he says, “We are talking to poeple who have been involved in campaigns and city government."

"Mallahan not the only loser; power structure defeated, too" (Chris Grygiel-Strange Bedfellows):

That noise you heard Monday night in Seattle was the collective wailing of the city's big shots as they came to grips with the fact that Mike McGinn will be the next mayor.

They are on the outside looking in. They backed the wrong guy.

Politics is built around IOUs and McGinn's debt is to his corps of volunteers, not to the business, labor and political elite that supported his opponent, Joe Mallahan.

But if McGinn is savvy he'll reach out to the defeated camp. Collectively the City Council, the Legislature, the Downtown Seattle Association and the unions can keep McGinn from accomplishing his goals. By being magnanimous in victory he'll do more to advance his cause.

The same advice holds true for those who bet on Mallahan and lost. If they continue to brush off McGinn they'll get crosswise with a guy who's shown an impressive ability to tap into a populist streak in Seattle many thought was dead. In the court of public opinion McGinn will win more often than not.

So how did the high and mighty find themselves in this position?

Greg Nickels, the two-term incumbent McGinn and Mallahan ousted in the August primary, had cobbled together an uneasy alliance of downtown business interests and labor unions during his eight years in office. It was those powerful groups' support of Nickels that scared prominent names from challenging him earlier this year, which gave first-time candidates McGinn and Mallahan their chance.

When Nickels lost, business and labor slowly coalesced behind Mallahan, the T-Mobile vice president. They were joined by city and state politicians. This was a marriage of convenience. The unions, business people and pols weren't so much supporting Mallahan as they were opposing McGinn, the attorney and environmentalist who made stopping the tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct the centerpiece of his campaign.

Mallahan's kitchen cabinet got so big they could've used an Army mess hall to hold meetings. Everybody wanted something - they certainly wanted him to move forward with the viaduct tunnel and hoped he'd continue Nickels' business-friendly policies. And they were counting on continued access to City Hall's top floor.

The political establishment - from Gov. Chris Gregoire down to the City Council - feared that McGinn would blow up the viaduct tunnel deal they'd worked so hard to secure. And after Nickels, who they found brusque and difficult to work with, they hoped for a jollier Jet City mayor.

On Monday night the establishment offered their congratulations. City Council President Richard Conlin said in a statement he was "very optimistic about the partnership we have the opportunity to create between the council and the incoming Mayor." Gregoire, too, sent brief (emphasis on brief) kind words.

Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, a big proponent of the viaduct tunnel, said in an interview that "the central priority for a lot of folks is to build the relationship between Seattle, King County, our region and our state. It's time to move forward. We have to not get consumed by just the tunnel issue or one issue. Everybody has to come to the table."

As of Monday, there's new person who has a prominent seat.

Howie P.S.: Chris Grygiel looks back over the campaign for Seattle mayor and selects this moment as "the most significant showdown":

McGinn and Mallahan debated on KING5. McGinn addressed his viaduct tunnel position change directly and seemed to catch Mallahan off guard, making the issue about cost overruns on the project and whether Seattle would have to pay for them. McGinn's aggressive performance that night was viewed as superior to Mallahan's showing.

Election Night: Joe Mallahan (video)

Seattle Times, video (01:45):

Joe Mallahan and his supporters react to early election results on the evening of Tuesday, November 3.

Poll Analysis: Seattle Mayor and King Co. Exec.

Darryl Holman is a UW professor who knows his numbers. Apparently, in order to get his Ph.D. in anthropology, he had to take a bunch of math classes in college:
Poll Analysis--Seattle Mayoral Race:

A new KING-5/Survey USA poll in the Seattle Mayoral Race was released today. This race has Mike McGinn facing off against Joe Mallahan. Just last week, a Washington Poll poll had Mallahan leading McGinn by 44% to 36% with 20% undecided. The results suggested that Mallahan had an 89.9% probability of winning.

Today’s poll of 586 people (taken over the weekend) shows a tighter race with Mallahan leading McGinn by 45% to 43%. A Monte Carlo analysis (methods) consisting of 1,000,000 simulated elections using the proportions and sample size observed in this poll shows Mallahan winning 635,831 times and McGinn winning 352,638 times. Statistically, the results are a tie. But Mallahan has a small edge with a 64.3% probability of winning; McGinn has a 35.7% probability of winning.

The distribution of election outcomes from the simulation says it better than numbers (see chart above).

The red bars on the left are Mallahan wins, and the blue bars on the right are McGinn wins.

There are a number of possible confounders here that make this extremely close race even more uncertain. Most obvious is the age discrepancy in support which The Stranger’s Eli Sanders points out may lead to some systematic (statistical) bias:

Remember, too, that SurveyUSA only reaches voters with land-lines, and that some of McGinn’s strongest support is among younger voters—who frequently only have cell phones.

Who knows….

Poll Analysis--King Co. Exec. Race:

The non-partisan King County executive race has proud Democrat Dow Constantine squaring off against bashful Republican non-partisan Susan Hutchison. Last week’s Washington Poll gave Constantine a 47% to 34% lead over Hutchison.

A new King-5/Survey USA poll released today essentially confirms last week’s findings. The poll of 614 likely or actual voters gives Constantine a 53% to 43% lead over Hutchison with 5% undecided.

As usual, I’ll use the poll numbers and sample size to assess the probability of each candidate winning (methods are given here). The Monte Carlo analysis of a million simulated elections gives Constantine 962,298 wins and Hutchison 35,378 wins. That is, the poll result provides evidence that Constantine will win Tuesday’s election with a 96.5% probability. Hutchison has a 3.5% probability of winning. Here is the distribution of outcomes from the simulated elections (see chart above).

The red bars are wins for Hutchison, and the blue bars are Constantine wins.

This is the first big test since last November’s initiative made the Executive a non-partisan position. And it sure looks like the electorate won’t be fooled by this non-partisan stuff.

Howie P.S.: As if things aren't complicated enough, here's "King County's Ballot Scanners can't handle close Mayor's race?"(Washblog).

Joe Mallahan: "Focus Our Efforts On Taking Steps to Strengthen Our Economy & Create Jobs"

Mallahan for Mayor:

Joe Mallahan today expressed his disappointment over the Boeing Company's decision to build its second 787 assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina.

"I believe this is the wrong business decision, given that the vast majority of Boeing's commercial airplane expertise resides right here in the greater Seattle area. We have the mostly highly skilled aerospace workforce in the country. It must continue to be the goal of every elected official in Washington State to do everything we can to make Washington a great place for Boeing to grow in the future.

“We need to focus our efforts in coming years on taking the steps to strengthen our economy and create jobs. Today's decision underlines the need to move forward and build a 21st century infrastructure – a network of sound transportation and transit solutions, strong schools, and a healthy environment. Ultimately, that will make the difference for job creation over the long term and that’s what I pledge to work on as Seattle’s next mayor.”

John Fox: "A longtime Seattle activist's thoughts on the mayoral race"

John Fox, head of the anti-homelessness group, the Seattle Dispacement Coalition (Seattle PostGlobe):

Last week I reported on our meeting with Mike McGinn and offered some of my impressions. This week, I report on our meeting with Joe Mallahan and close with my final reflections on both candidates

First a report on our meeting with Mallahan held last week:

Our meeting with Joe Mallahan last week began right at 1130AM in his campaign offices and lasted 45 minutes...up from the 30 minutes he originally have us but still not long enough to cover the breadth of issues and concerns we had hoped to discuss with him. Those attending included Justin Simmons (Metropolitan Democratic Club), Sarjane Siegfried (46th District Democrats), David Bloom (Displacement Coalition and Council Candidate), Bill Kirlin-Hackett (Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness), Julian Wheeler (43rd District Democrats) and Joshua Okrente (Low Income Housing Institute). Former Seattle City Councilmember Tina Podlodowsky (and likely Deputy Mayor) joined Joe at our table.

