Mayor Greg Nickels is asked about his unpopularity.

You've been the mayor for the past eight years, but looking at your polling numbers—they're staggeringly low for someone who really does boast a résumé of having done a lot of things. It's sort of like a George W. Bush level of popularity. To be a mayor for the next four years, you need to have a certain amount of good will in escrow. How would an unpopular mayor be effective for these next four years?
You know, that's an interesting question and there's a lot of philosophical aspects to that. I made a very conscious decision when I became mayor to try and get things done, rather than to try and stay popular. I have seen executives in the governor's office, in the county executive's office who remained very popular, and at the end of their terms, no one could recite exactly what it was that they had accomplished. And I think it's more important in politics and in public office to actually get things done, to actually move the community forward. And so the fundamental job of mayor is to make decisions. Every decision you make, someone's gonna disagree with that. You learn that the first morning. And some of the decisions you make, a lot of people disagree with. The viaduct is probably a pretty good example over time, where almost everybody disagreed at one point or another. But you need to stick with it, you need to move forward, and at the end of the day, if people believe you're doing it because you sincerely are trying to advance the community, do best by the common good of the community, I think that they will support you and give you the opportunity to continue to serve.

And you think people believe that that is your intent, or do you think you have exhausted some of those relationships?
You know, I think I have some work to do in this campaign to remind people, had I not worked on light rail, at several of the points it was very vulnerable, it might not have happened, it certainly wouldn't have happened on the schedule it did, as long as that took. If I hadn't hung in there on the viaduct, we might well be seeing an elevated structure being built down there, mandated by the legislature. Yes, I think that people will, when reminded, give me credit for some of the things that we have accomplished, and with that, hopefully, see their way to supporting me, because I have been doing that in the greater interest of the community.

Is it beyond just the anger at tough decisions you've made?
Oh, I think there are a number of things going on. I think that people are frustrated and angry right now, they look at their retirement and they see that they’re gonna have to work until they’re 95 in order to retire, and the incumbent mayor's a pretty good target for that—that’s not just in Seattle, but in other cities as well. And that's something that an incumbent mayor has to understand and deal with. But I also think it's the fact that you make decisions and move the city forward. I think people want you to make decisions, and I think if they believe you're doing it in the best interest of the future of the community, they'll give you room to do that.

Tomorrow: Joe Mallahan is asked if he has ever done anything for the environment, public safety, or the arts. His answer is insane.

Part one of this series is here.