Morning Fizz
"I've Gone From 'Why?' to 'Why Not?'"
Caffeinated news & gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. Seattle Times' writer Emily Heffter reported over the weekend that former Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is considering a run for mayor against Mike McGinn in 2013. "I am seriously thinking about it," he told Heffter.
Upping the ante a bit, here's what Steinbrueck told us yesterday:
"I think Seattle could really benefit from a full slate of capable, qualified candidates next time around, and I think that will happen," Steinbrueck said. "We should be having a serious dialogue about the future of Seattle and the region. So I’ve gone from 'why do it?' to 'why not?'"
Other potential candidates for mayor include city council members Sally Clark and Tim Burgess, and state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43).
2. King County Metro's deputy general manager Victor Obeso got back to us yesterday about our post on Metro's decision to drastically scale back service on the waterfront Route 99, which replaced the once-popular George Benson Streetcar. (The streetcar was shut down for construction of the Olympic Sculpture Park, which required the demolition of the streetcar's northern maintenance base).
Obeso said it wasn't Metro's "idea to eliminate the streetcar," but that now that the streetcar has been shut down, ridership on the replacement bus route doesn't justify all-day service. Under the new plan, the route would run only during peak hours---6 am to 9 am, and again from 3 pm to 6 pm. About 450 of the route's 850 daily riders use the bus during peak hours.
However, Obeso said Metro might consider extending hours on the 99 during the summer, when ridership is higher. "The streetcar---the waterfront Route 99--is unique in our entire system in the fact that the demand is so [much higher] in the summertime," Obeso said.
3. The Washington State Human Resources Director released a bunch of data on state employees—median income ($50,000 ...), demographics (more women than men), and, oh, wage adjustments.
Lots of great data that should dispel some myths. For example:
1. Seattle Times' writer Emily Heffter reported over the weekend that former Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is considering a run for mayor against Mike McGinn in 2013. "I am seriously thinking about it," he told Heffter.
Upping the ante a bit, here's what Steinbrueck told us yesterday:
"I think Seattle could really benefit from a full slate of capable, qualified candidates next time around, and I think that will happen," Steinbrueck said. "We should be having a serious dialogue about the future of Seattle and the region. So I’ve gone from 'why do it?' to 'why not?'"
Other potential candidates for mayor include city council members Sally Clark and Tim Burgess, and state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43).
2. King County Metro's deputy general manager Victor Obeso got back to us yesterday about our post on Metro's decision to drastically scale back service on the waterfront Route 99, which replaced the once-popular George Benson Streetcar. (The streetcar was shut down for construction of the Olympic Sculpture Park, which required the demolition of the streetcar's northern maintenance base).
Obeso said it wasn't Metro's "idea to eliminate the streetcar," but that now that the streetcar has been shut down, ridership on the replacement bus route doesn't justify all-day service. Under the new plan, the route would run only during peak hours---6 am to 9 am, and again from 3 pm to 6 pm. About 450 of the route's 850 daily riders use the bus during peak hours.
However, Obeso said Metro might consider extending hours on the 99 during the summer, when ridership is higher. "The streetcar---the waterfront Route 99--is unique in our entire system in the fact that the demand is so [much higher] in the summertime," Obeso said.
3. The Washington State Human Resources Director released a bunch of data on state employees—median income ($50,000 ...), demographics (more women than men), and, oh, wage adjustments.
Lots of great data that should dispel some myths. For example:
