We covered the Mike McGinn for mayor announcement because it happened on our home turf at Piecora’s and his politics line up pretty well with Capitol Hill. We covered Dan Savage’s candidacy because he is already Mayor of Capitol Hill.
We are now covering James Donaldson’s announcement that he is running for mayor because, well, the former Seattle Sonic is running for mayor. Here is a list of things Donaldson pledged to do if elected from his announcement press release posted on Publicola:
· Initiate performance auditing in every city office.
· I support the City Council’s efforts to implement a new zero-type budget process that requires city agencies to prioritize their activities and responsibilities.
· Based on those audits, work with the City Council in re-inventing Seattle City Government.
· Freeze all utility increases not associated with the increased costs for current service.
· Appoint a Blue Ribbon commission of small and large business leaders to make recommendations on how the city can become more business and jobs friendly. I will also involve the appropriate members and committees of the City Council.
· Reach out to local, regional and state officials and start new dialogues.
· Ask that the current viaduct replacement tunnel proposal address better solutions and access for the Port of Seattle and for the northwest corridor of Seattle.
· Review the viability of the current Mercer proposal given the lack of funds for that project and for the tunnel.
· Establish a new and more proactive relationship with the Seattle School System to look for new ways for cooperation.
· Work to eliminate the “L” 520 option that is widely opposed by Seattle residents and interests and, frankly, should never have been on the final list for State consideration.
Meanwhile, incumbent Greg Nickels has a new Seattle travel information Web site that he’d like you to know about. Glad to see it includes streets outside of West Seattle.
Is this guy a friend of Tim Eyman? We need to be seeking the source of underfunding, not cutting already underfunded offices, services, and programs. We need to be asking why poor and working people in this city are paying disproportionately higher percentages of their earnings in taxes than the richest people in the city. Instead of building stadiums and streetcars for billionaires, we should be building jobs through infrastructure.
Having spent about 30 years observing city politics, I have never seen a weaker start of a supposed serious candidate campaign. Mc Ginn thinks he is ready to be mayor?
Have played the video, over and over, of the speech Mc Ginn gave at his launch and it is an amateur job, lacking clarity, new ideas or even a plan to solve real problems that the city can solve under existing structures and laws.
Take over the school board – wow – that is the last ditch draconian solution, and even if needed, the path might be to a receiver board or the state. Of course the elected board and voters might have a very different vision.
Metro runs the bus system and will not soon cede that role to any other agency. Mc Ginn did not spell out the method, just a feeling that Seattle is not getting its share of new routes. From here it seems there needs to be some hard core conversations and to the mat negotiations on that issue. Taking over metro is not possible, and an over done irrational solution to route issues.
Mc Ginn is a Sierra Club guy, but did not mention parks or urban re forestation, greenie issues for sure.
Not a good start at all.