1. Popular conservative talk-show host Kirby Wilbur, who has been with the radio station KVI for more than 15 years, was abruptly taken off the air yesterday afternoon.  KVI managers reportedly told the longtime host that his contract, which isn't up until December, would not be renewed and that he should pack his things and leave.

KVI management issued a terse statement that shed little light on the decision, saying that "We at Fisher Communications Inc. wish him the very best and thank him for his commitment and service to KVI."

Starting tomorrow morning, he'll be replaced by the nationally-syndicated Laura Ingraham show. We'll try to find out more and report back later today.

2. In his first public appearance since winning the mayoral election last week, Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn introduced Worldchanging's Alex Steffen to a packed Town Hall last night. (Steffen's talk was the latter half of a two-night presentation on how cities, and Seattle in particular, can lead the way to a bright green future.)

"It's really nice to be here in a town hall where I'm not fighting for every vote," McGinn joked, referring to the 18 town hall meetings he held before the election. "When I started the campaign a lot of people didn’t think I could do it because I was an environmental guy, a neighborhood guy.



"But something  happened. We started attracting more and more people to our campaign… They saw someone who was saying, 'I am going to listen. I don’t know it all, I’m going to mess up, and I’m going to learn from you ... As a candidate, when you go out there and every vote counts, you have to listen to every voter."

Funny side note: Backstage before the event, McGinn's new black-suited security detail seemed perplexed about how to deal with McGinn's bike bag (McGinn rode his bike to the event, of course .)

"Should I carry this for you, sir?" one security guy asked.

Looking exasperated and a bit befuddled—and still every bit the rumpled outsider he was during the campaign—the mayor-elect said, "No. Just leave it there."

3. McGinn has only been Mayor-elect for three days, but a lot of folks (bloggers) already have advice for the mayor-elect.

Hugeasscity's Dan Bertolet, an early McGinn supporter, says he should come out swinging with a list of ambitious policy goals—stuff like implementing half of the Pedestrian Master Plan by 2011.

"If people buy in to the goals, and they understand why changes are necessary to achieve them, then those changes become easier to swallow.  It’s human nature.  And so I hope to see Mike McGinn lean strongly toward the guns blazing approach, backed with an inspiring, visionary set of goals for the City."

The Rainier Valley Post, meanwhile, wants to see McGinn emphasize foot patrols in Southeast Seattle, where a debate over problem crime spot Angie's has caused some neighbors to suggest the community should hire private security.

"A presence on the street might signal a new era for the do-badders. One where doing bad has higher risks, because cops are 'about.' And the citizenry is chummy with the cops, making the info flow a little easier. Maybe the risk reward calculation for doing bad can be fundamentally changed, for a few."

Bike Intelligencer has a long bike-related wish list , including the completion of the "missing link" of the Burke-Gilman trail, more bike lanes and fewer sharrows, and more bike racks around the city.

"It sounds screwy, but Seattle is running out of places to lock up bikes, particularly downtown. Especially at festivals, conferences and conventions, or grocery and department stores — anywhere large numbers of people converge — not only are existing racks woefully inadequate, even light pole availability becomes scarce."

Meanwhile political consultant Blair Butterworth, who worked this year on Jan Drago's mayoral campaign, has a list of "golden rules" for the new mayor, including: Lowering people's expectations of what can be accomplished immediately, keeping the campaign going through the transition, and reaching out to what could be a hostile city council.

This morning's Morning Fizz brought to you by Jeanne Kohl-Welles