1. Luckily for Mayor Mike McGinn, there was a last-minute change to the program that allowed him to take the stage at Saturday night's 20th anniversary gala for Transportation Choices Coalition, one of the city's premier urbanist policy groups with its pro-bike, bus, and ped political agenda.

This is supposed to be McGinn's constituency, but state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Capitol Hill), one of McGinn's main rivals in this year's mayor's race, was getting a lot of love and attention; Murray won a TCC "hall of fame" award—one of 20 handed out that night by TCC Executive Director Rob Johnson—for Murray's pivotal work on the gas tax; "We're the only group that still gives an award for that [taxes]," emcee, TCC board member, and KIRO radio talk jock Dave Ross quipped. Murray was on the list with other transit hall of famers such as Sound Transit leader Joni Earl, the former UW students behind Metro's One Bus Away app, TCC's original founders (when the group was called AltTrans; hello early 90s!), and the local founders of FlexCar. 

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who gave the keynote speech (and also won the evening's "legacy" award, for her work on Sound Transit) also namechecked Ed Murray a couple of times for his work in the state legislature on transit issues as former house transportation chair.

Murray was on the list with other transit hall of famers such as Sound Transit leader Joni Earl, the UW students behind Metro's One Bus Away App, TCC's original founders, and the local founders of FlexCar.

However, McGinn—who did get a brief mention for his work at UW twenty years ago helping push the U Pass, which also won a TCC hall of fame award (former UW student body president and one-time Seattle City Council member Heidi Wills also got a shoutout for that)—was called up to the podium "for a last-minute change that you won't see on your program," Johnson announced—to read a city proclamation making May 18 Transportation Choices Coalition Day. 

Fizz hears a few TCC board members were irked that McGinn was included in the proceedings.

2. Speaking of the mayor's race there was a lot of endorsement action this weekend: the 11th District Democrats (the South end, Tukwila, and Renton) went with Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell, who was ahead on the first ballot. The group added Peter Steinbrueck, who knocked out Murray and McGinn, for the dual endorsement with Harrell after subsequent voting. 

The King County Young Democrats also made their endorsement in the mayor's race this weekend going with Harrell and Murray. Steinbrueck was initially in the mix, but the group whittled it down. McGinn, who locked up the young vote in 2009 was snubbed.

The Young Democrats are no Washington Bus—the omnipresent youth vote organizing group—(or Stranger), but it's odd that McGinn wasn't competitive with the young Democrats.

3. Speaking of endorsements, here's a little follow-up on last Friday's big news that Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess dropped out of the race: The 36th District Democrats—Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont—which had recommended a dual endorsement of Burgess and Murray last month—is set to nullify that recommendation and make a new one.

4. Also in Burgess fallout: Watch for some big-name endorsements for Murray coming soon, likely highlighting our prediction last week that, in the wake of Burgess' exit, Murray will consolidate the establishment and "grownup" vote.

5. Josh won a 1st Place Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) Northwest award this weekend for government and politics reporting for his SeattleMet feature on the 2012 governor's race.

Congrats to the Oregonian's Michelle Cole who won first place in the government and politics category for daily newspaper reporting and Willamette Week's Aaron Mesh, who won the government and politics reporting in the weekly paper category.

SeattleMet's own Matt Halverson won the 2nd and 3rd place awards for magazine government and politics reporting for his deportation story "Should He Stay or Should He Go?" and "Crash Course," about dangerous bike lanes near South Lake Union.