Local Sierra Club leader Micheal McGinn, 49, is running for mayor against Greg Nickels.
He’s not forming an exploratory committee. He’s running.
McGinn actually started out as a Nickels fan; a rare neighborhood activist who was down with Nickels’ plans for raising height limits, decreasing parking requirements, and increasing density in the neighborhoods.
McGinn was, in fact, out to reclaim neighborhood activism from the “Lesser Seattle” movement, and he saw Nickels’ as an ally.
Other than last year’s parks levy—which Nickels didn’t want on the ballot, but which McGinn promoted (he ran the winning campaign)—I’m not sure when or why McGinn stopped supporting Nickels. (Maybe when he saw a recent poll he commissioned?)
However, I do know this. With the Sierra Club’s backing, McGinn will be a formidable opponent.
If you don’t think the Sierra Club has clout, think again. Following McGinn’s leadership, the Sierra Club crushed the roads and transit initiative in 2007, believing—against all conventional wisdom—that light rail could (and should) come back for a vote, without roads, in 2008.
McGinn made that point in this (and this) now-classic debate filmed in front of the Stranger’s editorial board in the fall of 2007.
Accused of having spoiled the region’s “last chance” to expand light rail, McGinn and the Club turned out to be right when they helped pass 2008′s light rail expansion measure.
McGinn, a lawyer who lives in North Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood where he got his political start fighting against Fred Meyer’s big box re-development at N. 85th St., also founded a non-profit called The Great City Initiative. Great City Initiative helped pass legislation dubbed “Complete Streets” which dictated that any new roads fixes in the city must be designed with pedestrians and bicyclists as part of the equation.
McGinn’s track record—and rhetoric—always convinced me he’s the agitatin’ type who preferred to fight city hall instead of moving in. As the campaign gets underway, I’ll be curious to hear McGinn’s case for taking up residence in the halls of power.
Maybe he’s just jealous of his twin brother, who’s currently a state Rep. in Olympia.
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Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“The Beard” is weird.
Check out his Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/McGinn-for-Mayor/65464894648?ref=nf
and campaign website:
http://www.mcginnformayor.com/
McGinn is the change this city needs.
The word “unelectable” just jumps off my tongue. I know this is Seattle, but a viable candidate must have at least a reasonable doubt that they aren’t a “crazy leftist.”
I am envisioning an add campaign of Mike McGinn breaking ground for some land-whoring co-op with a bunch of sketchy-looking hippies that completely creeps out anyone drawn to his “save the children, save the world” messaging campaign.
He looks great on paper, but when it comes to most people and their ballpoint pen in the voting booth McGinn just isn’t electable.
Latest TOP 10 most popular names for hizzoner so far:
1. MAYOR McCHEESE
2. MAYOR McCONDO
3. MAYOR NOPLOW
4. MAYOR SNOWJOB
5. MAYOR 5-CENTS
6. MAJOR NOPLOW
7. MAYOR McSLEAZE
8. MAYOR FAILure
9. MAYOR GRIDLOCK
10. MAYOR QUIMBY
All the names that are just too mean to such a nice fellow, like MAYOR McFATTY, MAYOR PORK, MAJOR PORK, MAYOR BIGMAC, etc. will not be included in the Top 10 names for HIS HONOR. This is Seattle, a nice city, after all.
We are monitoring the TIMES, P-I, Weakly, Strangler, Crosscut, Publicola, and a few blogs for the most mentions in comments from the citizenry.
Newest contenders:
MAYOR DISASTER, MAJOR DISASTER, BOSS NICKELS, MAYOR NOSALT, MAYOR NICKELBAGS, MAYOR KNUCKLEHEAD, MAYOR FUDD, MAYOR FIVEPENNIES, MAYOR CHUMPCHANGE, MAYOR KNUCKLES
josh – you know this transit story is an urban legend – like drinking soda and eating pop rocks at the same time. it’s a good story, but it just isn’t so.
@6,
What transit story?
If you don’t think the Sierra Club has clout, think again. Following McGinn’s leadership, the Sierra Club crushed the roads and transit initiative in 2007, believing—against all conventional wisdom—that light rail could (and should) come back for a vote, without roads, in 2008.
Accused of having spoiled the region’s “last chance” to expand light rail, McGinn and the Club turned out to be right when they helped pass 2008’s light rail expansion measure.
@8,
I’m not clear what part of the story you’re saying is an urban legend.
Here’s what’s true: McGinn and the Sierra Club did some heavy lifting on the anti-roads/transit version of Prop. 1 in 2007, defying the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels.
It’s also true that the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels, were saying McGinn and company were foolish because if the measure went down in ’07, it wasn’t coming back in ’08 because Olympia wouldn’t let it. McGinn’s rejoinder? “Olympia doesn’t tell us what to do. We tell them.” Kinda catchy.
And, in fact, the transit version of Prop. 1 was on the ballot in ’08, and it won. Big.
What is often disputed is: Why exactly did Prop. 1 lose in ’07? Or more to the point: How much credit should we give to the Sierra Club? Different polling that was done after the vote says different things. The package was a mess. It was too expensive. And: People wanted transit w/out roads. There was overlap on an ST poll and a Survey USA poll on the “transit w/out roads” point—which is the point that lends credence to the Sierra Club factor.
So, I don’t agree that there’s a “myth” here. I’ll grant you that McGinn and the Sierra Club weren’t the only reason the ’07 Prop. 1 went down. However, Mcginn’s analysis was spot on, and he was in the thick of the fight.
One of the more powerful messages that I heard at the “announcement” at Piecora’s today was a return of clout and empowerment to the neighborhoods rather the centralized style that Nickels seems to prefer. McGinn’s example was great: he said let’s use neighborhood parking charges (which the city is already implementing) to return that money directly to the neighborhoods. success breeds success. more business = more public investments. good stuff.
one of the weaknesses of nickels is his autocratic style. everything mcginn has done is not that. establishing Great City (name changed recently, Josh), creating the Seattle Network where citizens can empower each other for change http://seattlegreatcitynetwork.ning.com/index.php and even the parks levy, which was open source/web 2.0 are about changing the way that people and government interact.
powerful stuff and just what seattle needs. he’s more than environmental, he’s open, honest and thoughtful…are ready for the right kind of change.
Brice,
Thanks for pointing out McGinn’s parking charges idea—which McGinn suggested for both meters and lots.
You’re absolutely right, it was one of his better moments, and it connected with his theme of “devolving” power (his word at Piecora’s). He mentioned this when he came out or the hybrid district model as well.