I am really starting to like Rasmussen!

If this is indeed an unprecedented budget situation in uniquely bad economic times, it doesn't seem unreasonable for the city to take unprecedented actions to shore up the budget. We don't want to see the city acting like this in normal economic times, but that's an issue for then, not now.

It also seems a bit ironic that our ostensibly left-wing mayor seems like a much better budget hawk than those to the right of him -- of course, I think that's because this isn't a left-vs-right issue, but a establishment-vs-not-yet-establishment issue.

But think about this, too, Mr. H:

The gov couldn't convince the legislature *not to* fuck with the overrun deal, and the mayor couldn't convince the council *to* fuck with the MOHAI deal.

Limits of executive power.

Congrats to the Sally Bagshaw on this one. The Council's "REJECT" stamp is a sign that the Mayor's office needs to clean up its act and start paying attention to its relationship with a strong council super-majority of Bagshaw, Conlin, Burgess, Rasmussen, Clark, and Godden with occasional help from Licata and Harrell. This vote again shows O'Brien to be a weak McGinn clone as he summons only a timid "Abstain" in support of his mayor.

I guess Mayor McGinn thinks they dont need the money at all because theyre not going to move, because he's personally going to block the construction of the new 520 bridge.

Thems some smart thinking in them thar brains.

We obviously can't afford the Billionaires Tunnel.

And yet, even though that is many many times LARGER than the MOHAI money, Council refuses to face reality about that one.

It's good to see we have grown-ups on the 2nd floor babysitting the folks up on 7. Way to go City Council! And way to not vote "no" O'Brien!

MOHAI wins the lottery! $47 million, all of which is paid for by Washington taxpayers. But the idea that we might have some say in how that's spent is off the table.
Thank you city council for abdicating that responsibility.
If we start questioning secret back room deals by previous mayors and councils nobody will trust our secret backroom deals anymore!

Personally, I want people who are elected and accountable to voters to make decisions about the allocation of public resources to public institutions. In a public process too. Not really the Seattle way though, is it?

I have to say I generally agree with the mayors positions, but this was a bad call.

There is no two ways around, the mayor is wrong, wrong, wrong. I question the ability of someone to be a mayor who doesn't understand basic contract law and instead relies on emotional scare tactics to try to get his way.

@codswallower, That might have been true, if this was just a grant or simply money that the state was giving to MOHAI just for being MOHAI, but the state is giving this money as compensation for MOHAI losing it's building and land. MOHAI could have stayed at its Montlake location indefinitely had the State not wanted to widen 520 and needed that land.

Plus, MOHAI built its building with pretty much its own money and donated it to the city... shouldn't they be allowed to get something back for what they have built there?

Also, isn't it part of representative politics that we trust those we elected to make some decisions for us? That means "back-room deals." Perhaps I can leave my job and friends and family and spend my time going to every deal the city council and the mayor's office makes. Just to make sure my money is being spent (the $0.001 of most deals that is what I put to the pot) wisely.

I'm with McGinn on this one.