Seattle Press on Line - Between a rock and a soft place: the race for mayor

Seattle Press Election Coverage

Between a rock and a soft place: the race for mayor

By Wallis Bolz

Oct 25, 2001 -- It’s telling that mayoral candidate and King County Councilmember Greg Nickels chose to locate his campaign headquarters in Greenwood. With its funky charm, bars, and taquerias Greenwood is a far cry from the city’s bright and shining downtown. With his focus on inclusion, decency and harmony, Nickels has emerged as Seattle’s neighborhood candidate.

Nickels’ opponent is Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran, a smart, effective and articulate politician who made good use of city office to solve downtown problems. Sidran took on street people downtown with laws targeting behavior: public urination and loitering on sidewalks. The civility laws are recognized as one of several factors in the downtown renaissance, proponents say the laws were as critical to the revitalization of the shopping and business district as city investment in the Pacific Place parking garage and the region’s booming economy.

Transit, leadership, the budget and race have emerged as the key issues in this campaign.

Good Neighbor Nickels

In a nod to former City Councilmember George Benson, Greg Nickels says he’ll walk the light rail line weekly during the construction period—a listening tour to find out what he can do to ease the pain of residents and business owners saddled with the big dig through town. (Benson walked the length of downtown each week during construction of the Metro bus tunnel, chatting with business owners and taking their problems to City Hall for a fix.)

Fix this, Greg.

On Tuesday, October 16, Sound Transit filed a motion in U.S. District Court to collect $20,000 from Save Our Valley for incidental costs—photocopying and depositions—incurred in defending the agency against a lawsuit brought by the Rainier Valley organization.

Save Our Valley is a neighborhood group that opposes surface light rail through Rainier Valley. "It’s harassment to put us out of business," said George Curtis, a member of Save Our Valley.

Save Our Valley saw its lawsuit gutted when U.S. District judge Barbara Rothstein ruled against two claims tied to the federal Fair Housing Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The group filed for dismissal without prejudice of its third claim of intentional discrimination, citing the high burden of proof and cost as reasons.

Curtis says the group can ill afford to cover Sound Transit’s costs.

Light rail and leadership

Sidran has made Nickels’ role in the Sound Transit light rail debacle the core of his campaign, attacking Nickels’ credibility as chair of Sound Transit’s finance committee. It is a role that should give voters pause.

Nickels hopped on board light rail early and in the past few years, with an eye on this race, positioned himself as light rail’s number one evangelist.

But with a budget gone awry and a flawed alignment, neighborhood and media support for the project flagged, and the project ground to a halt. Whether Nickels failed to note or ignored the warning signs, his leadership of the finance committee doesn’t bode well for Seattle.

Yet Nickels remains committed to light rail.

"My position is clear," says Nickels. "We have a transportation crisis. It will take serious leadership to solve the problem. We need to build light rail."

"As Mayor," says Nickels, "I will make sure we build the first leg."

Nickels insists construction of the first leg of light rail is part of winning back public support for the project. The 14-mile $2.1 billion starter line will run from downtown through Rainier Valley and stop a mile short of the airport. Cost is no deterrent for Nickels.

"All our transportation choices are expensive," says Nickels. He points to proposed I-405 corridor improvements, which are estimated at $7 - 11 billion. "I bet that when the project is done," says Nickels, "it’ll be more than that."

Sidran argues that Greg Nickels has had five years to pursue a workable solution and delivered a project that is billions over budget.

"He hasn't proposed one serious reform of this deeply flawed endeavor," notes Sidran. "Spending good money after bad money is simply spending more bad money."

Sidran says he’ll lobby Sound Transit board members and civic leaders to reform the agency and make accountability Sound Transit’s top priority.

"Once we reform Sound Transit," says Sidran, "we can quickly determine whether light rail or monorail make sense, and how we get north to where the bulk of potential riders are."

Nickels’ leadership of the agency worries supporters as well.

