[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RShTpQg_JI[/youtube]

1) It came in too late to note in yesterday's roundup, but we've got to give a shoutout (and an A+) to the press release Joe Mallahan sent out yesterday afternoon.

Responding to a press release his opponent Mike McGinn sent out earlier on Tuesday that slammed the council for "rushing" into the waterfront tunnel decision, Mallahan portrayed McGinn as a cranky Seattle obstructionist.

“My opponent accused the city council for rushing this decision,” Mallahan said, setting up McGinn as a do-nothing, Seattle-process obstructionist. “If eight years is rushing, how can he be trusted to get anything done?”

Even though McGinn has an excellent question—where's the money?—Mallahan's spin was potent.

Grade: A+

2) Mallahan's release was late yesterday, but it sure set the course for parade of releases today. First came a statement on the council's tunnel decision from city council candidate Jessie Israel.

"Jessie Israel calls for Immediate Action on the Deep Bore Tunnel. In response to Council member Nick Licata’s calls to slow down on signing the agreement on the deep bore tunnel, challenger Jessie Israel issued an emergency preparedness plan that calls for moving forward immediately. "

Smart stuff from Israel. Even though Licata isn't the perennial 'No' vote that Israel claims he is, Licata is often a 'No' vote on high profile projects like Mercer and the tunnel.

Reiterating that Licata is a naysayer on sexy capital projects is a great way for Israel to define the race as old Seattle vs. new Seattle.

Grade: A

3) Also on the tunnel jag, city council candidate Mike O'Brien. However, O'Brien is in sync with McGinn on this one.

And I quote:

“I believe this MOA is an incredibly irresponsible bit of bureaucratic maneuvering designed to make the downtown deep-bore tunnel look a done deal, even though engineering planning has barely started and funding remains unplanned and uncertain,” says O’Brien. “It simply makes no fiscal sense to agree to fund a project of this size and scale if you don’t know how much it’s going to cost or how you’ll pay for it.

"Under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the city and the state, the city officially takes on responsibility for $927 million in tunnel-related projects."

O'Brien (and McGinn) are raising great questions, but O'Brien feels like Soulja Boy to McGinn's Jay-Z.

Grade: B