Note that the organizational affiliations listed above are for ID purposes only. However, everything that follows below, I get 100 percent of the blame, as the case may be, especially the last part where I compare the candidates - it is all my own...

Our meeting with Joe Mallahan first was scheduled three weeks ago but canceled. After some of our supporters raised a stink and reporters covered this fact, Mallahan rescheduled it for last week. At the outset of our meeting with him, he more or less apologized for these difficulties saying it's just that he's been completely inundated with requests.

Accessibility:

We ended up spending a good 20 minutes or more discussing the question of "access" and "openness". Would he simply reprise the Nickels regime or offer a real change in terms of ensuring access for folks such as us and the neighborhoods? We referenced how housing and homeless advocates, neighborhood groups, and other grassroots organizations have been completely cut off from this current Mayor and referenced even cases where some members of this Mayor's staff promised retribution (cutting off individuals and groups from access or even funding if they didn't cooperate/support the Mayor's pre-determined agenda).

For the Nickels regime, everything was top down. How would Mayor Mallahan do things differently? Would you, Joe, give us and groups like those of us represented around the table access before you made decisions which affected them and issues they represented. He pointed to his management style and his background as an organizer - he said top down was not how he worked and gave examples of that. He assured us that we and groups currently left out would be sought out. There would be an open door and he'd not act on matters directly affecting these constituencies without first hearing from them.

Panhandling:

Then I pointed out that he had chosen to give support to Burgess's anti-panhandling proposal publicly at last nights KUOW debate without first hearing our side or from homeless people who would be directly affected. I then handed him a cogent legal brief on its UN-constitutionality from the ACLU, Columbia Legal Services, and the ACLU, our criticism of the Burgess proposal, and a list of the dozen or so laws already on the books to address truly assaultive behavior. I then quoted directly from Inter-Im Police Chief Diaz saying the last thing we don't need another law.

I also referenced the fact that he had spoken out in favor Children's Hospital expansion without first hearing the community's side. (Note McGinn opposed the Burgess Law but has said he supports Children's expansion). Mallahan nodded and then acknowledged that he spoke too soon on such matters and more or less apologized - said he wanted and would ask to hear our side first in the future before giving such definitive positions on these and other such matters. (The Seattle Times and several other media outlets have turned the Burgess law into one of the defining issues of this campaign - McGinn as taken a better position on this so far).

By now we had eaten up 30 minutes of our 45 minutes of our meeting with Mallahan. At this point, he said he wanted to hear more from us about concerns we had with the budget process vis a vis funding for human services and housing. First though we talked about tent cities and Nickelsville - would he help them find a permanent site on public land if necessary.

Tent Cities:

We clarified that by a permanent tent city site, we meant a place that so long as we had a homeless crisis with thousands on our streets after all shelter beds are full, the city should allow tent cities to remain open or even encouraged in appropriate locations - something like Dignity Village backed by the Portland Government. Bill pointed out it didn't even have to be that permanent. There the city allowed Dignity Village to construct even makeshift shelters from wood. (The other day I heard Richard Conlin actually make the outrageous claim there were enough shelter beds in our city..ooops I'm straying from the topic at hand). Note that Mallahan often has said he will insist that his administration including the police "always treat everyone including homeless with dignity". Here was a way, by sanctioning tent cities, he could live up to that promise.

Mallahan said he had great sympathy for the homeless, would make that a priority, but had some concerns about the concept of tent cities. We didn't have time to really delve into what those concerns were. He asked questions about who lived in the tent cities and then said he really regretted not yet having time to tour these facilities or talk with folks who live there leaving us with the impression he intended to do so soon if elected. He indicated that the notion of sanctioning encampments like this was something he would certainly consider but gave us no commitment. Note that McGinn has been favorable to tent cities and been more explicit in giving them his support.

Then we talked about the budget and let him know that we wanted him to be strong in protecting human services, shelter programs, and other human services from any budget cuts now and in the future. This was as important as the issue of funding for the police and public safety. He clearly was up on the budget process and said he was exactly on that page with us. He also said that coordination of services is needed and can bring efficiencies. We added that these savings are very small compared with the expense of policing and public safety.advocating to restore the cuts in the city budget for advocacy and human services coordinating, particularly the need to coordinate the food banks, which is eliminated. He did engage us a bit here though insisting that public safety to him was as important and should be viewed as an important social justice issue (not withstanding many comments he'd heard from the African American Community leaders telling him as far as they were concerned, there were more than enough police in SE Seattle - perhaps for these leaders police accountability was more important - something unfortunately we did not have time to discuss nor has either Mallahan or McGinn spent much time adressing - neither seems up to speed on this).

The Budget:

Mallahan made it pretty clear here that the budget was a special area of expertise and concern for him. He knew the city was hurting financially and that it had exhausted nearly all of its "rainy day" fund and that next year there was a likelihood of facing even deeper cuts. He made it clear he'd be sensitive to the need to maintain funding for human services, asked some questions here about the dust-up with Share/Wheel over bus vouchers, and tried to assure us that with his management style these kinds of conflicts could be avoided. It was somewhere about here in our conversation that he spoke confidently about his abilities to manage budgets pointing out how he took a small department in his job at T-Mobile and grew it into a project with a 12 billion dollar budget, managed it with efficiencies, a more interactive collegial style etc etc...this was something he said he was very good at.) He also somewhere in here warned that while he was not going to cut services and programs for those in need, he would carefully look for and find efficiencies, remove administrative and staffing costs while still delivering programs and serving the same numbers or more.... Again this was something he expressed great confidence that he could do.

Now we were really running low on our 45 minutes. I took a long gulp of air, then raced thru two issues in about five minutes with him. I handed him our petition opposing Mercer signed by 20 groups and 150 community leaders. I showed him a letter from the Freight Haulers stating that freight movement would not be improved one iota by Mercer and that it was not an adjunct or needed to support the bored tunnel. How could it be an adjunct to it when the current design including Mercer West is the same design essentially from 8 years ago long before the bored tunnel option was put on the table.

Mercer and Impact Fees:

Mallahan said he has remained consistent on Mercer. I am not sure he has but we had no time to remind him of that. He said he believed the project was fine so long as property owners who benefited would help foot the bill. Here too he seemed to think (erroneously) that the recently revived second 100 million plus phase of Mercer involving improvements West of Dexter to Queen Anne was a needed adjunct of the bored tunnel. I said the LID idea he was proposing would likely not fly because it requires 60 percent approval from abutting property owners (meaning Vulcan) and Vulcan simply would veto the idea. He professed and it seems pretty clear he really didn't understand how LID's worked. I said if you were really serious about the idea of making developers pay, he say he supported the imposition of impact fees that would require all new development to pay fees in proportion to the size and amount of space in their developments. The Growth Management Act (GMA) allowed it and nearly every city in the region made use of impact fees except Seattle. He told me to send him a memo on this...(He didn't say "send me a memo" flippantly and seemed sincere about giving this consideration)

Growth, Density, and '1 for 1' replacement:

Then I took another gulp and asked him why when he got up and talked about the need for more density in our neighborhoods as a solution to our housing crisis why he didn't also air caution that growth can also cause displacement and gentrification. Would he support and call for in the future and 1 for 1 replacement policy. Here he strongly asserted that he had been airing that concern on the campaign trail and giving support to "1 for 1", ie., requiring developers to replace housing they removed at comparable rent. Again he seemed sincere here as much as one could tell. Our 45 minutes was up...and he quickly left to another engagement.

