Comments

1
Hah.

The city doesn't have to do a darned thing until the State fully pays for the rebuild of SR-99 without forcing Seattle to pay for a state highway.

Two can play at this game.

You asked for war, Governor - you got it.
2
If MOHAI is collateral damage in a war between the city and the state, that will be extremely sad. If that comes to pass, and I hope it doesn't, I hope everyone will step back and take a good look at themselves and what they're willing to destroy for political gain.
3
@2 they brought it on themselves when they moved to SLU. The war between the Billionaires and Millionaires versus the Citizens of Seattle is a high stakes poker game.

By the way, they won't pay much in income tax since most of their money is in tax-exempt foundations. Or other city taxes either.

Decisions have consequences and our city is fast becoming bankrupt due to the shoving of the Billionaires Tunnel down our throats without a vote of the Citizens of Seattle.

We didn't ask for this war. They did.
4
MOHAI is obviously in the right, and I doubt that McGinn has the legal or political capital to really threaten anything.

To date, has there been a single City Council member come out against MOHAI the way the mayor has? Has there been a single person from the State or County come out swinging against MOHAI? Nope. Just the Mayor.

MOHAI will succeed for all of the facts in this response. This isn't slush fund money, this isn't money the City would have been entitled to for other purposes, and this isn't money that affects adversely any transit development.

The Mayor and City Council need to work together to fill the budget hole, and the Mayor does not need to go out trying to bully local museums as a pathetic means to accomplish that goal. He wanted the job, he got it. And guess what - there was a lot more involved than bike lanes and press conferences decrying the tunnel.
5
@2, thanks for that comment. I'm going to repeat it for those who block unregistered commenters:
If MOHAI is collateral damage in a war between the city and the state, that will be extremely sad. If that comes to pass, and I hope it doesn't, I hope everyone will step back and take a good look at themselves and what they're willing to destroy for political gain.
Posted by Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself on September 1, 2010 at 11:57 AM
6
I've volunteered at and been a member of MOHAI for a while, and their library and permanent collection are priceless, both with regards to local and national history. Pulling absolute bullshit like this is the quickest way to assure that I will not vote to re-elect McGinn. I would come up with more coherent and intelligent statements, but all I can formulate now is OH FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU HARD.
7
I'm still waiting to hear the city's legal argument that it is entitled to the money from the settlement that MOHAI has lawfully negotiated. Until I do, this sounds like another big FAIL for the Mayor.
8
The only point that matters is this -- the millions of dollars in discussion here will ONLY exist if MOHAI is demolished and then rebuilt. Those millions literally can't go to any other purpose. There's nothing to talk about here and the Mayor's office is making a total ass of itself.
9
@5, thanks for re-posting.
@3, MOHAI brought it upon themselves? Do you think they'd be moving to SLU if 520 weren't taking out their old digs?
10
@2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, right on. Will, take a civics course. If you and McGinn sign up together maybe they'll give you guys a group discount.
11
@10 this is civics. Maybe you need to grow up and realize that Mayors get to create the budget and get to veto ... ANYTHING.

When you have a large budget hole caused by other people, you take action.
12
I'd never heard of MOHAI before this. Anyone know what hours the museum is open on First Thursday? I'm gonna go check it out.
13
Will, this is between MOHAI and the state. Or did you think MOHAI was part of city government?
14
@12 MOHAI is open between 10-8 on First Thursday. And they give free tours too- at 11, 3 & 7.
15
WiS:
Maybe you need to grow up and realize that Mayors get to create the budget and get to veto ... ANYTHING.

The City already pass an ordinance (law) regarding the MOHAI move to Lake Union. So you're advocating that the Executive branch can "modify" existing law? Can I assume you had no problem with Bush's signing statements, as the President can veto anything, too?
16
"The City already passed an ordinance..." Typing in a hurry, sorry.
17
Remember when we had a mayor who wasn't a dumbfuck? But we had to vote him out then chose the worst option between two shitty ones.

Maybe he'll do us all a favor and commit some impeachable offense.
18
Will, I'll do my best not to channel Fnarf here, but you seem to be confusing a far-off-in-the-future budget hole created by SR99 tunnel cost overruns with the city's ACTUAL, present day budget hole that McGinn is trying to backfill with MOHAI's money.

And to clarify, cost overruns on the west end of the 520 corridor will be funded by increasing and/or extending tolls. This has nothing to do with the SR99 project.

Also, the mayor does not have absolute, infallible veto power in city matters, and he is but one voice in regional discussions with the state, county, sound transit, etc. He also does not have a ray gun or special telepathic powers.

That is civics.
19
What a fucking amateur! The state doesn't show up at MOHAI with a dump truck of money that McGinn can stand by and stuff in a sack.

@4, "bike lanes and press conferences", priceless.

Will in Seattle, you have actually become deranged.

