We’ve got a bummer crop of mayoral candidates this year. According
to a June 25 poll by SurveyUSA, more than a quarter of likely voters
haven’t decided who they’re backing. At the recent endorsement meeting
of the King County Democrats, the group didn’t endorse a single
candidate. Voters will go to the polls for a top-two primary on August
18, and the leading two candidates proceed to the general election. One
of them will probably be Nickels, but he’s so unpopular that whoever
makes it through to challenge him has a good shot at winning. But most
of them don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. recommended

click to enlarge (pdf)

25 replies on “The Snowball’s-Chance-in-Hell-O-Meter”

  1. Great McGinn caricature. Makes him look 25 years younger, 75 pounds lighter, 95% more bright-eyed, and 125% less hairy than in real life.

  3. Great McGinn caricature. Makes him look 25 years younger, 75 pounds lighter, 95% more bright-eyed, and 125% less hairy than in real life.

  6. Whoever can come up with a good law and order platform*, and prove that they can accomplish it, will get my vote.

    *That doesn’t mean harassing nightclubs and strip bars. That means keeping us from getting stabbed by homeless psychos, shot in the gang war crossfire, keeping our cars from getting broken into, and Get off my lawn!!!

  7. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if The Stranger, or another paper for that matter, dug deeper and endorsed one of the non-dweeb, non-Nickels, non-slimy/recession-profiteer candidates – like, NOW? Seriously, dispersion of committed voters and the wide field of players are working in Mayor Greg’s favor. If he had only one serious contender, they’d have time to build the momentum needed to (snow)plow him under. As is, the Seattle Prep HS grad (Greg doesn’t hold a degree from college, you all know, right?) doesn’t even have to attack them: he can just let them spend their energies, money, soundbites and interns on each other.
    Sidebar to conspiracy theorists (and stoners): It would make sense for Nickels to pay for yet more contenders to join the field and therefore further distract his opposition from actually rallying together the needed boot for the ‘foot up his ass on the way out the door’. So, which ones are already on Greg ‘Chicago’s Son’ Nickels’ payroll? You don’t even need three guesses,… do you…?

    A paper, and then a community of progressives reading that paper or talking amongst themselves, could start that momentum, if we had someone, -‘one’ being the operative syllable-, to root for. Most of us are lazy voters, we depend on the press to tell us/show us who’s worthy. We look to folks that are like minded (or more or less are like-minded), and some of us are here reading this rag. Hoping for, I don’t know, journalism, from the press*.
    Instead we get this editorial cartoon** with no more power or bite than B material from Mad Magazine.

    *= yes, I know, I know: opining on the Stranger’s journalism as less than professional is like accusing a porta-potty of smelling of something less than sanitary. But I can dream.

    **=(kudos to the artist Robert Ullman, mind you – great images cursed to a lesser article)

    Thumbs down, Stranger! Use your power for good on important things like this! Please re-read the First Amendment and think about the intent those boys in wigs had when they came up with it…, or if that’s too much work/literacy to ask of you, just watch the first Spiderman movie again, listening carefully to the lines starting at/around 35:37

  8. Kudos to Rev. Smith, who apparently put more thought in his comment than Dominic did for the entire article.

    Come on Dom, interview a few of the candidates. Get a quote. Anything.

    P.S. I heart the Spider-man reference.

  9. For me, the issue that settles the matter of which candidate to support is transportation planning. Lack of progress and the heated controversy around transportation projects make removing incumbents a priority. The challengers take various positions on transportation planning and projects, but the defining question is what to do with the AWV.

    The Deep-bore tunnel is a monumental mistake. I am certain that the best replacement is the 4-lane Cut-n-Cover tunnel, WsDOT’s Scenario ‘G’, or some variation thereof.

    This leaves Michael McGinn as the best choice because he opposes the Deep-bore tunnel. However, he hasn’t taken a positon on the 4-lane Cut-n-Cover tunnel. Elizabeth Campbell also opposes the Deep-bore tunnel, and for the most important reason: since it doesn’t provide access to Interbay and Ballard, this worsens traffic congestion on surface streets, particularly Alaskan Way. However, she only supports an elevated replacement, a simply terrible idea. Other challengers still have time to weigh in on the AWV issue, so I’m waiting for one standout to show some backbone and stand up to Seattle’s establishment. SDOT chief Grace Crunican should be removed from office along with Nickels and Drago.

