HOORAY! The recession is over! ... for MOHAI, anyway.

See ya, suckers!

So he closes negotiations as he began them: with a press release.

MOHAI and the Gates Foundation must love using all that Seattle tax money.

Granted, the Mayor comes across poorly in this play, but I completely see where he's coming from.

We're not hiring police, we're cutting transportation, we're worried about schools, and then one area gets a huge amount of money. He's not saying he hates museums. He's saying, that "belt-tightening" Republican meme has to be applied equally to all. Especially since everyone is still squeamish about raising taxes.

Meanwhile Gregoire is sitting on 3 Billion that "has to go" for a tunnel.

How about giving up and paying for what you already have, Chris?

@5: BINGO.

This all seems a little suspicious to me, too, in that the council -- which has sided with the state and against the mayor and voters, is playing white knight. Again. And all at the expense of taxpayers that are absolutely struggling.

Is this a game where the state sets 'em up and knocks 'em down? The charismatic council, saving the arts! Saving transportation! All while spending more money than we have in a period when heavy cuts are the norm and even progressives are asking for a bit of scaling back so that all taxpayers get the relief they need?

Remember, the biggest concern the council had a few days ago wasn't saving the arts or job in this city, but in preserving potential contracts, like spending tons to buy huge pieces like a space shuttle:

Bagshaw also says that the issue is about more than MOHAI. For example, she cites the city's attempt to bring a retired space shuttle at the Museum of Flight. "If people can't trust the city to negotiate in good faith, where will we be on big items like that?"

Think about it.

If MOHAI had a space shuttle, I'd definitely go.

It'th a conthpirathy.

a deal is a deal. I think the Mayor is wrong on this one. MOHAI should get all of the money. I understand the city's budget problems, but this is just bad form.

It is unfortunate that the arts bill failed in the legislature last Spring, that McGinn was not really engaged with his campagn promise.
Options for MOHAI and the city are limited in the uncertain future.

It is entertaining to hear the mayor claim somebody else's messaging.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

Bagshaw has nothing to stand on here. She's is a poor steward of the people's money and for what? MOHAI? Where are her priorities? $7 million is a lot of money that could go for homeless shelters this winter, more library hours, more community policing, etc... She better hope MOHAI staff put in a lot of time on her re-election campaign because the people of Seattle are not going to forget this.

Maybe the mayor could postpone his Walk/Bike/Wait for a Bus $30 million dollar wish list so he doesn't sound like he is talking out both sides of his ass.

The mayor just said he wants the money, he did not actually say what he wants it for. All budgets suck, but if he is going to squeeze MOHAI and turn around and spend money on his shit, and ignore the imagined list people are projecting onto the situation then, well, fuck him,
He needs to lead by his own example.

I agree with Bagshaw that it's "reprehensible" for the Mayor to claim MOHAI money. The $s were negotiated specifically for mitigation for MOHAI's forced move -- not to fill a budget hole for City of Seattle. The Mayor is proposing to redirect these dollars to a completely different purpose, one that had nothing to do with the mitigation effort the State is underwriting. Sorry, but it's just a greedy money grab during a tough budget year. It shows a lack of boundaries and trustworthiness more than anything else. Congrats to Bagshaw for seeing through this and reserving the money to pay for what was intended.

MrBaker, the mayor has made funding priorities abundantly clear throughout the budget process. For example, there's a 3-5% cut at the Seattle FD coming up, additional cuts to health and human services, additional cuts to the library and more.

There's no "imaginary list".

If your opposition is contingent upon a blatant lack of understanding of the current financial picture, I think we can safely assume that you don't know what you're talking about. Moreover, with your track record (and that of the enigmatic FriendofGreen), it seems you exist more or less to filter and trumpet opposing viewpoints on most any political blog you can find.

Until you can rationalize away funding cuts, I'm not sure you're anything more than a talking head without any of the practicality or realism of, say, Gus or michaelp.

BUT OH MY GOD FUCK YOUR BUDGET MCGINN FUCK YOUR BUDGET.

The Mayor's budget is revealed on September 27th - I guess we'll see then what the Mayor views as a priority and what he is willing to cut. Unless, of course, he punts the whole thing to the Council to be the "bad guys". Which is far more likely.

MOHAI should partner with some non-profits in their new SLU 'hood that deal with human services and send some of their bounty that way. Without anyone having to tell them to do so. That would be the right thing to do. MOHAI's whining is getting old too...

@15 -

What I don't get about McGinn's budget forecast is that Gen Fund spending is predicted to increase from $899 million in 2010 to north of $950 in 2011. Yet he's positioning this budget round as cutting...

I did not see a specific breakout on the FD budget, but it seems like these 'cuts' are relative to requests at this point and not based on 2009 expenditure.

@17 a lot of the increase is Seawall.

We literally don't have a choice about that one.

Unless you like swimming at low tide in the mud flats.