City
Nickels Appointed to Transportation Board
I admit that I tend to see everything through the lens of the Mayor Mike McGinn era, but in my defense, the guy is, well, the mayor.
Today, Transportation Choices Coalition, the nonprofit group that advocates for light rail and bikes and transit alternatives (and seems like it should be an obvious McGinn ally), continues to distance itself from the green mayor.
After failing to take a position on the tunnel (while many other enviro groups came out against the tunnel with McGinn), this afternoon TCC announced that former Mayor Greg Nickels (a big tunnel advocate and now a potential McGinn rival) has joined their board.
Along with the Nickels announcement—kind of a coup for the small organization, by the way—TCC announced three other new board members: King County Executive Dow Constantine's lobbyist Genesee Adkins (a former TCC lobbyist); University of Washington transportation director Josh Kavanagh; and Vulcan community relations manager Pearl Leung.
Kavanagh fought McGinn to maintain a subsidy for the U-Pass this past legislative session.
I won't squeeze Adkins or Leung into my McGinn frame, but there's certainly rivalry, if not tension, between the McGinn and Constantine camps. And Vulcan has a warm relationship with both McGinn and Nickels, though I'd say their affection for Nickels—who advocated for the whole successful South Lake Union upgrade—trumps their alliance with McGinn.
TCC staffer Viet Shelton is currently managing the campaign for the $60 car tab fee, a ballot measure McGinn supports.
If anything, today's announcement certainly confirms that former mayor Nickels is thinking about getting back into local politics.
Today, Transportation Choices Coalition, the nonprofit group that advocates for light rail and bikes and transit alternatives (and seems like it should be an obvious McGinn ally), continues to distance itself from the green mayor.
After failing to take a position on the tunnel (while many other enviro groups came out against the tunnel with McGinn), this afternoon TCC announced that former Mayor Greg Nickels (a big tunnel advocate and now a potential McGinn rival) has joined their board.
Along with the Nickels announcement—kind of a coup for the small organization, by the way—TCC announced three other new board members: King County Executive Dow Constantine's lobbyist Genesee Adkins (a former TCC lobbyist); University of Washington transportation director Josh Kavanagh; and Vulcan community relations manager Pearl Leung.
Kavanagh fought McGinn to maintain a subsidy for the U-Pass this past legislative session.
I won't squeeze Adkins or Leung into my McGinn frame, but there's certainly rivalry, if not tension, between the McGinn and Constantine camps. And Vulcan has a warm relationship with both McGinn and Nickels, though I'd say their affection for Nickels—who advocated for the whole successful South Lake Union upgrade—trumps their alliance with McGinn.
TCC staffer Viet Shelton is currently managing the campaign for the $60 car tab fee, a ballot measure McGinn supports.
If anything, today's announcement certainly confirms that former mayor Nickels is thinking about getting back into local politics.
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