My Final thoughts on Mallahan vs. McGinn

I seriously thought about voting for McGinn until his flip flop on the tunnel. It's the largest colossal blunder by a local candidate that I can recall - at least since the late 70's when Chip Marshall (left progressive former anti-war activist) in a close race with Michael Hildt decided to endorse use of hollow point bullets. Marshall got the endorsement of the police guild he was seeking but his progressive base left him in droves and swing voters saw him as an opportunist. Hildt won in a landslide. McGinn has effectively done the same thing here but worse, he's jettisoned his core issue (and a huge chunk of that 25% who got him thru the primary) in hopes of capturing a large pool of undecideds. First he's alienated many of his supporters. And most swing voters we'll simply view him as the consummate flip-flopper (and opportunist) his actions say he's become. He certainly lost any chance of getting my vote and thousands like me and I firmly believe cost him any chance at all in the race.

The other reason I could never support or vote for him - no true progressive or populist who'd simply want to open the floodgates to development without expecting and calling for developers to pay their fair share of the cost of that growth. McGinn told us point blank he opposes those things. Like Michael O'Brien, he is part of the new wing of the corporate liberal establishment - the wing that wraps their developer driven agenda in a thin patina of pseudo environmentalism.

Mallahan also has his problems on this question. But he appears to be old school corporate liberal establishment, ie, "I support more development and density because that will expand supply and housing will "trickle down to the poor?" This of course is transparent baloney but it's old baloney that no one now really believes. McGinn's position is of greater concern because its less honest - the "warm and fuzzy" strategy for packaging development that is gaining far too much traction especially among gullible enviro's (and thus is a greater threat to those of us calling for managed and responsible levels of growth and policies that require developers to pay their fair share). Mallahan also appears open to use of impact fees, has said at least that developers should foot more of the bill for Mercer and said he supports as a condition for growth requiring developers to do 1 for 1 replacement.

I do agree however with Mallahan critics who say he's too cozy and too close to the establishment. We're no doubt facing the prospect that he will be filling his administration with pre-Nickels insiders dating back several administrations. However, after sitting down with both McGinn and Mallahan, I strongly believe that of the two, Mallahan is more likely to meet with us and especially neighborhood groups when it comes to growth questions, listen to their perspective, and on occasion respond especially on the key question of how much growth our city should absorb. (admittedly, if Mallahan allows these establishment types to run him - this could be washed out to be sure)

Mallahan readily and refreshingly acknowledges he has more to learn including from us, the neighborhoods and across a range of issues. McGinn I see as darn inflexible and not just on this key issue of growth. I sure saw that when he blindly supported the recent TOD bill sponsored by Futurewise and openly criticized our efforts to restrict the runaway growth that bill aimed to promote. McGinn seems very closed minded here and less likely to support mitigation to protect trees, open space, streams, and our existing low income housing stock. I think that will cross over to other issues too. He's a know-it-all and not in a good way. I also can't help getting the feeling that McGinn just is not competent enough to do the job nor are the people he would hire as his staff, whereas with Mallahan for better or worse that simply is not the issue -he is very competent.

I guess my bottom line though is this - even though McGinn (and OBrien) are not fans of the "Sidran Laws" and more favorable to tent cities, (all to the good), on core development issues - the forces that give rise to displacement, and homelessness and inequality (and erode liveability and physical character of our city in the first place), Mallahan I believe is likely to be more responsive, flexible, and open.

So that's my two cents on this race. Ever onward!

"A Transit-Loving, Car-Hating, Bike-Riding, Progressive Environmentalist Who's Passionately Supporting Joe Mallahan"

Mark Fefer (Daily Weekly-Seattle Weekly:

A common perception about this year's mayor's race is that Mike McGinn is the guy with the fervent supporters. His all-volunteer campaign has been powered by a flock of righteous, genuflecting, "Mike Bikes"-emblazoned activists and bloggers who seem to view their man as the second coming of Obama.

Mallahan, meanwhile, seems to have picked up more measured support from people who support the tunnel, think McGinn is elitist, or generally find Joe the "safer" choice. He seems like he's been the fallback, and one not embraced with enthusiasm.

That's why it was so interesting to hear from Judy Lightfoot, a longtime educator, writer, and dyed-in-the-compost greenie (and also a friend of mine), who is strongly committed to Mallahan and devoting her time to his campaign. I asked her to write up the story of how she got here. It's after the jump.

A TRANSIT-LOVING, CAR-HATING, BIKE-RIDING, PROGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENTALIST CASTS HER VOTE FOR MAYOR
by Judy Lightfoot

I cycle, walk, and ride transit so routinely it feels weird to drive the family car (average annual mileage: 4000). I adore a poem written by my husband, also a transit fan, titled "Reasons to Take the Bus" (the first reason is "Because it kneels for us all"). I conserve resources, recycle scrupulously, fret about environmental degradation, and nag politicians to halt global climate change. It would be reasonable for anyone who knows my M.O., especially anyone who also knows my love of language as a writer and a former English teacher, to think Mike McGinn would be my choice for mayor. Certainly Mike's articulateness, gained perhaps from repeated experiences as a lawyer having to make a persuasive case, appealed to me.

But ever since my first glimpses of the candidates I've been concerned about what seems to me a stubborn self-righteousness in the way Mike stands for the good things he believes in. Next to this, his grace as a public speaker shrinks in importance. Besides, it's one thing to address an audience gracefully, and another to engage in successful give-and-take with people you're working with on something delicate or complicated. We who speak well from a lectern often suck at moving a working group forward on a project, and vice-versa. It seemed to me unlikely that the give-and-take required for leading a sizeable city with multiple concerns would be the forte of someone who acts like an environmental ideologue.

For example, we need to get more people out of their cars and into mass transit, but Mike, convinced that his way was the only "right" way, threatened to block the tunnel project even though he knew that delays would drive up the costs of a viaduct solution and put public safety at risk. And when he caved on the tunnel, as my Crosscut colleague Skip Berger put it on KUOW last week, Mike should have said "Though I dislike the tunnel solution that Seattle wants, as Mayor I'll make sure we get the best, safest, most economical tunnel built as quickly as possible." It was as if Mike would rather kvetch than lead.

In sum, the tireless righteousness that has drawn like-minded people to Mike's various causes in the recent past began to seem like the wrong strength for a mayor to bring to Seattle's sometimes contentious diversity of voices and visions. An effective mayor has to be pragmatic, flexible, capable of blending and tweaking different approaches to solving problems, and willing to offer wholehearted leadership on solutions he may not have originated himself. Nor was there any reason to think that Mike would, in office, be a better friend to the environment than Joe.

So I decided to volunteer for Joe's campaign. I phone-banked a little, then offered to interview family and friends who have known him since way back, for a series on his website that the campaign dubbed "I Know Joe" (I was feeling frustrated that Seattle didn't seem to see past the suit and tie and sometimes clumsy self-presentation). I also agreed to write about Joe's tours around Seattle neighborhoods.

