The Stranger Election Control Board is sitting down with Albert Shen and Seattle City Council member Mike O’Brien. Shen is challenging O’Brien this year. We’re tired, because we’re drunk. That’s a frosty cup of vodka there on the right, and we’re about to plow into that box of fortune cookies, which Shen brought us, and afternoon snacking makes us sleepy.
Got a question for these guys? Ask in comments and we’ll try to bring it up.
UPDATE at 3:30: The SECB has consumed its first of several fortune cookies. It says, “Get ready to do something daring.“
UPDATE 2: I’m adding a poll.
UPDATE 3: The next fortune cookies says, “As the wallet grows, so do the needs.”
UPDATE 4: In comments, Joe p asks: “Can you ask them if lifting the cap completely on taxi licenses is a good or bad idea?” Yes we can!
While neither supported removing the cap completely, O’Brien’s answer was the most specific, in saying “we need to raise the cap significantly. But I would want to leave some cap in place to ensure some livelihood for the drivers.” O’Brien was even more blunt about cracking down on legally dubious ride-sharing services such as Lyft and SideCar. “We have to take action,” he said. “I think we are going to start enforcing against Lyft and SideCar. I think there is an expectation they are somehow sanctioned, but we don’t know who drivers are or if they have had their brakes checked in the last 20 years.”
As for Shen, he agreed the city should “increase the number of taxi licenses” and the ride-sharing services “meet an unmet demand.”
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