1. Mayoral candidates Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan participated in back-to-back forums last night—the first at the downtown Seattle library, the second at Ballard High School. By the time the candidates arrived in Ballard, they were noticeably less energetic than at the downtown forum (whose audience was also about 10 times the size of that at the Ballard event). A few highlights:

• Asked if they would support a surface/transit alternative if the waterfront tunnel "fell through," McGinn said yes, Mallahan held up his "waffle" sign, indicating that he didn't know.

• Asked if the Alaskan Way tunnel "deal" should be changed to include entrances and exits downtown (as currently envisioned, the tunnel would serve as a mere bypass through downtown), Mallahan held up his "no" card, and McGinn held up a blank card—indicating, we guess, that debate host C.R. Douglas was asking the wrong question.

[caption id="attachment_15489" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Joe Mallahan"] [/caption]

• Elaborating on his viaduct replacement position, Mallahan said he would "support moving forward on a decision that took us eight years to reach." McGinn responded: "It’s not even much of a transportation solution. There are no exits to serve Interbay and Ballard."

2. The official numbers won't be in for a week or so, but it looks like last week's music-community fundraiser for King County Executive candidate Dow Constantine, McGinn, and city attorney candidate Pete Holmes was a score for Constantine, okay for McGinn, and not all that for Holmes.

(Due to an odd combination of options for buying tickets, attendees could choose between splitting their contribution between all three candidates or giving their whole donation to one).

According to preliminary numbers provided by the campaigns, Constantine will report around $10,000, McGinn around $8,000, and Holmes between $4,000 and $5,000. We'll report the actual numbers as we get them.

3. City council member Nick Licata will introduce an amendment this Wednesday to his colleague Tim Burgess' ordinance making it easier for the city to crack down on nuisance motels. (The ordinance, which we wrote about in Morning Fizz yesterday, would enable the city to more easily shut down motels that allow prostitution and drug dealing on their premises.)

Licata's amendment would provide relocation assistance, paid by the motel owner, to any innocent tenant forced to move because of a motel owner's failure to properly manage their property.

This morning's Morning Fizz is brought to you by Washington Conservation Voters.