From the Feb 10 – Feb 16, 2005 issue

News

CounterIntel

Nickels Is Vulnerable

by Josh Feit

Heading into reelection season with former critics singing Mayor Greg Nickels' praises, no apparent opponents in sight, and local newspapers (including this one) declaring his lock on power a fact of local life--the annual State of the City speech seems like the perfect opportunity for the mayor to harness some of that limitless political capital. It's the time to stride up to the podium and make it clear that he intends to get some really gigantic stuff done, and ride to reelection with a mandate for action.

There is, after all, gigantic stuff that needs getting done. For example, extending light rail and monorail; changing a provincial land-use code that hinders smart growth; finding $500 million to complete a backlog of basic transportation fixes; and of course, the viaduct.

That's why, as a Nickels fan, I was flat out disappointed by his Monday, February 7, State of the City speech at City Hall. It was a backward-looking speech that didn't tap his political capital by spelling out specific initiatives.

In a lengthy speech (running more than a half hour), Nickels spent too much time congratulating himself for past accomplishments: filling potholes; breaking ground on light rail; spurring development in Northgate; distributing $4 million from a Community Development Fund to Rainier Valley businesses; and passing the Families and Education Levy. (Nickels mentioned this one twice.)

It's an impressive list. But for a mayor who's supposedly taking up the mantle at this pivotal time in Seattle's history--when it's either push forward or retreat to small-town small-mindedness, Nickels was weirdly cautious and tentative.

Sure, he said we should "make sure our public schools are successful," and that he wanted to add new police officers, and we should "tackle the impossible" and get viaduct funding--but he didn't spell out a specific plan to make any of this stuff happen. He left his agenda, particularly the viaduct, in the realm of "the impossible"--just where Sen. Patty Murray had relegated his viaduct plan three weeks ago.

As for his one other pledge--honoring the Kyoto Protocol by "meeting the threat of global warming"--it sounded too much like one of those nonbinding city council resolutions to oppose the war in Iraq.

At a time when Seattle needs a leader (and at a time when I thought it had one), Nickels blew it when he took the mic. And it made me wonder: Did he chicken out because he has polling that's telling him he better not push too hard; that he's rubbing Seattle the wrong way, and he better retreat to his old campaign mode of championing "the Seattle Way"?

It was a radically different--and subdued--Nickels at the mic. But his speech spoke volumes. Rather than mustering his political capital to make this year's campaign about pushing forward, he revealed his skittishness, leaving the door open for Seattle to tack backward. What a waste of a speech.