Watching him with other people, I've witnessed a level of engagement and a genuineness that's rare even in people not trapped in the political spotlight. There's nothing particularly smooth about his sociable moves, but he draws people into the warmth of his interest in them. Joe enjoys conversing with people in Spanish and Japanese, and Jennifer Clark, a U Chicago grad school friend of his who he worked with on last year's Obama campaign, told me Joe will try speaking any language. "His energy makes up for accuracy," she laughed. He clearly loves discussing issues with anybody wanting to engage, and I've seen him freely disagree with voters instead of pandering or making promises he might not be able to keep. I noticed, too, that his inexperience in elected public office, so like his opponent's, seemed balanced by a willingness to listen to opposing views as well as to admit that he didn't know the answers to some of the questions he was asked.

Moreover, I've learned that Joe's commitment to social justice, a concern that matters hugely to me, is neither "put on" nor shouldered as a weary burden. It's a glad, thoroughly integrated part of his character, rooted in growing up as a member of the Mallahan family. Mike Russo, an old friend of Joe's from his organizing days in Chicago, told me that Joe's parents and the nine children ate plain rice for Friday dinner so that the money saved could be donated to worthy causes. Today, three of Joe's siblings work (respectively) in Tanzania, Guatemala, and Oaxaca on behalf of the poor. According to Russo, when Joe's brother here in Seattle heard that a local bed-and-treatment facility for teen prostitutes had lost its funding, he promised a city councilmember, "I'll raise the money you need for the facility, or I'll pay for it myself." In short, taking action for social justice is in Joe's blood. Clark remembers that back in Chicago, when Joe and his wife bought their first sofa, they saved up twice the price of the one they wanted and gave half the total to charity.

So Joe's business experience feels relevant to me, but not in the narrow sense the media present. They don't quote him when he says that as a corporate insider he's committed to leading his former colleagues to take more responsibility for helping people stuck on the margins build better lives. They don't hear him say that as a public servant he hopes to use what he learned in business to increase the number of jobs that pay living wages and to use savings from more efficient city budgets and departments to enhance human services. They don't listen to his reason why we need more police officers: because staff shortages keep the police force in constant crisis mode, and more officers will mean more time for them to relax and talk peaceably with the citizens they serve. In this world of unexamined sound-bites some friends of mine shudder every time Joe uses the word "efficient," because it reminds them of his corporate background. But especially in an economy with engines flooding like the Titanic's, where will support for human services come from, if not out of savings squeezed from efficiencies? And who is more likely to squeeze more effectively than an experienced manager?

A story told by an old friend of Joe's sums up, for me, his gift for solving complicated or emotionally fraught problems. It's a combination of openness, empathy, and an intelligent detachment that lets him reframe an issue in a compelling way. Someone had told Clark's young son that Santa was a myth and that parents were the ones who bought the presents and stuffed the stockings. The boy was devastated. "If there's no Santa, then there's no Easter bunny, no tooth fairy!" he wept, and his parents could not console him. Joe, who was visiting at the time, drew him aside to talk, and after a while the parents saw their son smile again. Joe had quietly led the boy to see that he'd crossed over into the circle of people who make magic for others.

We need a mayor capable of leading us to cross over barriers of difference into a widening circle of people who will make, if not magic, a better life for others and our city. Of the two candidates, Joe seems like the man who can do this. And that's why he has my vote.

Judy Lightfoot, a former teacher, is a contributor to Crosscut. She's also a Freestyle Volunteer, meeting for weekly coffee and conversation with individuals sharing our public spaces who are socially isolated by mental illness or homelessness. Currently she's volunteering as a phone-banker and unpaid writer for the Mallahan campaign.

"McCaw, firefighters, builders, unions join together for Mallahan"

Bob Young (Politics Northwest-Seattle Times):

An interesting mix of donors -- firefighters, builders and Bruce McCaw -- has come together in a new independent expenditure committee to support Seattle mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan.

Called Working for Seattle, the group has collected $102,500, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. The biggest contributor ($60,000) is the Seattle Firefighters Union Local 27.

The second biggest contributor is the Master Builders' Association of King and Snohomish Counties ($10,000 through its Affordable Housing Council PAC). Other donors -- in for $5,000 each -- include big GOP contributor Bruce McCaw of Bellevue, the carpenters' union; the state firefighters' union, the Washington Association of Realtors, and Builders United in Legislative Development.

You'd be hard-pressed to find another election committee that unites public employee unions, McCaw and builders' groups.

Kenny Stuart, Local 27 president, is spokesman for Working for Seattle. He said the group's sole purpose is to support Mallahan. Stuart said Seattle firefighters believe Mallahan is better than his opponent Mike McGinn on public safety issues and are trying to exert political leadership and are willing to partner with anyone in their pro-Mallahan effort.

"The bottom line is that a friend of Joe's is a friend of ours," Stuart said. "We asked anybody and everybody to contribute."

He said people and groups from all over the Puget Sound region have an interest in Seattle because of issues like the 520 bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct.

The group has produced one mailer so far, Stuart said, and plans to spend all its money in the next eight days.

"The Times recommends Joe Mallahan for mayor of Seattle"

Seattle Times:

SEATTLE is in a funk. Businesses are struggling. Unemployment is too high. The city budget needs a trim. An urban center long admired because it worked so well has become a place that can't deliver basic services.

Yes, some voters are still scorched by that pitiful snowstorm response last December.

In their pique, primary voters demanded fresh ideas and new leadership. The best person to step forward and provide a steady managerial hand is Joe Mallahan. He is endorsed by The Seattle Times.

Mallahan is a relative newcomer to local politics and does not appear at first as obvious mayoral timber. But he is the practical player in this contest. He is not a flame thrower or a "Hey, look at me" candidate. He is a deliberative businessman with a community-organizing background who understands politics well enough to learn the job.

For example, Mallahan immediately grasped that most Seattleites do not want to revisit a decision eight years in the making: the deep-bore tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Even citizens not particularly fond of the project recognize it is time to move past process — or, process gone wild. The viaduct is no idle concern. It is a dangerous roadway that must come down and be replaced by something that addresses mobility and capacity needs.

Mallahan is solution-oriented enough to work with Olympia to eliminate language in state legislation that says Seattle must pay for tunnel cost overruns. Most experts believe that language is unenforceable and will be removed once the Legislature convenes. It should be.

Mallahan's opponent, Mike McGinn, is a smart, likable guy who made unabashed opposition to the tunnel the centerpiece of his campaign. Until he changed his mind. After vowing to block the tunnel, McGinn flipped last week following the City Council's unanimous vote in favor of it, and said, "OK, I still dislike the tunnel but I won't block it." Or words to that effect.

Neither man is an A-list candidate. And voters in the primary were more likely voting against a candidate, the incumbent mayor, than for his replacement.

But that's all in the past. Mallahan is better suited to ramp up and learn what it takes to lead the city. He is a good listener. He assembled a team of civic leaders who likely will help him in the early years.

In recent months, Mallahan demonstrated he, more than his opponent, understands the next mayor will have to work hard to rebuild the economy and boost job opportunities. The tunnel is a bit of that, but the economic challenge facing the city is much bigger.

Mallahan also has a better grasp of the breadth and depth of public-safety issues facing our city, agreeing in a recent KCTS/Seattle Times debate to support proposed rules on aggressive panhandling. The street scene in parts of the city creates a sense of unease and lack of safety.

Mallahan met with Councilmember Tim Burgess, who is proposing the tougher rules, and the mayoral candidate agrees panhandling should not be allowed near cash machines, near individuals getting in and out of cars, and no touching allowed in the course of asking for money.

