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News & ArtsThursday, November 12, 2009
City McGinn's Unconventional Transition Meeting
Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 7:50 PM
This morning, about 30 people representing labor unions, neighborhood organizations, and advocacy groups were given their marching orders—in the most egalitarian way marching orders can be given—in the mayoral transition offices on the 60th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower. Mayor-elect Mike McGinn asked the individuals, as community ambassadors, to go back to their respective constituencies and listen.
"We did not run a traditional campaign and we don't want to have a traditional transition," says Aaron Pickus, a staff member on McGinn's team.
The plan goes like this: They have to ask three questions (see below), write a summary on what they heard, and, at the end of this month, McGinn will hold three town halls (one in the north, one in the south, and one in the central city). In other words, this is a grassroots approach to the taking control of mayor's office. But this is no slapdash ship; the group members must email their one-page executive summaries by 8:00 a.m. on the 23rd. No faxes. These are the questions the McGinn administration wants answered:
1. How do we build the strongest possible team to achieve the policy objectives and values set forth?2. How do we build public trust in the new administration?
3. What do you view as the incoming administration and the city’s greatest challenge — what should we do first out of the gate?
"We wanted to get the greatest possible amount of information from the broadest cross section of the city so we don’t have a traditional administration," Pickus says.
Of course, McGinn is still working on the more standard elements of a metamorphosis from underdog campaign to city hall's highest office—such as breakfasts with former mayors, finding key staff, forging allies with business leaders, and talking with elected officials—but these people are his base. "We want to feed the roots and we need your input," transition team staffer Liz Birkholz wrote in an email to the group this afternoon. The group's members included Dave Schmitz, president of the local grocery workers and service union; David Hiller, Advocacy Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club; Wyking Garrett, a Central District leader who ran in the mayoral primary; Adair Dammann, executive director of SEIU 925; and members of Great City and scores of other civic leaders.
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On the other hand, I think "holy moly, this place is finally gonna make some great changes!"
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Genius strategy while he finds his feet and builds his Mayor 2.0 engine.
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I absolutely love it!
Seattle is indeed, 3 (actually 4) cities within a city:
1) North (of 45th)
2) South (of Columbian)
3) Central
4) West
Maybe McGinn, once he's rectified the mess, can Gorbechev Seattle into 4 principalities -- or perhaps appoint "Vice Mayors" to each fiefdom.
Unless the "scores of civic leaders" including supporters of his opponent? How about the full list?
Is he serious about these video messages going forward? EGO!
Maybe he can get Mallahan to send directly to our cell phones.
Dominic: "So, Mike, is your administration going to be just plain awesome or, like, radically awesome, dude?"
Of course, if he followed tradition, he never would have run in the first place, and we wouldn't be in this appalling situation.
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Just askin'...
Unless the "scores of civic leaders" including supporters of his opponent? How about the full list?
It's my understanding that many business groups and many unions supported Mallahan (though were unsure about it as the election grew near).
Go back, read TS's archives, and think before you post.
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Dude, this is not "touchy-feely talking to everybody." This is McGinn's attempt to institutionalize his base. He's prepping for battle. It's really only "unconventional" because his coalition is unconventional.
In any case, dealing with this City Council is liable to make the most inclusive, warm, fuzzy team player into a ram-it-down-their-throats-and-make-them-thank-you-for-it authoritarian. One thing I never begrudged Nickels for was being a dictatorial jackass. McGinn, for better or worse, likes to fight.
it just occurs to us that the election isn't going to be the end of it.
there will be years of fawning credulous mcginn assworship.
made all the worse because dominic thinks msginn is his special project, that he and slog put mcginn in there and mcginn's every brilliance reflects on him and slog.
slog needs to invent a button that will hide the mcginn/dominic articles...
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You mock but it is not as easy as it looks.
There just aren't enough positive adjectives in the English language to describe the McGinn...
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Besides, everyone knows Seattle is: a. North of the Ship Canal, b. Downtown, c. Everyone Else
So Mc Ginn just invented sunrises and sunsets too?
Weird - except he doesn't know what else to do to put all those new people to work.
They have no policy skills, what to do with them?
CONVERSATIONS - MORE FUCKING CONVERSATIONS
1. How do we build the strongest possible team: Those who will make this city the most compelling city in the world in everyway possible, from prosperity to health to happiness.... We have this capacity and we know it.
2. How do we build public trust in the new administration? If we begin to hear and see the above achieved. Not impossible - just extraordinarily hopeful.
3. What do you view as the incoming administration and the city’s greatest challenge — what should we do first out of the gate? Inspire everyone in the city to do one thing every day to improve our city. That's alot of things every day that will make a huge difference collectively! What are YOU doing today?
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