City Hall
Re: The Old Seattle City Council is the New Seattle City Council
I've got to jump into this debate Erica and Bryce
are having.
The tunnel is going to be a big issue in the 2011 city council elections thanks to the behind-the-scenes politicking of the McGinn Squad. All five council members who are up for reelection in 2011—Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, and Tom Rasmussen—are pro-tunnel. What's going to happen is this: One council member, maybe Godden (given Bryce's theory about her vulnerability), but maybe someone else, is going to go down because of it. At the same time, though, the rest of the incumbent candidates will remain in office.
The McGinn Squad will claim a victory—"the People" sent a message—about their win against the tunnel, while the pro-tunnel side will claim victory as well. (I don't think the pro-tunnel side will be as Hugo Chavez-y with "the People" rhetoric, though.)
And, as happened after the 2007 roads and transit vote and the 2007 tunnel vote, when everyone tried to slice and dice the numbers to fit their preferred position, we'll come up without any clarity on the issue. Exactly where we are right now.
*Footnote: The McGinn Squad might get wise to the fact that being too pushy with a mayor-backed-slate rubs Seattle voters the wrong way. Rather than focusing on the council elections to send an anti-tunnel message from the people, they may put their efforts into the Sierra Club/Real Change anti-tunnel initiative.
The tunnel is going to be a big issue in the 2011 city council elections thanks to the behind-the-scenes politicking of the McGinn Squad. All five council members who are up for reelection in 2011—Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, and Tom Rasmussen—are pro-tunnel. What's going to happen is this: One council member, maybe Godden (given Bryce's theory about her vulnerability), but maybe someone else, is going to go down because of it. At the same time, though, the rest of the incumbent candidates will remain in office.
The McGinn Squad will claim a victory—"the People" sent a message—about their win against the tunnel, while the pro-tunnel side will claim victory as well. (I don't think the pro-tunnel side will be as Hugo Chavez-y with "the People" rhetoric, though.)
And, as happened after the 2007 roads and transit vote and the 2007 tunnel vote, when everyone tried to slice and dice the numbers to fit their preferred position, we'll come up without any clarity on the issue. Exactly where we are right now.
*Footnote: The McGinn Squad might get wise to the fact that being too pushy with a mayor-backed-slate rubs Seattle voters the wrong way. Rather than focusing on the council elections to send an anti-tunnel message from the people, they may put their efforts into the Sierra Club/Real Change anti-tunnel initiative.