I miss Nickels.
20
Dear MOHAI,
As a citizen of Seattle please accept my apology for Seattle having the klutziest, most amateurish mayor ever to take a seat at City Hall. Your encounter with our mayor's office is only one of the ridiculous and childish pranks he's pulled since being elected and I regret that a great institution like MOHAI was subjected to it.

Thank you for your blog post reminding Seattle and its mayor of the lessons of Civics 101. We wish you the best as you try to rebuild the only museum that records Seattle's rich history. And congrats on working out a great deal with WSDOT for the museum's property. We know you'll spend the money well.

With sincere apologies ~
A Seattle Citizen
21
I actually *cannot* remember a time when we had a mayor who wasn't a dumbfuck.
22
I'm going to keep hammering home the fact that the state has poured money out of a very small bucket into MOHAI when they're facing a budget crunch that looks like it will cripple transit connections in Montlake and from the eastside. It's ridiculous and amateur of both the Mayor's office AND MOHAI at this point and they'd probably be fine for making up in the near future.

BUT

We're chasing our tails here. MOHAI needs to stand with Montlake and the Mayor's Office needs to stop ducking the impending transportation armageddon that's about to be dropped in the laps of everyone in this city. The state is playing chicken with the City of Seattle and they're using MOHAI as a human shield and all of Montlake as collateral damage.

No, fuck that. Fix Montlake, find funding, get this shit fixed RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. If a transit solution is not worked out and functional connections made in this 520 replacement, it will become increasingly less possible to live in Seattle and work at Microsoft. This is not a productive solution for anyone but the eastside, who will finally have Microsoft by the balls and a fist up Seattle's ass.

The state is trying to perform some heavy blood letting out of Seattle voters for god knows what reason. After removing public safety as a concern from SR99, promising to jack up tolls on Seattle residents for 99 and 520, refusing to answer the simple question of "who will pay for SR99 if it goes over the state's firm budget", the state is basically trying to gamble with our lives.

Fuck that, fuck that, FUCK THAT.

I'm tired of the dickering around on 520. Up to this point I'd have given the Mayor's Office a B+ on their handling of this situation, but for falling into the state's goddamned trap I'm giving them a D-.

MOHAI, McGinn: make up. Shake hands. Get the job done. We love the arts in this city, but you're both being played. Hard.
23
Signs of the Montlakeocalpyse?

Hammering, pouring, bucket, crunch, cripple, chasing our tails, standing, ducking, armageddon, laps, chicken, human shield, collateral damage, balls, fist, ass, blood letting out, jack up, gamble with our lives, dickering around.
24
Baconcat:

MOHAI has nothing, i repeat, NOTHING, to do with the 520 design, or anything related to the clusterfuck that is the 520 replacement. They have legitimate mitigation costs associated, and those would be there regardless of the ultimate fate of the 520 plan.

Where the Mayor has failed (IMO) is in spending so much goddamn time holding news conferences and bitching about the tunnel, that his one news conference re: 520 was a waste of time, and he hasn't done anything to really protect our side of the water.

I've spoken with Rodney Tom, and listened to him speak, about 520. He takes great pride in fucking over Seattle for the benefit (in his opinion) of his District with respect to the 520 debate. Part of that is, to be sure, a dearth of effective (or any) leadership in the State Senate on transportation issues from Seattle, but the other part is a City disengaged from the conversation, because they are so fucking obsessed with the 99 replacement.

Tunnel vision is the best way to describe our city right now, and it's unfortunate. If we don't get involved soon, and start making waves on the end-result of the 520 replacement, we'll be looking at 3 lanes of cars dumping on I-5 with a shitty interchange and, quite honestly, only requiring 2 person carpools during peak hours.

The Mayor's response: build light rail lines now (which won't happen), and take money from mitigation funds for MOHAI and give them to the city. Perhaps McGinn is a Palin baby, but I'm not (at least, I don't think I am, and that counts for something).

Now is the time to sit down and negotiate for better transpo options across 520. Start with light rail, move to BRT, and accept nothing less than transit only lanes during rush hour (a la 3rd ave). Get allies from the Council and from the County involved. But just pissing everyone off? That's not only a political loser, but a loser for the whole city.
25
I am a vounteer at MOHAI and I am a big fan of what it is and what it does for the people in the Puget Sound area. I credit visits to MOHAI when I was a kid with my family for my strong interest in history now as an adult. Moving to South Lake Union will be a huge win for the people of Seattle and beyond.
26
MOHAI enjoys widespread emotional attachment and personal support from many, many people. This is not going to end well for the mayor. He has picked the wrong thing to use as a political football.

It is interesting to see just how blindly some people are in their following of McGinn. That's kind of sad.
27
So the mayor is throwing a hissyfit because MOHAI negotiated a great deal from the state and he feels cut out on the booty? And so he wants to tarnish the city's reputation in contract negotiations? OIC.

Please wait...

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