Mallahan, who once had the title of "Vice President of Customer Delight" at T-Mobile, reveals refreshing pragmatism. He was one of the first people to call for repeal of the employee head tax, which nettles businesses large and small with annoying bureaucratic paperwork.

Former colleagues and employees say Mallahan is well-known for demanding very high quality and very detailed work. That's good, because more than anything, Seattle needs a competent turnaround agent.

Like many Seattle voters, the editorial board is concerned about Mallahan's sizable learning curve. But he is better suited to grow into the chief-executive post. Once he learns the complexities of the job, he and his team will lead Seattle to better circumstances.

Howie P.S. This endorsement would have more value if they hadn't diminished their credibility with their lame editorial endorsement of Susan Hutchison, rumored to have been dictated by its publisher. I suspect this endorsement will also please those who view Mallahan as a "tassle-shoed," cell phone exec-businessman type who is just an empty suit shilling for the status quo. The Northwest Asian Weekly has also announced their endorsement of Mallahan, along with Dow Constantine, Lloyd Hara (Port of Seattle), Rob Holland (Port of Seattle) and Betty Patu and Wilson Chin (dual endorsement-Seattle School Board).

2009 Seattle Mayor's Race: "Live Debate on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m"

KCTS9:

The McGinn-Mallahan debate will be co-sponsored by KCTS 9, The Seattle Times, KUOW 94.9 News and Information and CityClub of Seattle. Local production and broadcast of this debate was made possible by Countywide Community Forums, the Floyd and Delores Jones Foundation and KCTS 9 Members.

Joel Conelly: ''African-American leaders back Mallahan"

Joel Connelly:

In an election where the Central Area and South Seattle are key battlegrounds, a trio of African-American leaders have thrown their support behind the Seattle mayoral candidacy of Joe Mallahan.

The Mallahan endorsers are King County Councilman and activist Larry Gossett; 37th District State Rep. Eric Pettigrew; and Metropolitan Seattle Urban League President James Kelly.

"I've worked on race and social justice issues my entire life: I know the 'real deal' when it comes to walking the talk on social justice, not just arguing the point. The 'real deal is Joe Mallahan," Gossett said in a statement.

While a vice president and trouble shooter at T-Mobile, Mallahan has stressed his training by the Industrial Areas Foundation - an organization founded by famed community organizer Saul Alinsky.

Pettigrew, a rising legislator in Olympia, argued that Seattle "needs a mayor that will get things done" and described Mallahan as "the right guy for these times."
"In this time of economic crisis, Joe is the leader that will create . . . opportunities for everyone in Seatle," said Kelly.

Incumbent Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels finished out of the running in the August primary.
Still, Nickels' strongest support came in South Seattle neighborhoods. Leaders of Seattle's minority communities lined up behind hizzoner last summer at the Northwest African American Museum when Nickels outlined his reelection platform.

Seattle attorney Mike McGinn, Mallahan's opponent, blitzed South Seattle with a series of town meetings shortly after the primary.

Mallahan won an early supporter in former state Rep. Dawn Mason. He has since gained support from Seattle School board member Cheryl Chow, state Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenny, and other community leaders.

Howie P.S.: Meanwhile, over at SLOG today, they are making their preference known.

"If You Live in a Home with a View, Chances Are You're a Mallahan Supporter"

Christopher Frizzelle (SLOG):

Look at this map. (Here it is with streets.) This is the 36th Legislative District—Discovery Park, Magnolia, Golden Gardens, Ballard, Fremont, Greenwood, Phinney Ridge, Green Lake. (That squared off white blotch in the center up top is the lake.) There's a room with huge maps like this hanging on the walls at McGinn for Mayor headquarters—the six legislative districts in Seattle. Here, the 36th has been divided up by precinct, and color-coded according to how each precinct voted in the mayor's race in the primary. Green is Joe Mallahan, blue is Mike McGinn, and pink-orange is Nickels.

"So pretty much anywhere with a view Mallahan won," a McGinn (volunteer) staffer mentioned the other night. "Look at Ballard. On one side of Holman Road, you probably voted for Mike. On the other side of Holman Road, you probably voted for Joe."

Howie P.S.: I'm thinking this is not intended as a compliment to Mallahan, but it could just be my SLOG-distrust. Geov Parrish (EatTheState) reviews the negatives of both candidates and is upfront about his preference. It should be noted that this was written before McGinn's position on the tunnel evolved to its current state. KUOW has posted this profile of Mallahan. Today, they did the same for Mike McGinn. In Seattle, KUOW is a monster, audience-wise, so we should pay attention to their coverage.

"Seattle mayoral candidates debate on KING 5" (with video)

KING 5, with video:

The two candidates for Seattle mayor participated in a debate Wednesday at the KING 5 Studios.

T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan and community organizer Mike McGinn tackled issues ranging from the controversial waterfront tunnel and schools to taxes and the candidates' qualifications.

Questions were asked by KING 5's Jean Enersen, who moderated the debate, KING 5's Linda Brill, Jim Brunner of The Seattle Times and Kate Bergman of Myballard.com.

McGinn and Mallahan also got an opportunity to question each other.

A KING 5 News poll released Tuesday finds likely and actual voters give Mallahan a 7 percent margin over McGinn, but 21 percent of voters remain undecided.

The campaign took a dramatic twist Monday when McGinn, who has vowed to try and stop construction of the tunnel, said he would not block it after the city council voted unanimously to move forward with the project.

Howie P.S.: Christopher Frizzelle (SLOG) and Eli Sanders (SLOG) view the debate from McGinn's corner. Adrian Ryan (SLOG) doesn't like Mallahan either. I'm thinking that it will be wall-to-wall sniping (SLOG), if Mallahan wins.

"Dwight Pelz endorses Joe Mallahan for Mayor of Seattle"

Mallahan for Mayor:

The Mallahan for Mayor Campaign is honored to announce the endorsement of Dwight Pelz, the former Democratic State Senator and King County Councilmember from South Seattle, and current Chair of the State Democratic Party. Pelz emphasized Mallahan's progressive Democratic values, his commitment to rebuilding Seattle's economy, and his get-things-done leadership style as reasons for his support.

"Joe Mallahan will be a great mayor of Seattle," Pelz said. "He has the experience and understanding of economic issues that our city needs now. Joe will make sure that we find sensible transportation solutions, invest in public safety, provide better services for seniors, and create more living-wage jobs."

"Joe is an idealist without illusions--he's a former Obama delegate and community organizer who benefits from two decades in the private sector creating jobs and finding creative solutions to complex problems, Pelz said. "Joe has vision and is a pragmatic leader driven by a social conscience. It's a rare leadership blend and one of the many reasons that I enthusiastically support Joe's election."

Pelz continued, "I've been disappointed time and again by Joe’s opponent, Mike McGinn. He’s a one-issue candidate, now a no issue candidate, who clearly doesn’t get our biggest issue ---Seattle’s flagging economy and loss of good, family wage jobs. I am confident that as Mayor Joe will take steps to put Seattle’s economy on the road to recovery."

Pelz's support comes on the heels of last week's endorsement by Governor Chris Gregoire. Mallahan is the only candidate to receive an "Outstanding" rating by the Municipal League. He's been endorsed by the King County Democrats, the King County Labor Council, Seattle Police and Firefighters, the Alki Foundation and Joe is the only candidate in this race to get five A’s, the highest possible rating, from SEAMEC.

