Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn announced this afternoon he would no longer fight a tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct shortly after the city council’s unanimous vote to approve a preliminary tunnel plan. His statement, which he read to reporters downtown, is below.
Today, the City Council authorized Mayor Greg Nickels to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the State of Washington committing Seattle to the tunnel plan.
I disagree with the decision. I disagree with the timing.
But the reality is Mayor Nickels and the Council have entered into an agreement, and the City is now committed to the tunnel plan.
If I’m elected Mayor, although I disagree with this decision, it will be my job to uphold and execute this agreement. It is not the Mayor’s job to withhold the cooperation of city government in executing this agreement.
I will, however, continue to ask tough questions:
• We don’t know how much it’s actually going to cost.
• If it ends up costing more than the current budget allows, there is serious disagreement between Seattle and the State over who will pay the cost overruns.
• Where will the money come from, and who will bear the burden? Will we have to cut police, fire, library, or services for the poor?
I will not stop asking the tough questions nor will I ever stop standing up for Seattle’s interests in this process.
I’m worried the people that want the tunnel have a champagne appetite and the City has a beer budget. The question is who will end up paying the tab.
There is a clear choice in this election.
My opponent has refused to ask any hard questions about the tunnel.
In fact, when asked about the Legislature passing the cost overrun amendment, he said:
“If I were mayor, rather than taking potshots at Democratic leadership who put that (amendment) on, I’d express disappointment and say, “OK, we can live with this.”
Seattle cannot live with paying the cost overruns on the tunnel.
Joe Mallahan’s response after the jump:
Says Mallahan in a statement:
I am pleased the City Council reaffirmed its commitment to move forward on the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project. The worst thing we could do for our economy is undo a decision that took eight years to make. If we don’t move forward on replacing the viaduct, our economy and our traffic will come to a screeching halt.
My opponent has spent the last eight months campaigning on one issue — stopping the tunnel and our economy from moving forward.
Now he’s changing his position because he’s seen the poll numbers and is fighting for his political life. My opponent has shown he is willing to say whatever voters want to hear. His flip-flopping clearly demonstrates that voters have a choice between a political opportunist or a principled leader and effective manager, like myself, to lead this city and our economy forward.
Flippity-flop. So much for your ‘core principles’ fat boy.
Will, dear – is that good enough for you?
Finally, a politician from Seattle who has the balls to say a deal is final instead of endlessly reopening and rehashing everything. He finally earned my vote.
Wow, a massive flip-flop. That’s not leadership.
@3 I think this pushes me over too. McGinn gets my vote.
Too little too late. Already voted, and not for McGinn.
Clearly McGinn is calculating that accepting the tunnel will gain him more votes than changing his position will loose him. I think that’s unlikely, but I suppose an unlikely win is better than a certain defeat.
And so the judo master wins another round.
By the way, remember back in the day when you said we wouldn’t be spending months discussing the tunnel and this would all be gone withing a week?
Grin.
McGinn has finally earned my vote. He just removed the one big hesitation I had in voting for him.
McGinn suckered in the naive greenies and bikes crowd (such as the stranger) and the anti-tax righties with his anti-tunnel stance.
Realizing it was a losing issue he now has a way to bounce back.
But for those of us who have been following his antics for the last few years, we know that this is just another instance of his disreputable behavior…
What flip-flop is next? Maybe fatboy McGinn admits most Seattle cyclists are spoiled white wankers?
… the man is a total opportunist…
McGinn will DO and SAY anything to get into office. He just lost my vote.
This is ballsy, risky, but potentially brilliant. All those who identified with McGinn but hated rehashing the tunnel debate have just had their decision made for them (and, based on my interactions, there’s a lot of them). What does Mallahan gain? He’ll be able to gain some traction on the flip flop, but he’s not going to get many anti-tunnel voters. This has become a different race, and guaranteed the vast majority of voters have not mailed in their ballots yet.
From McGinn’s statement:
It is not the Mayor’s job to withhold the cooperation of city government in executing this agreement.
Quoting Mallahan:
“If I were mayor, rather than taking potshots at Democratic leadership who put that (amendment) on, I’d express disappointment and say, “OK, we can live with this.”
Hasn’t McGinn just done what he was castigating Mallahan for?
(Hoist on his own petard?)
Vote NO on R-71, it’s a giant flip flop on denying gay rights!!!!!!!!
Hi folks from the Mallahan nasty messaging team. Did Charla or Jason write your memo today? Both are equally mean spirited.
McGinn gets my vote and I heard from a number of freinds in the past hour who were reluctantly voting Mallahan and who are coming over to the good side.
Go, McGinn!
I’m finally on his side. The viaduct is easily the biggest public safety hazard and we just need it over with.
Too funny, my last security code to post? PANDER
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
ROFLMFAO
You hipsters are the most gullible segment of voters eva!
This justttttttt about should put an end to anyone’s support of McGullible’s run for mayor.
Enough of the stupid fucking credulous hackery support for this fool!
Mallahan For The landslide Win!
Luckily most hipsters are too fucking stupid to get on their fixies and drop their ballots in the mail box on the way to work at Kinkos.
I can’t figure out whether this is a great big gift to McGinn wrapped up and ribboned by the current city council and mayor to allow him to abandon the core issue of his campaign. Or were they so worried that he might actually win that they felt that it was necessary to finalize the issue? Stranger News Intern Department, tell me what it all means!
Core issue? Um, haven’t you been paying attention?
There are many issues that Mike McGinn is running on.
Now … admittedly, I can’t think of any Joe Mallahan is running on.
McGinn was totally against the tunnel as a “stupid idea” but, you know if he gets elected he’ll go with it or whatever.
@23 Many issues for McGinn? You mean that thing that he calls a platform that was created for him? He has no idea about most of his own platform…. and given his propensity for flip flopping, how do we know he won’t do it again?
I mean if he is willing to flip flop on his #1 platform stance, how can we trust that he will stand by ANY of his platform if it is met with opposition from the City Council or voters?
Hmm? Answer me that!
Just that one little question. Answer me that!
(Ohhh and the reason you probably can’t name any Mallahan stances, is because you haven’t been spoon fed talking points by the Stranger! You know….like the other candidate that the Stranger staff continually suck said dick of?)
McGinn the realist.
My candidate is better than yours, your candidate doesn’t know anything! My candidate is going to win! Nyah nyah!
Use your real name when you’re talking politics, people, Jesus.
See ya, Joe.
I do, Grant. Even if the paid consultants for Mallahan don’t.
So what else is McGinn running on? His leadership on the parks levy? NOT. HE was so disorganized, inefficient, inept, in trying to chair the committee they had to bring in a co-chair.
Next time, McGinn, announce shit like this BEFORE the ballots go out. I would love to vote for you now, but I already voted for Mallahan.
Really disappointed, but will still vote for McGinn. The tunnel will be the biggest financial disaster for this city. Of course it will overrun its costs. No way in the world it won’t. And builders in this town do pisspoor jobs. Haven’t been in a new building yet that didn’t have leaks, plumbing, electrical issues. You’d have a better chance of survival on a viaduct when that earthquake hits than in the tunnel. Makes me hope the whole waterfront will cave in.
Look, it all comes down to one thing.
Should the current city council (many of whom are retired this year) decide this issue?
And will the current incumbent mayor sign it, even though it has no support?
Obviously they shouldn’t. But, since they’re doing it, this just pushes the ball down the road. Still no funding locked down, still no ballot vote to pay for it (councilmanic bonds are used up), still hasn’t even passed the first design review stage (e.g. no public hearings).