THANK YOU, DAN: I lived in Chicago my entire life up until a year ago when I moved here. And I can't believe the utter incompetence and helplessness of our mayor ["The Daley Show," Dan Savage, Sept 22]. The monorail has turned into a complete joke, I can't walk down Broadway without some band of meth addicts accosting me, traffic is a nightmare, and downtown is filthy and unattractive.
Daley wanted a park instead of an airport so he bulldozed it at 3:00 a.m. He wanted Millennium Park so he sunk hundreds of millions (with strong opposition) into something that has now put Chicago among the ranks of NYC, London, and Paris. So what if he gives away some contracts under the table? So what if he's an ass during press conferences? At least things get DONE. That's a lot more than Mr. Greg can say. You know, it took me almost a year just to recognize his face when I saw it on TV because it just didn't show up that often. Kind of telling, no?
Ann M. Janikowski
NATIVE SENTIMENTDEAR MR. SAVAGE: Thank you, thank you, thank you, for those comments about [Greg] Nickels in the current issue. As a native to the Pacific Northwest (Scandinavian and Yupik) I couldn't agree with you more.
Laurence Ballard
GRIDLOCK GREG'S GIRLTO DAN SAVAGE: Thank you for "The Daley Show" article. You said exactly what has been running through the frustrated minds of monorail supporters when it comes to Mayor Nickels. There is another little fold in the saga between Nickels and the monorail and I'm not sure if it has gotten any notice. The mayor's daughter was actually a paid intern at the monorail until fairly recently. In fact, it was not too long after she had taken her check and gone back to school that he came out against the project. Why is the monorail "getting Seattle moving" when his daughter works there, but worthy of being shut down just a short time later?
Kat Misenar
MARVELOUS MUDEDECHARLES: I just read the art review in The Stranger that you wrote about my solo show (Black Market) at James Harris Gallery in Seattle ["Redacting Capital," Charles Mudede, Sept 15], and I must say that it is one of the most incredibly thoughtful and insightful reviews written on my work in regards to issues of economic and cultural globalization. Just spot on, really!
I wanted to thank you, as your article not only provides me a solid piece of writing that I will tote around in my own archives, but it also really makes me feel good to know that others can make the connections and respond to what I'm trying to do.
I'm really impressed at how much you compacted into a small article and it makes me wonder if your other writings/reviews reflect similar issues to those you brought up. Again, thanks for your insight and thoughtful piece!
Stephanie Syjuco
BICKERING WITH BARNETTI've got to take issue with the following excerpt from Erica C. Barnett's article "Rapid Response" [Sept 22]: "Nickels's decision to abandon the monorail as soon as it ran into financial difficulty seems inconsistent with his adamant support for Sound Transit's light rail..." Forgive me, but the Seattle Public Monorail Authority has been in financial difficulty from the time the very first budget estimate came in. While Sound Transit has certainly had similar difficulties, it does appear that they're at least competent to build SOMETHING—and it seems clear to me that no amount of life support would get a single meter of new monorail built. Joel Horn was a snake without any ability to lead the SPMA through their difficulties—and he bailed after cashing out for half a million plus.
Manzell Blakeley
COMMENDING CLEMENTDear Bethany Jean Clement: I need to take a moment to tell you how much I enjoy your writing in The Stranger. Although brief, your little personal review of the Tin Hat [Bar Exam, Sept 15] was just perfect. If I were still a high-school English teacher, I would clip that article and put it up on the overhead projector for my students, as a model, for a restaurant-review-writing unit. Now I'm off for dinner at Crow. Yum.
Brian John Pinsker
FROM THE FORUMS AT WWW.THESTRANGER.COMPOSTED BY JONATHON G. ABRAHAM: I think Dan Savage deserves a refund for the money he willingly handed over to the mayor. I deserve a refund, too. By my count, Savage and the other city planners there at The Stranger owe me about $800 in motor-vehicle excise taxes that were absolutely wasted on their bungled pet endeavor. What do you plan for an encore, taxpayer-funded jet packs for the masses? I thought for sure true intellects like Cindi Laws understood the complexities of a multi-billion-dollar transit agency. What a rare gift to public service she's turned out to be, eh? And can someone please explain how, of all people, Chair Kristina Hill with her landscaping PhD could have misjudged routine tasks like revenue calculations, bond-market assumptions, and fixed-price contracts? It wasn't the mayor, city council, or any other secret force that sunk this pig—it's the very premise of the Seattle Monorail Project itself. The initiative, the route, the funding plans, and the people charged with fulfilling the project culminated into one grand and colossal failure. The Stranger bet the bank on a mediocre idea that's sinking under its own weight, while the rest of us are left to pay for the clean up. So gentlemen, I ask you—when do I get my refund?
POSTED BY STEREOAGNOSTIC: Regarding Saturday's antiwar protest at Westlake Center: When it comes to something as serious as stopping an unjust war, you'd think we could get a powerful and articulate speaker to show up and get everybody fired up. I had to stand through some bad poetry and a Canadian lady talking about oppression in the Philippines. The Philippines! I know there's bad shit going on everywhere, but come on—this was supposed to be an antiwar protest. Let's try to stay on topic, yes? Way too many people didn't even know there was a protest, let alone the specifics of the itinerary. Whoever was organizing this thing needs a serious kick in the ass. And oh yeah—drop the clichéd hippie bullshit.
