The Seattle Times had the scoop last night that Mayor Mike McGinn and City Attorney Pete Holmes will join forces to push an idea that McGinn proposed nearly a year ago: Keeping bars open after 2am.

The mayor, along with Holmes and City Councilmember Tim Burgess, will announce Thursday they are starting a process to get the state to allow bars to serve liquor after 2 a.m., the current statewide cutoff.

"We'll be making a request as a city to petition the Liquor Control Board to permit case-by-case petitions from municipalities," Holmes said Wednesday.

McGinn proposed longer bar hours last summer as part of his Seattle Nightlife Initiative, a response to noise, violence and drunken behavior that sometimes occurs as people pour onto the streets after closing time.

He said more flexible hours — perhaps staggered closing times or even letting bars stay open all night — could make the city safer.

At the time, McGinn lacked support from other branches of government. The state Liquor Control Board, which sets bar hours, said at the time it did not agree with the idea.

Burgess will appear at Thursday's news conference but says he hasn't decided whether he supports longer bar hours. He said his council colleagues also have not made any commitments.