1. The most on-point line at last night's Southeast Seattle candidates' forum came, ironically, from North-End resident Mike O'Brien, who said—in response to a question about performance audits—that he would make sure that Rainier Ave. South became less like a "highway" and more like a "neighborhood street." "I don't think we should be running highways through neighborhoods," O'Brien said. Rainier is notorious among South End residents as a danger spot for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers.



2. Speaking of last night's forum: In perhaps his worst showing at a campaign forum ever, Mayor Greg Nickels, who was absent , won just 2.7 percent of the (admittedly unscientific) mock election last night. (That translates to all of three votes.) In first and second place, respectively: Joe Mallahan with 39 percent and Kwame Wyking Garrett (whose supporters were out in force last night; see photo above) with 29 percent.

3. Speaking of Mayor Nickels: Although a spokesman for his campaign said yesterday that Nickels had a long-planned "family thing" that precluded his attending last night's forum (organizer Yalonda Gill Masundire claimed the cancellation was last-minute; Nickels' campaign disputes this), PubliCola received two reports that the mayor was working voters on-board light rail as the forum was getting underway, around 6:30 last night.

4. Kery Murakami at the Seattle PostGlobe reports that the campaign to prevent Seattle from building a new jail has fallen about 5,000 signatures short of putting an initiative to stop the jail on the November ballot.

5. Everyone on Rob McKenna's mailing list received an email this week from the Republican attorney general boasting about his electoral record (58 percent of Pierce County, 54 percent of King County, 61 percent of Snohomish County) and asking for money to help McKenna promote "our vision of Washington State." Supporters speculate could be the first blow in a 2010 campaign against US Sen. Patty Murray, who's up for reelection in 2010 (McKenna won't have to run for reelection himself until 2012).

6. The Seattle Municipal League will release its ratings for local candidates today, and hand out copies at a party tonight at Spitfire, 2219 Fourth Ave., from 7 to 9 pm

This morning's Morning Fizz brought to you by Candidate Survivor .