Mike McGinn made a lot of promises.

He was a neighborhood man who would appoint neighborhood managers. He was a nightlife advocate who would extend bar hours. He was a transit advocate who would extend light rail to West Seattle and Ballard.

Immediately after taking the oath of office at 2:05 p.m. on January 4, Mayor McGinn said he “believed” in creating opportunity for the disadvantaged, fostering new industries to aid an impoverished economy, and building a model environmental city. This was in addition to the promises he made to Seattle during his campaign.

But a full 100 minutes into his first term, it was clear that McGinn and his new administration were falling short. Some were pronouncing his first 100 minutes a failure.

The tradition of marking accomplishments after 100 units of time began with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who in 1933 took the presidency with a pledge to rescue America from economic collapse. Critics and supporters alike paused to take stock of Roosevelt’s first 100 days. Today we live in an accelerated culture. We have faster cars, a 24-hour news cycle, the internet, Hot Pockets. And in our accelerated media and political culture, we take stock of a new administration after 100 minutes.

“I haven’t seen change or hope,” said Toby Crittenden, spokesman of liberal advocacy group Washington Bus, 100 minutes after McGinn was sworn in. “In the first 100 minutes, there is an air of possibility, like fog on the ports of Seattle,” Crittenden said, sweeping his arm toward Elliott Bay, but he could detect no actual progress.

Rather than enacting the progressive agenda that he ran on (and The Stranger feverishly lobbied for)—expanding the mass-transit network, boosting arts funding, protecting nightclubs—Mayor McGinn squandered his 100 minutes by accepting gifts, listening to music, and consuming an egg.

“I am expecting to step outside today and take a train to West Seattle,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine in a reception area at City Hall, commenting on McGinn’s vow to extend light rail to West Seattle and Ballard. But there was no new light-rail line as McGinn’s first 100 minutes drew to a close.

“People are going to start realizing after the cheese and crackers run out there is still a lot to be done,” Constantine said, gesturing toward the buffet.

Some attendees cautioned against such haste in judgment. “I’m not sure that there is anything you can do in the first 100 minutes that makes a lasting impression,” said David Miller, former city council candidate and past president of the Maple Leaf Community Council, who was standing just outside the city council chambers. (Indeed, former mayor Greg Nickels, who was absent, required 4.2 million minutes in office to cement his legacy.)

“Give it 100,000 minutes [70 days],” Miller added.

Thirty minutes from the 100-minute mark and 200 feet from the buffet, when hopes were still bright, McGinn strolled down the steps from the city council chambers to the foyer of City Hall surrounded by his new three-man security detail. (Another broken promise: McGinn, an avid cyclist, said during the campaign that his security detail would be biking with him, not walking.) The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco presented McGinn with a gift-wrapped ceramic horse. A band drowned out any potential for work at the city headquarters.

McGinn made good on one campaign promise during his first 100 minutes: to cut spending. The new mayor issued an executive order that called for 200 city staff positions to be terminated. But asked 59 minutes after his oath who would be laid off, McGinn said that it was too early to know. When would the city see a ticker tape parade of pink slips? “Within the next three months,” he said, or not until 130,000 minutes into McGinn’s term.

More broken promises: McGinn didn’t visit any neighborhoods in his first 100 minutes, nor did he plant a single tree. He was lucky to escape any major crisis that would test his public-safety platform: Only 21 calls to 911 were reported in the first 100 minutes, most the result of minor medical emergencies and automated fire alarms (there may have been more if McGinn had fulfilled his pledge to allow 911 calls via text message). But if McGinn was feeling pressure to actualize his cumulus word cloud of promises, it didn’t show.

Instead of implementing key elements of his platform—appointing a new police chief, building a fiber-optic network, constructing affordable housing—the new mayor pressed through the throngs toward the buffet table.

The establishment smiled as McGinn set aside his ambitious agenda in favor of cheese and crackers, chips and dip. City council member Richard Conlin called McGinn’s executive order calling for staffing cuts “excellent.” New spokesman Mark Matassa played for time, saying McGinn would satisfy his pledges “after the first 100 minutes had expired.”

On one crucial issue, however, McGinn delivered: Early in the campaign, McGinn took a strong position against building a deep-bore tunnel under downtown Seattle; at the 100-minute mark, there were exactly zero deep-bore tunnels under downtown Seattle.