"I'm delighted by Dwight's endorsement," Mallahan said. "We're both social justice Democrats and we both want to work together to ensure that all the citizens of Seattle, especially those on the margins, have an advocate in the mayor's office. I'm looking forward to working with Dwight and other progressive community leaders to move forward on building a better future for Seattle."

Pelz, a former community organizer, represented the 37th legislative district in the state senate for six years and served on the King County Council from 1997-2005, representing south Seattle. Pelz has been Chair of the State Democratic Party since January 2006.

Howie P.S.: Dominic Holden (SLOG), sounding a little desperate to discredit Pelz and to lower the net worth of his endorsement, has penned "Dwight Pelz: A Conservative Democrat." I'm confident that this is the first time Pelz has been tagged with that particular label. Even though I make no pretense of "objectivity" (whatever the hell that is) let the record reflect I was employed for a time by the organization Dwight helped to start (he was its first Executive Director), Washington Fair Share. This occurred some time ago, in the last part of the last century.

"Many side with Mallahan over tunnel issue"

Jim Brunner (Seattle Times):

Many in Seattle's business and labor establishment have embraced Mallahan — a candidate they're just getting to know — largely out of disdain for his rival Mike McGinn's opposition to the multibillion-dollar plan to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel. For some prominent tunnel backers, however, Mallahan has become more or less the default choice in a mayor's race between two men who have never before run for public office.---Just before the August primary, Seattle power couple Judy and Jon Runstad gave $1,000 to a political-action committee whose sole purpose was to trash T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan as unqualified to be mayor.

The short-lived PAC, Qualified Leadership for Seattle, spammed thousands of recorded calls to voters mocking Mallahan's "inexperience and shallow understanding of city issues."

It was part of an unsuccessful, last-ditch effort by union and business backers of Mayor Greg Nickels to nudge him through the primary.

A month later, with Nickels out of the picture, the Runstads donated $1,400 to Mallahan's campaign. Judy Runstad, a prominent land-use attorney, has since joined Mallahan's campaign-advisory committee.

They're not alone.

Many in Seattle's business and labor establishment have embraced Mallahan — a candidate they're just getting to know — largely out of disdain for his rival Mike McGinn's opposition to the multibillion-dollar plan to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel.

Some of Mallahan's newfound allies say they've come to appreciate his business background and willingness to listen.

For some prominent tunnel backers, however, Mallahan has become more or less the default choice in a mayor's race between two men who have never before run for public office.

"I don't feel particularly strongly about Joe Mallahan, but I feel strongly about the tunnel," said Skip Kotkins, chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Skyway Luggage, who gave $500 to the Mallahan campaign. "I mean, you either want the city to go forward or you want it to go backward and die."

Kotkins, who contributed to City Councilmember Jan Drago's primary campaign for mayor, doesn't believe either McGinn or Mallahan is particularly ready to be mayor.

"Both of them are absolute rookies, and whoever wins is gonna be drinking from a fire hose," he said.

Tayloe Washburn, a land-use attorney and until recently chairman of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, called Mallahan "the less risky choice" for the future of the city.

Even Mallahan's campaign chairwoman, former City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski, said she'd never met him until shortly before the primary.

"I originally got on board because of the tunnel," said Podlodowski, who quit her job as president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound to volunteer full time for the campaign.

But Podlodowski, a former Microsoft executive, said she also believes Mallahan's business experience sets him apart. "I think he's a good guy. I think he's the guy who has the smarts to understand how complex the city is as an entity."

McGinn, a former attorney and Sierra Club leader, has made opposition to the waterfront tunnel a centerpiece of his campaign. He argues the project costs too much and that Seattle should not be building new highways due to concerns about global warming.

On Monday, McGinn said he would uphold a city agreement to pay certain project costs. McGinn said he still opposes the tunnel, and would ask "tough questions."

Mallahan has argued it would be wrong to start over on a project that has been debated since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake damaged the viaduct. The next mayor's job is to try to bring in the project on budget and on time, Mallahan says, not to restart the whole discussion.

That contrast has led tunnel supporters to Mallahan's camp — including some, such as the Runstads, who just a couple months ago were helping to pay for attacks on his qualifications.

McGinn noted the irony of Mallahan getting cozy with some of the same people he'd previously labeled Nickels' "special-interest cronies."

"They're now his cronies," McGinn said.

"What can you say? Politics is strange," Judy Runstad said. She added that she didn't know the PAC she helped fund before the primary was going to focus such negative attacks on Mallahan. She believed the emphasis would be on "all the good things the mayor had done."

The Runstads long have been regarded as one of Seattle's ultimate power couples and major boosters of downtown business. She's a land-use attorney with Foster Pepper and helped write the state's Growth Management Act. He's founder, chairman and CEO of Wright Runstad, a major commercial real-estate developer.

They first met Mallahan after the primary, when he visited them at Wright Runstad's downtown offices.

"We were pleasantly surprised. He was thoughtful. He listened. He understood the kind of investments that you have to make in order to keep the city vital," Judy Runstad said. "I looked in contrast at his opponent's approach, which was adamant about the tunnel."

The same calculation has led some of Seattle's biggest labor organizations to endorse Mallahan, including some that were slamming him just months ago.

The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters gave $5,000 before the primary to the PAC ridiculing Mallahan's qualifications. The union dropped an additional $1,500 on a related PAC that savaged T-Mobile's record of opposing union organizing.

But the carpenters now back Mallahan, and donated the maximum allowable $700 to his campaign.

"I think Mike McGinn is a great guy," said John Littel, political director for the union, who has joined Mallahan's campaign-advisory team.

"It's just the position on the tunnel is too extreme for us."

The carpenters union stands to get much of the work building forms for concrete on the tunnel project, Littel said.

Despite the trend, not everyone in the labor or business establishment has come around to Mallahan.

UFCW Local 21, which gave $5,000 to the anti-Mallahan PACs before the primary, has endorsed McGinn enthusiastically.

The union's decision was not based on the viaduct or any other single issue, spokesman Tom Geiger said. UFCW, which represents grocery, health-care and retail employees, liked McGinn's record of local activism.

"It's not about what somebody tells they're going to do, but about somebody who has demonstrated doing something," Geiger said.

Vulcan, the development company owned by billionaire Paul Allen, gave $5,000 to the anti-Mallahan effort before the primary. The company had been a big backer of Nickels, an ally of its redevelopment plans in South Lake Union.

Since the primary, Vulcan and its top executives largely have stayed out of the race, although one Vulcan attorney recently gave $150 to the McGinn campaign.

Even though the tunnel has emerged as the top issue for many Mallahan backers, Judy Runstad said she would not have actively supported just anyone who was pro-tunnel.

"If I had met him, and I had come away unimpressed ... I would have sat out the campaign. It is not just the tunnel. You have got to believe in the person."

Howie P.S.: Dominic Holden (SLOG) spins McGinn's decision as "Mallahan's New Line of Attack."

"Will gun ban debate backfire on McGinn?"

Chris Grygiel (seattlepi.com):

The flashpoint in Seattle's mayoral race has switched from the Alaskan Way Viaduct tunnel replacement to Mayor Nickels' new gun ban on municipal property.

At Sunday night's KIRO-TV debate candidates Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn clashed over robocalls McGinn's campaign is placing that accuse Mallahan of "siding with the NRA" because he doesn't fully support the gun ban.

