The controversial video showing a collapsing Alaskan Way Viaduct, which WSDOT released today in the final runup to next week’s election, was prepared by engineering firm Parsons Brinkerhoff. PB is the main consultant on the viaduct; as such, it stands to make millions if the project moves forward.
The video, which WSDOT says dramatizes the “urgent need to move forward,” is certainly a gift to Joe Mallahan’s campaign: Mallahan has been hyping the need to “move forward” on the viaduct while his opponent, Mike McGinn, has been adamant about stopping the project if the costs are out of whack.
One of Mallahan’s advisory board members (and maxed out donors) is Jared Smith, an engineer at Parsons.
While Mallahan names the primary occupation for most of his advisory board members on his website—”Craig Dawson, President, Retail Lockbox,” “Tayloe Washburn, Partner, Foster Pepper LLC,” “Tina Podlodowski, President and CEO of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound,” for example, Smith’s bio doesn’t mention Parsons. It says simply: “Former City of Seattle Regional Transit manager and head of Transportation and Policy and Planning Board member of the Downtown Seattle Association and Futurewise.”
I have calls out to Smith and the Mallahan camp.
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Josh:
It seems that you should include a few other facts in this story and not just link to a prior story that has the facts. Small facts such as the video was made two years ago. I think what might be interesting is who the person is that made the public disclosure request?
Its nice that you have calls out to the campaigns but did you take the time to call Jared Smith about his involvment in the video? Seems like a half baked story to me. Put in a little more leg work before you hit post.
yawn. I am going back to bed.
@2,
The post says I called Smith and I did.
We’ve also called WSDOT re: the public records request (several times now) as we said in Morning Fizz.
@1,
What makes it noteworthy to me is that Mallahan stresses accountability and transparency on the stump. Yet, he doesn’t say where a member of his advisory board works.
Sorry, I watched that video and didn’t see how it helped either candidate. All I could think about was how would a deep bore tunnel fare given the same circumstances.
I’m definitely not an engineer but I can’t believe the ground wouldn’t liquefy in the tunnel just like it did on the surface streets adjacent to the viaduct.
And the fact that there are no plans for exits between South Lake Union and the stadiums didn’t seen particularly safer for those in the tunnel when an earthquake happened.
I voted for McGinn and I think Tim Eyman’s perpetual initiative machine would have been put to better use protecting the taxpayers of Seattle from the overruns they are currently slated to have to pay for when they inevitably occur.
I also thought McGinn’s decision to accept the City Council’s decision wasn’t a flip flop but an acknowledgment of of not fighting City Hall as a part of City Hall.
So, yeah, the viaduct needs to be replaced – no one disagrees with that but that video didn’t make me think a tunnel was the answer.
Also, Jared Smith is an honorable guy and I know him.
jared smith is karean daubert’s husband, too. i wonder if that has something to do with her being on mallahan’s advisory board.
@5 part of the whole process is to rebuild the seawall and design for this type of occurence.
these things were not designed for when the viaduct was originally built. this is why we are having the whole issue with the replacement of the viaduct.
When do we learn how Mallahan, Jared Smith and the video are connected to Kevin Bacon?
@8 Staceyx3…right, because the connection between Mallahan and Smith is tenuous at best, right?
Jared Smith is married to Karen Daubert – seriously? Dear god. I am going to be ill. Seriously. This whole campaign stinks to high heaven.
OMG, I just Googled them and they are married. Why hasn’t this issue been raised before? No wonder Daubert is spreading such mean rumors about McGinn. She wants the tunnel so her husband keeps his job.
Please, Erica and Josh, will you look at this as well?
@9 Timothy
How many McGinn volunteers hope to be employed in City government if McGinn wins?
@10, 11 There’s lots of people in/around the Parks Foundation, CLC, Sierra Club, WCV that don’t say nice things about McGinn. You haven’t found the smoking gun.
I am not saying it is a smoking gun. I am saying I am disgusted by Daubert and the Parks Foundation and many others at their efforts to cram an expensive tunnel down our throats by maligning someone who actually cares about everyone in the city and not just wealthy power-hungry condescending elitists.
What a corrupt campaign.
@12 -
Considering how many are unemployed, I’m sure quite a few
Of course, how many people that are Mallahan supporters will be shoving their resume at him if he pulls it off? I know of quite a few (and have preferences for who I’d like to see get some of those jobs)
@13 -
“power-hungry condescending elitists”.
Isn’t that the definition of a McGinn supporter?
- I think we all knew, video or not, that an earthquake could cause a catastrophic collapse of the seawall, viaduct and surrounding areas. So the video, while visually stunning, doesn’t add any new information other than a sim of what it would look like.
- While the video may serve as a push to action, no one wants to tear the viaduct down before 2012.