“Can I tell you a little secret?” Mayor McGinn said when this reporter caught up with him at the buffet table. The mayor tossed a deviled egg into his mouth. “I have actually been the mayor since midnight on New Year’s Eve. I watched the fireworks on TV, and after 15 minutes, I went to bed.” recommended

51 replies on “The First 100 Minutes”

  7. Yeah, that “Dom has his tongue up McGinn’s ass” joke NEVER gets old. Did you see that? Dom, you have your tongue up the mayor’s ass! Haw! A metaphor!

  15. Dan hates all fat but the Mc Ginn fat – how queer.

    And the ass eating jokes are very funny – cause the image of that event is so comic … not that Dom couldn’t handle it.

  16. Hey, if the time we live in is so accelerated, how come it still takes 3 days for those “quick” Hot Pockets to go through me?

    ::rim shot::

    Boo-Yeah!

  21. #18: Not true. 8 out of 9 of McGinn’s senior staff are men. McGinn’s female appointees make over $13,000 less than the men. All of the people interviewed by Dominic (a man) at McGinn (a man)’s inauguration were men. We expect nearly all of McGinn’s 200 layoffs to be women.

    Recall Mike McGinn. Worst first 100 minutes of any Seattle mayor (all men except for 2 years) ever.

  22. “Some were pronouncing his first 100 minutes a failure.”

    Some? WTF is this bullshit? Do you think you work for Fox news now? I can’t believe anyone at The Stranger is stooping so low as to use Bill O’Riely smear tactics.

    Don’t tell us “Some say this” or Some say that”. It’s the most degraded form of journalism there is. What’s next, are you going to use the Glen Beck trademark It’s-not-libel-if-I-ask-it-as-a-question. For example: “Obama is killing your grandma?”.

    Dominic, I expect you to apologize to Stranger readers by tomorrow for acting like a right-wing nutjob.

  25. McGinn actually did have a bad first 100 minutes… virtually no other local or regional leaders showed up at his swearing-in and without any support from other regional elected officials, nothing much will happen.

  27. If I ever get elected and I’m getting judged after 100 minutes I will release to the press, and you can quote me on this:

    “I just got in office, let them change the name on the door and give me a chance to do my damn job before you start ragging on me. Thank you.”

  31. I would like to think @22 is being sarcastic. Alas, I just don’t have that much faith in the intelligence of your average human being.

  32. hahahahaha, Its like shooting fish in a barrel, how can someone simultaneously read the stranger and say something like @22 ….it boggles the mind….

  33. hahahahaha, Its like shooting fish in a barrel, how can someone simultaneously read the stranger and say something like @22 ….it boggles the mind….

  36. As funny as the comments are, the article is crap, even by the lower-than-low standards of The Stranger. If I wanted an alternative weekly whose lead article in the news section is completely devoid of anything even remotely resembling news, I’d read The Mercury.

  38. OMG…this was awesome; i see the stranger has a bit of the ‘the onion’ bug…hilarious, well done sirs and madames.

  40. 39: Napoleon’s hundred days weren’t about “the tradition of marking accomplishments after 100 units of time,” which is what the article refers to. You’re such an ass.

  41. #3: Who types with their tongue?

    A hundred minutes? Who expects much to happen in one hour?

    But that WOULD be enough time for sex. Fifty times! Unless I’m in a hurry. Or excited.

  42. I assume this is a joke, but it’s hard to tell because it’s NOT FUNNY AT ALL. Dear god, and it’s the feature?! Really? I didn’t think it could get much worse than “Lindy West likes sugar,” (who cares?). But I guess I was wrong..

  44. On thing he made sure to do in the minus 100 days before taking office was give himself lots of ‘outs’ on wasting 5 billion on the Alaskan Tunnel.

  47. Swap out ‘McGinn’ with ‘Obama’ and ‘Dominic Holden’ with ‘Dan Savage’ and swap out the intent of humor with serious business and… fuck it

    A year from now, you’ll write this again except you’ll be serious.

  48. I think it shows how much we unfairly expect from politicians.

    I don’t think McGinn will provide all that he promised, but I do think he will be honest about why he failed to do so.

    Given the two candidates in the race I voted for the “lesser evil”.

  50. Spend more time on the city council;after all,they have QUITE a bit ‘o power themselves!And dole out districts for each council seats so we can FINALLY GET A MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY INCOME TAX TO REPLACE THOSE BOURGEOIS SALES TAXES????……Sheesh!!!………

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