Not surprisingly, Mallahan objected to McGinn's tactics. The Seattle Times reported on this debate exchange:

"Mike and his campaign chose to conduct a lie campaign," said Mallahan, adding that his wife received one of the calls. "Mike, the Seattle voters deserve an apology. I deserve an apology."

When asked if he would defend in court the ban enacted by Mayor Greg Nickels, Mallahan said he may not, because it is "not a pragmatic way of addressing public-safety concerns."

"I don't owe an apology, because we told the public that Mr. Mallahan did not support the gun ban, and you heard that right now, here, he doesn't," McGinn said.

Just as defeated incumbent Greg Nickels' last-minute attacks against Mallahan and McGinn helped boost their candidacies late in the primary, McGinn's gun robo calls could backfire on him.

First off, nobody likes getting robocalls. Then there's the substance. Mallahan, the T-Mobile vice president, has labored to come off as the level headed pragmatist to McGinn's dreamy idealist. In uncertain times, Mallahan is hoping Seattle voters will opt for a pragmatist.

Nickels' gun ban - which consists of signs posted on city property informing people of the weapons prohibition - will be challenged in court and the city will almost certainly lose. But it will cost real money defending the ban.

In his 2008 report, City Attorney Tom Carr said civil division attorneys provided more than 84,000 hours of legal service to the city, costing about $5.8 million. Carr said that worked out to be about $70 per hour - not bad at all for legal fees. But even at $70 an hour defending the gun ban will take money away from other areas at a time Seattle is facing a $72 million operating budget.

Mallahan would argue that $70 an hour could be better spent elsewhere. We'll see how many Seattle voters agree with him.

"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.

Horsey: "The debutantes brawl: McGinn versus Mallahan"

David Horsey (seattlepi.com):

Voters in Seattle have decided to trade one perfectly good mayor for one of two novices who may or may not know how to run the city.

Now, some might argue with the "perfectly good" description of the soon-to-depart, two-term incumbent, Greg Nickels. In fact, a whole lot of people would disagree. The mayor, after all, came in third in the August primary. When an old political pro such as Nickels can't snag even a quarter of the ballots cast in a low-turnout election, something is clearly haywire in his operation.

Solid reasons for Nickels low approval are not easy to identify. Can it all be blamed on the failure to dig the city out of the snow last winter? Can it be the perennial complaints from neighborhood activists that they have been ignored? Most of what I heard from Nickels' critics was pretty vague. They just seem to dislike him for his looks and political style – too chubby and too tough on those sweetie pies on the city council.

Well, that's all water under a sinking floating bridge. We've booted out a man who could give guided tours to the labyrinth of local government and now must choose between two guys who will need a map to find the men's room on the first day in office.

Tuesday night, I went to a candidates' debate at Lincoln High School to get a look at the mayoral debutantes. As soon as I walked in the door, I bumped into Mike McGinn, the winner of the primary. He's a husky man with a neatly trimmed beard and a confident demeanor. McGinn and I talked briefly, then I went inside the auditorium and found a seat. After the candidates for city attorney finished slapping each other around, McGinn went up on stage with his opponent, Joe Mallahan. I have yet to meet Mallahan, even though we've both given a lot of volunteer time to the annual Wallingford Wurst Festival at St. Benedict School. Friends tell me he's a very nice guy. His slightly gangly body and bland features put me in mind of Bill Bradley, the ex-basketball star, ex-senator, ex-presidential candidate.

Mallahan has yet to develop Bradley-like political skills. During the debate, he made the rookie mistake of giving up 60 seconds of rebuttal time simply because he agreed with what McGinn had just said. A veteran pol would know to seize any opportunity to say a few more words to an audience of voters. When it came time for the two candidates to ask questions of each other, McGinn had a tough query ready to go while Mallahan sputtered a moment until he dredged up a complete softball: "Name one thing you've done to help those at the margins of our society." McGinn hit that one over the fence.

The rap on Mallahan for months has been that it appears he started running for mayor without giving a lot of thought to what he might do if he got elected. There's still a definite making-it-up-as-he-goes-along quality to Mallahan's presentation. But, to his credit, he'll concede he has more to learn, as he did Tuesday night when he said he'd recently been "schooled" on the issues surrounding the Ballard link to the Burke-Gilman Trail.

McGinn is much more articulate than Mallahan and Mallahan's lack of past civic involvement puts him at a disadvantage against McGinn's familiarity with grassroots city politics. Still, Mallahan was able to hold his own. Both he and McGinn were refreshingly direct and largely unrehearsed with their answers. They were not afraid to engage in rough verbal contact and throw a metaphorical elbow or two, but they did it with good humor. Compared with the wretched series of debates between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi in the governor's race last year, this was Lincoln and Douglas.

Mallahan stressed several times that, though he has had a career in business, he is a "social justice Democrat," an obvious attempt to establish his liberal credentials. McGinn, the former Sierra Club leader, didn't need to do that. As was demonstrated in the debate session between the eight city council candidates later in the evening, everyone must sing from the same liberal songbook in order to win public office in the Emerald City. Mallahan has learned the tune. McGinn wrote the lyrics.

What to do about the Alaska Way Viaduct is the big policy difference between the two candidates and the one they returned to over and over in the debate, no matter what question was posed. Mallahan supports the state plan to replace the viaduct with a deep bore tunnel. McGinn built his whole primary election campaign on his opposition to it.

As the two men sparred over the issue, I admit to having a perverse thought. I love the old viaduct. It allows me to zip to the airport without slogging through the clogged arteries of I-5. It gets me to the sports stadiums for games, to West Seattle for haircuts and, on sunny days, the top deck offers a gorgeous view of the harbor. Further delay and debate would keep the creaky highway in the sky in place for that much longer -- go McGinn! (Oh, sure, sooner or later an earthquake is going to knock the thing down with a tragic loss of life -- maybe mine -- but people die in lots of ridiculous ways, from bee stings to friendly fire, so going down with a crumbling freeway at least guarantees your name in the paper without the cost of an obit.)

Back to responsible reality, though, McGinn's opposition to the tunnel raises the biggest question about his capacity to be a successful mayor. He clearly has a vision for Seattle -- and there are not many automobiles in it. If he had his way, there would be no waterfront highway either above or below ground. Traffic would go to surface streets and people would start riding buses, bikes and yet-to-be-built light rail lines instead of driving gas guzzlers. Seattle would be Amsterdam with hills -- or Portland, at least. McGinn has an agenda and it has freaked out the entire political and business establishment from Olympia to the Washington Athletic Club. He is a true believer backed by a lot of true believers who have brought his campaign to the brink of success without spending much money at all.

Mallahan, meanwhile, has spent big and is heavily in debt. He calls himself a good manager, but his campaign doesn't show it. Much of his support comes from people who don't necessarily believe in him, they just want anybody but McGinn. Mallahan says he will govern as a pragmatist, which is a nice way of saying that, unlike McGinn, he hasn't developed much of an agenda.

Mallahan just might learn on the job and be able to turn his good intentions into a competent administration. On the other hand, he might be in way over his head and will leave office as befuddled as he sometimes appears to be now. McGinn, with his forceful personality and clear agenda could prove to be a transformative leader, or he could spend four years locked in a holy war with state legislators, city council members and the business community and accomplish nothing.

I can't call this one other than to say either man offers a wild roll of the dice for the citizens of Seattle. The voters wished for someone other than Greg Nickels and, Lord help us, they got their wish.

Howie P.S.: I'm made my choice, but I concede that Horsey touches all the right pressure points. For more Horsey, (on health carereform) see the image at the top.