The surface/transit advocates need time to implement all their desired ‘improvements’ before the viaduct comes down for the plan to work, since as ECB pointed out in her recent bombshell post, a surface option without the improvements would be a disastrous failure.
The tunnel advocates obviously want to get as much of the tunnel done as they can in order to minimize the lack of an SR 99 thoroughfare, plus need time to implement contingent transit/street grid adjustments to minimize the impact Downtown.
@ 15 – None that I have ever met.
Grow up – Daubert and Smith have been married for years and it wasn’t a secret. Many couples support the same candidate and unless Josh has real proof that Smith released this video, I’m not buying.
The video release itself stinks to high heaven given that it was released days before an election where the viaduct has played such a prominent role – but I’m sure there are lots of other folks who support both candidates who could have released this.
I’d come to expect more from Publicola and its readers. My bad.
I love how Team Mallahan is defending its members here.
Discount the criticism and it will all go away….
I had no idea that Daubert and Smith are married. But then, I am not inside baseball. I am a pretty normal voter in Seattle. And, I really am horrified.
@4
Josh:
My bad i did miss the fact that you said you called Smith. Point taken. I also appreciate your putting a call in to WSDOT. I wish that would result in further information that really does “tie” Mallahan to the video.
If your point is that Mallahan is not being transparent and that there is a conspiracy to hide Smiths employer. You should take a deeper look at that entire list of advisory board members. By my rough count there are 14 of the 27 that dont list their employers or employment status. Instead they use such titles as Former Chair of {insert organization} or State representitive from 1995 to 1999,. Which means it must be a much bigger conspiracy than just Smith or even Smith and Daubert. I bet you some of them are even retired…. gasp!
While you say Mallahan’s transparency is an issue I am saying the transparency and factual reporting of this piece is of issue. When as a journalist (and correct me if I am wrong,this is not an editorial column like C is for Crank) you say that Mallahan is tied to the release of the video i would like to see some thing that ties him to it.Did he ask for it to be released?
So the only thing that is transparent is when the editorial board is composed of all of the reports on staff the reporting starts to sound like the editorial.
Like I said before it still sounds to me like you should have a bit more info befor you hit post.
@5
I don’t think worrying about liquefaction in soils around a deep bore tunnel is productive. While there may be a risk of that occurring near the tunnel entrances (especially the south side), going by my semi-educated knowledge, the risk would be negligible in the deeper sections of the tunnel.
Notice the word liquefaction includes the same root as “liquid.” Not a coincidence, as soil liquefaction requires the presence of liquid. Get much deeper than 20-feet, stay out of the deeper water bearing zones, and soils have very little moisture. Those deeper water bearing zones, well pretty easy to map and avoid too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a tunnel supporter but there’s enough too worry about without introducing non-issues into the discussion.
@20, I think you had it right the first time, this was a false start. Josh has only suggested a connection – there is no corroborating evidence or verification from sources. It reminds me of the “story” about Joe crying at a fundraiser. Josh heard a rumor, then even interviewed people who were there who wouldn’t verify the rumor and still he posted the rumor. Sorry, that’s not right.
Maybe there is a connection, but there’s nothing here to suggest that there is. This isn’t a story, it’s a possible story. Needs a lot more work.
@4 Josh “Yet, he doesn’t say where a member of his advisory board works.”
McGinn doesn’t even list his advisers.
McGinnn’s campaign is heavily supported by GGLO, SvR and all the other firms that suck at the tit of city for urban design and planning.
Better yet, let’s do an expose on the links between Alex Steffen and Erika C. With the breathless slobbering that Alex did over McGinn over at Huge Ass City, maybe a four-way with Dan is somewhere in there…
The only link you need to know about is between ECB and the People’s Waterfront Coalition, which for all intents and purposes spearheaded the whole ‘remove the viaduct without replacing it’ movement years ago. Any other ECB links with this topic are a product of that initial connection.
Stories like this are the exact reason I stopped following you on twitter. That video was 2 years old and you make it seem like Mallahan put “Former City of Seattle Regional Transit manager and head of Transportation and Policy and Planning Board member of the Downtown Seattle Association and Futurewise” as Smith’s title solely to avoid putting Parsons. It could have something to do with the fact that the main issue of this race is transportation and a title like that looks better than, so and so at Parsons. There are several other people on Mallahan’s advisory board that had previous titles and group positions listed instead of a certain job title. If you want to know their life story, Google them. Better yet Bing them, so that you can write a scathing article about how Microsoft mislead you by showing you a pretty picture before it took you where you wanted to go. I have yet to decide who I will vote for but I am certainly tired of the pro McGinn stance several writers on this site seem to take on every issue. It seems like the only people I can safely read anymore are Soulnerd and Technerd
THAT’S ONE BITCH ASS MOVE, MALLAHN AND COMPANY!
I HAVE LOST ALL RESPERCT FOR YOU JOE!!!! SLEEZE