So long, Duke of Dither. Hello, Monorail Mishandler.

Last Monday, after spending weeks denying rumors that he planned to jump out of the once-crowded race against Richard Conlin and into the relatively open field against Jan Drago, former Greg Nickels spokesman Casey Corr did just that, calling the 12-year incumbent "unresponsive, ineffective, and remote" and accusing her of "ignoring the alarm bells" on the over-budget monorail. Within hours, Drago responded in kind, blasting Corr's "conservative political ideology" and citing his "flip-flop" on the monorail, which he once described as one of his top priorities.

Drago wants voters to see Corr as a candidate too conservative for left-leaning Seattle—a right-wing populist who, as a columnist for the Seattle Times in the 1990s, supported Tim Eyman's anti-tax Initiative 695 and opposed the popular parks levy, which the city uses to buy open space, playground equipment, and other park amenities. Corr, meanwhile, wants voters to view Drago as a washed-up councilmember-for-life who lacks the attention span and convictions to serve as an effective watchdog on out-of-control institutions like the monorail.

It's hard to overstate the irony. For years, Drago has been targeted by opponents as a Chamber of Commerce candidate in the pocket of big downtown developers. Now she's positioning herself as the progressive alternative to a Nickels-backed right-wing ideologue, and blasting Corr for adopting positions that "run counter to the mainstream progressive values of Seattle." Although Drago has supported developer-friendly proposals like subsidizing the mayor's one-mile South Lake Union trolley, she's also increasingly taken progressive positions. She helped repeal the teen-dance ordinance, hammered through a complex right-of-way agreement for the monorail, and (unsuccessfully) fought to require low-income housing in a mayor-proposed University District redevelopment.

Corr says Drago's allegations about him are absolutely unfounded, calling them "Karl Rove–style" political tactics that don't hold up under scrutiny. Yes, Corr praised Republican Slade Gorton during his 2000 U.S. Senate race against Maria Cantwell. Yes, he wrote that "the world [would] not end" if Eyman's I-695 passed. And yes, he does describe himself as a "raging fiscal moderate," adding that the council should not fund basic services with property-tax increases. "We cannot be indifferent to the tax burden," he said a month ago.

But on other issues, Corr insists his position is more nuanced than Drago claims. Corr acknowledges, for example, that he opposed the parks levy. But he did so, Corr says, because he believed parks should be paid for out of the city's general fund, not by a special levy. The city council was "putting a gusher of revenue into [the new] City Hall and forcing us to pass more taxes for parks," he says. As for Drago's allegation that he has flip-flopped on the monorail, Corr says there are "11 billion reasons why a lot of people have changed their minds," referring to the total estimated cost of the line under the monorail agency's now-jettisoned financing plan. "Does she think $11 billion is not a big deal? She's been a tireless defender of the indefensible."

As the monorail becomes an increasing liability for politicians who've supported it, candidates, like Corr, who disavow the system enjoy a political boost. But most observers think it'll take a lot more for a candidate with low name recognition and few other tangible issues to take down a formidable opponent like Drago. Last month, Corr raised more money (nearly $24,000) than Drago ($15,000) but the council president says that's all about to change. In March, Drago raised $50,000—reportedly the most money raised by any city council candidate in a single month, ever.

Corr does have one significant factor on his side: the support of the mayor, whose fundraising prowess cannot be overestimated. Already, Corr has hired Nickels' own fundraiser, Colby Underwood, who has kept him consistently in the fundraising lead. And his volunteers reportedly include at least one member of the mayor's staff. But whether Nickels's support will be enough to catapult a relatively unknown challenger over a popular incumbent like Drago remains to be seen. ■