Why is the Seattle Times posting the Seattle mayoral candidate video outtakes? (with video)

The Outtakes--Politics Northwest (Seattle Times, video).

The final, polished cuts are now available through the city web site.

Howie P.S.: I smell an agenda.

Mallahan and McGinn argue about a tunnel and a poll

Emily Heffter (Politics Northwest=Seattle Times):

Joe Mallahan accused his opponent in the Seattle mayor's race, Mike McGinn, of "dishonest tactics" this week because of a telephone poll McGinn is running. Mallahan says the poll isn't really seeking voters' opinions about the proposed deep-bore tunnel on the waterfront. Mallahan says the poll is a "push poll" that intends to persuade voters by presenting negative information to sway voters' opinions.

McGinn said this morning at a news conference that the poll is legitimate. "It was research," he said.

McGinn's campaign released the poll questions to me this afternoon. The poll tests two statements about the tunnel, both of which are based on some assumptions the McGinn campaign has made.

The first is about taxes. The poll says:

The tunnel plan requires $930 million in new city taxes, including $65 million in higher car tabs, a $200 million increase in parking taxes, $252 million in higher utility rates, and a $300 million increase in property taxes.

Those are the taxes that have been proposed for a tunnel, but nothing's in writing, and the 2010 budget doesn't propose any of those fees.

Then the poll says:

In addition to raising taxes, the tunnel plan has been criticized for proposing tolls of six dollars, each way, on the new highway.

No one has figured out the specifics of proposed tolling on the road, but the Washington Department of Transportation estimates tolling at $3 each way. (The Seattle PI reported yesterday that WSDOT is consideringtolls as high as $4.20.)McGinn's campaign has analyzed WSDOT's data and believes the road won't carry as many cars as projected, so it believes tolls of as much as $6 each way will be necessary.

McGinn said he hasn't yet seen results of the poll.

Will Kelley-Kamp (SLOG-The Stranger):

Mike McGinn slams the city's contribution to the tunnel—$930 million—as the Largest Tax Increase in Seattle History. But McGinn's preferred choice, the surface/transit option, would also require similar tax increases.

Even if surface/transit wins, the city will still have to rebuild the seawall, relocate utilities from the viaduct, and redevelop the waterfront.

Mayor Greg Nickels recently released his budget—his last as mayor—which described how the city will pay for their share of the tunnel:

• A $20 car-tab tax, to be enacted by the City Council in 2011, would raise $38 million by 2015.

• About $25 million in parking revenues[.]

• In all, the city transportation department would spend $375 million toward a sea wall, promenade and streets by 2015, mostly in the later years.

Nickels assumes the city could use $118 million in state grants to reduce residents' costs. Another $155 million in existing and future city bond money would be used — a debt later generations must pay.

Asked if debt would hinder the ability of future leaders to build mobility projects, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said, "It would be fiscally irresponsible to pay for it out of cash," because the highway and waterfront structures will last for decades.

• City Light ratepayers would spend $128 million on tunnel-related utility relocations by 2015. But next year's piece is only $5.4 million, which Finance Director Dwight Dively called "minuscule" compared with next year's revenues from power rates. He acknowledged the tunnel project could affect power bills later.

• The project includes $16 million in water projects and $30 million in wastewater spending.

But lawmakers in Olympia have made it clear that the state's contribution will be used on other projects if Seattle rejects the tunnel, so McGinn wouldn't have that money for a surface/transit option. And it's not clear if using gas-tax funds on a surface/transit option would pass constitutional muster, since gas tax funds must be spent on roads.

Paying for the utility relocation costs will probably raise City Light rates, and costs associated with rebuilding the waterfront will also be a part of the city's transportation budget for years to come. Should McGinn stop the tunnel, we'll still have to do pay for this stuff.

Perhaps the right question to ask McGinn would be: How would you pay for your own plan?

Howie P.S.: Check out the comments on both stories.

"Mallahan and McGinn turn attention to affordable housing"

kery murakami (Seattle PostGlobe):

Seattle Mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan speaks at a forum sponsored by the Housing Resources Consortium (PostGlobe)

Continuing their campaign to fill in the blanks for voters with about a month left in the general election, Seattle mayoral candidates Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn turned their attention Thursday to affordable housing.

After trading barbs over the viaduct in the morning, the two sat at small tables of representatives from affording housing providers. As in other forums, the candidates gave similar answers to questions from housing advocates, who primarily seemed interested in how to preserve a place for poor and working families as the city grows and gentrifies around light rail stations.

However, Mallahan and McGinn each had their own twist, with Mallahan often blending his combination of management and business experience and his own personal values.

Asked how he’d support affordable housing – beyond backing the renewal of the city’s housing levy, which both candidates do – Mallahan cited his experience as a T-Mobile executive. “I manage to efficiencies, which finances the latitude to pursue social justice issues.”

McGinn, trying to broaden his image beyond being the anti-tunnel candidate, largely stayed away from the issues, but couldn’t resist bring it up completely. McGinn, an environmentalist and former head of the Greenwood Community Council, often highlighted his broad experience in city issues.

McGinn mentioned that the city had included affordable housing in only one of the new libraries it built around the city and said he’d look at using city property as one way to leverage more affordable housing.

Seattle Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn speaks to housing advocates at a forum on Thursday. (PostGlobe)

Both candidates said they’d support incentives on developers to include affordable housing in their projects. McGinn mentioned the need to work with state and federal leaders to bring the city funding for affordable housing.

However, asked by Rachael Myers, the executive director of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, about requiring affordable housing around light rail stations, both candidates waffled. Currently, the city allows developers in some cases to exceed zoning and height limits if the project includes affordable housing. But there is no requirement if the project remains within zoning in the area.

Mallahan said there were legal problems with simply requiring affordable housing near light rail stations, where the building of the train line often results in higher property values and housing prices. McGinn said the requirements for affordable housing had to be balanced against discouraging projects that would add more density in the city.

Asked about the NIMBYism in neighborhoods about increasing density and affordable housing around light rail stations, Mallahan said he would show leadership to get the city to live by its progressive ideals.

Those ideas slip sometimes, he said at one table of housing advocates, during a format in which the candidates moved from table to table to talk with small groups of people. “We recycle or drive our Prius and think we’re doing enough,” he said.

Mallahan said also that affordable housing funds raised by allowing developers to exceed building heights should stay in the neighborhood instead of going into a citywide fund. South Lake Union, he said, was an example of low-income people being pushed out of a neighborhood.

McGinn said he’d strengthen neighborhood plans and said “part of the solution is to that if neighborhoods get the resources to make them better places to live, they would be more like to accept (growth).” He noted that he’d been a leader in pushing last year’s successful parks levy.

The viaduct came up when the candidates were asked how they’d replace the loss of King County funds for human services. Mallahan said it’s a difficult issue and that he’d manage city funds more efficiently to save money for human needs.

McGinn said he, unlike Mallahan, opposes removing the city’s head tax on employees. Supporters of removing the tax say it hinders small businesses during a difficult economy. McGinn said, “losing $5 million (from the tax) when the city has a $72 million budget deficit is not a good idea.”

McGinn also said money to replace the viaduct with a tunnel could be better spent. “We should stop, get out of the project, and do something within our means.”

Howie P.S.: H/t to the West Seattle Blog. They report

Mayoral and council candidates are expected back in West Seattle for the only major forum targeting issues of specific importance to WS, one week from tonight, 7 pm 10/15, also at Youngstown.