  10. @ 7 and 8) This is a graphic chart, not a feature profile on each candidate’s platform. I know you know this. We have written and will continue to write in-depth stories about the candidates, don’t worry. But sometimes charts are fun…

  12. Take another look at 99. With an Alaskan Way boulevard and a direct route to Western/Elliott, it’s actually pretty direct and quick to Interbay.

    (Personally I support the deep bore because it gets the pass-through traffic out of way. The surface option would turn all of Downtown into “First Ave before game”, i.e. a full-time pedestrian nightmare.)

    The drawing on page 40 explains the connection to Western/Elliott: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/52E…

  14. If it’s possible to have an option worse than the deep-bore tunnel, it’s the cut-and-cover. Do you know what that means? Downtown would have a giant, deep ditch running right through it for a few years. Not to mention the loud construction equipment. All of that would add up to a horrific loss of economy for downtown from which it could take a decade to recover. Horrible idea and that’s why just about every city planner, downtown business owner, and politician is against that option.

    It boggles my mind how the state can spend billions of dollars on mega-road projects like the 520 bridge and this fancy, pointless tunnel without blinking an eye. Spending the same amount for either of these projects could’ve just about paid for the entire Link Light Rail expansion, but we’ve had to fight for DECADES to even get one leg built out.

    Nickels gets a big thumbs up for his support for light rail, but a huge HUGE thumbs down for even considering any type of tunnel for Alaskan Way. What a strange city we live in…

  16. Without a 99 tunnel of some kind, we’re left with either another viaduct (a big f-u to the next few generations), or turning all Downtown avenues into highways, a nightmare for pedestrians and buses as well as cars. The deep-bore is a permanent solution for Downtownm without the construction problems or economic fallout noted above. All things considered, it’s the best choice for quality of life and cost, while striking a balance between not fostering more driving and recognizing that 100,000 cars aren’t going to magically disappear (as much as I’d love that!).

  18. Man, a T-Mobile exec? One who’s worked on their customer service technology? I can just imagine calls to the mayor’s office: press (1) to hear why you need to buy more services from us, (2) to be put on hold for 30 minutes, …

    You hominids would have to be crazy!

  19. Man, a T-mobile customer service exec? Press (1) to be sold something, (2) to be put on hold for 30 minutes. What, are you hominids crazy?

  20. Rev. Smith, are you an educationist? Biased against any and all who don’t have university degrees? Doesn’t that include the following? How about judging on ability, rather than BS?

    10 Famous People Without Degrees:
    Mary Kay Ash attended college but dropped out after she got married. She started Mary Kay Cosmetics after being passed over for a promotion that was given to a man who she’d trained. The company started as a book Mark Kay intended to help women and turned into a business plan. With the help of her son and $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics was created. Mary Kay Inc. was named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America and one of the 10 best companies for women.

    Halle Berry is an Oscar-winning actress who never went to college. Instead, she moved to Chicago immediately after high school to become a model and actress. She ranked #66 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 in 2006 and reportedly made $16 million that year. Berry is also a spokeswoman for Revlon cosmetics and was able to command a higher advertising fee after winning an Academy Award.

    Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell, Inc., dropped out of college at 19. He first started his computer company in his college dorm room, later using company’s earnings and family loans to expand. In 2008, Forbes ranked Michael Dell #11 in its 400 Richest Americans. As of 2009, he has an estimated net worth of $12.3 billion.

    Henry Ford never graduated high school, but went on to start one of the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the world, Ford Motor Company. He’s also credited as being the first auto manufacturer to use an assembly line, completely revolutionizing the way cars were produced. The assembly line allowed Ford sell cars at a lower price but the company kept making higher profit because sales volumes continually increased. Time called Ford one of the most influential people of the 20th century.

    Bill Gates, a college dropout, has been named the richest person in the world by Forbes magazine 27 times. Bill Gates, who was 10 points away from a perfect score on the SAT, enrolled at Harvard College in 1973 only to take a leave of absence two years later to form a partnership with classmate Paul Allen. The partnership became known as Microsoft. In 2007, Bill Gates received an honorary doctorate degree from Harvard University. In 2009, Forbes reports Gates’ net worth at $40 billion.