Former state legislator Dawn Mason, who endorsed Nickels early in the campaign, points to two Rainier Valley redevelopment proposals as evidence of Nickels’ blind eye to Southeast Seattle. "Sound Transit and the Rainier Vista redevelopment have a disproportionate impact on immigrants, young people, people who need the support of the community," says Mason. Greg Nickels, says Mason, has no clear interest or understanding of what it takes to represent this part of the city.

"Why are people committed to not having this train come down MLK?" Mason asks. "It is worth his time and effort to look at the issue, to respect the fact that community input is part of the public process."

Nickels says he has listened to neighborhoods and that a new, improved Martin Luther King, Jr. Way will put to rest any doubts about a surface route. "It’s a very dangerous street. We will make it safer, slower and safer." Nickels adds that new economic opportunities in the neighborhood, access to jobs downtown and a more attractive street will be a benefit to residents of the Valley.

Mr. Sidran’s Neighborhood

"My challenge as city attorney," said mayoral candidate Mark Sidran, "has been to maintain the vitality of neighborhood business districts." As city attorney, Sidran proved a key player in efforts to "clean up" downtown business districts by dint of several ordinances targeting behavior. The Seattle City Council approved these ordinances, which include:

The parks exclusion ordinance, which permits police to expel people from parks for drinking, camping, using drugs, having sex and urinating;

The anti-graffiti program, which permits the city to fine property owners who don’t remove graffiti;
and the "Good Neighbor Agreement," which limits convenience store sales of beer, malt liquor and fortified wine in areas with a high population of street drunks.

Sidran is also responsible for the auto-impound ordinance, which permits the city to seize vehicles for offenses ranging from driving with a suspended license to non-payment of parking tickets.

Paring the budget

Mayor Paul Schell was fond of stating that the time to fix the roof was when the sun was shining. Dollars flowed to neighborhoods for libraries, community centers, sidewalks, P-patches, parks and playgrounds.

Sidran says the sunshine is gone. He points out that city revenue turned negative in May. He warns neighborhoods to expect less.

"It’s hard to know how deep and how long the downturn will be. The city has ridden a bow wave of unsustainable spending."

"My budget priority is to take care of those who are most vulnerable—children, battered women, seniors—and provide for basic police and fire protection."

There will be less money, says Sidran, for the neighborhood matching fund. He’ll trim the city roster of planners and bureaucrats.

Nickels hasn’t yet connected the city budget to cuts. Nickels says his budget priorities are public safety, human services and neighborhood improvement. He says he’ll work with business and labor to improve the business climate in Seattle and has proposed a score of training and apprentice programs to create and keep jobs in Seattle.

Nickels, says commercial real estate broker Tom Graff, who has endorsed Sidran, is "overpromising and underdelivering." George Curtis, a member of Save Our Valley, is less polite: "Nickels will tell anyone anything to get elected."

Black men and white cops

Racial profiling has dominated the discussion of race in this campaign. Nickels says he won’t tolerate it in the police department; Sidran says respect is a door that swings both ways.

Nickels believes the relationship between the police department and the community has not grown stronger: Mardi Gras and WTO, says Nickels, are warning signs. Nickels calls for three things: "leadership, training, and accountability."

Sidran, who has the endorsement of the Police Guild, counters that citizen confidence comes from mutual respect.

"I think our police force performs better now than it did 20 years ago. It will undoubtedly perform even better in the next 20 years." He does suggest he’ll implement a zero-tolerance policy for physical abuse or racial discrimination by officers.

Go along, get along Seattle

Will Affleck-Asch, who has endorsed Greg Nickels and is secretary of the 43rd District Democrats, has known Sidran and Nickels for more than a decade.

"They’re both good people," says Asch. "I voted for Mark twice."

"Mark would be a controversial mayor. He may change the perception of the city nationally, internationally, but it won’t be a city I want to live in. If you want race riots, vote for Mark. If you want to have a good time living here, vote for Greg."

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