    Andrew Jackson, is most-known for being the 6th president of the United States, but was also a military governor, Army commander, an attorney, and a congressman – all without ever going to college.

    Rachel Ray hasn’t had any formal culinary training, including college, but has several cooking shows on the Food Network, a talk show on NBC, several New York Times bestselling cookbooks, and her own magazine. She got her start teaching cooking classes to customers at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany, New York. The classes showed customers how to cook meals in 30 minutes or less. In 2008, Forbes.com ranked Rachel Ray #76 in Celebrity 100, reporting her earnings at $18 million a year.

    John D. Rockefeller Sr., a high school dropout, became the first American billionaire and is said to be the richest man in history. He founded Standard Oil, the first multinational corporation, in 1870. The Supreme Court broke up the company in 1911 stating the company had violated anti-trust law creating a monopoly.

    Steven Spielberg, is a movie director and producer. Spielberg was denied acceptance to film school and dropped out of California State University in Long Beach. He co-founded DreamWorks, a major film studio that’s produced several of the highest grossing movie hits and Academy award winning films. Spielberg ranked #205 on Forbes 2009 list of world billionaires with a net worth of $3 billion. He was later granted an honorary degree by USC in 1994.

    Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social networking site Facebook #785 in the World’s Billionaires ranks #321 on Forbes’ list of 400 richest Americans. Born in 1984, Mark had an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion in 2008 and is the youngest person ever to appear on one of Forbes’ billionaire lists. He developed Facebook one year on summer vacation after borrowing money from Paypal’s co-founder Peter Theil. In 2008, Microsoft paid $240 million for 1.6% share of Facebook, leading us to believe the site is worth $15 billion.

  21. Seattle has been cursed for the last thirty-plus years (my history doesn’t go past Royer {:-) w/ milque-toast cloth puppets for mayors. The sort of mayors the developers & big$wigs can order around & not have to get any lip in reply.

    Is it too much to expect from a “world-class” city that their mayor is someone who actually leads, and not a craven servant to the shadowy masters who demand parking lots built for them and think public transportation/health/art/works only coddle the ignorant plebes? Apparently it is, for I feel like I will never live to see it.

  22. The deep bore tunnel is worth it.

    A surface option will create huge gridlock. Imagine game day on the viaduct. That’s your average day with this option.

    A cut and cover tunnel or viaduct replacement means closure of the existing viaduct for 5-7 years while the replacement is built or lots of detours. We don’t need that.

    The deep bore tunnel will be built without disturbing the existing viaduct traffic. When it’s done, traffic will be diverted to the tunnel, and the process of dismantling the old viaduct can begin. Perhaps light rail can go through this corridor.

  23. um- we’re comparing politicians’ educational attainment to that of mary kay cosmetics and actresses? Seattle does need to focus on education & it’s important for our “role models” to represent – if you know what i mean. Re: charicatures, I don’t care what Nickels eats- it’s unrelated – I care about how he responds to local issues and citizens’ concerns (but does he?). Re: McGinn- that he looks NOTHING like that is beside the point. He’s the single-issue candidate and might be making promises he’s incapable of keeping. Re: Mallahan – he worked for his cash, so give him a break. But does he get it that throwing money at every issue isn’t a solution? (hmmm.) Re: Jan Drago – it’s time to retire… same old same old, reminding us of all they’ve done but not presenting any fresh ideas for the future. Re: Donaldson – nothing wrong w/ a team player, nothing offensive about him & he seems to be starting to pay some attention to local issues. Campbell -she’s a supporter of keeping folks in their cars. Huh? What? Why? and a monotone speaker… re: Kwame…who is he and does he hit like his father? Re: Sigler – there’s nothing wrong w/ peace talks & if you’ve ever spoken to the guy you know it’s not too far fetched an idea that he’d deliver. He likes to listen & seems to have well thought out reponses to most issues and… sure, I can see us all joining hands, in a big circle around the city…..singing Love Train..

  24. AAAGH! I just heard Elizabeth Campbell on KUOW. I guess I’ll suck it up and vote for Nickels again just to save us from this crazy lunatic. She reminds of that no-name silly person the Republican party ran against McDermott a few elections back who advocated a “return to Biblical law”.

    Campbell described Nickels’s administration as “pro-bicycles at all costs” which would be wonderful if it were remotely true, and as “anti-sprawl” which suggests that she is “pro-sprawl”?

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