Joel Horn had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do this story. He's uncomfortable with the spotlight, and made it clear more than once he's only one ETC staffer out of many. "We all work together," he says, shifting uncomfortably back and forth on his feet. In fact, at first, Horn refused to be photographed, turning his back when the camera was near. You would think he's never had to deal with the media before. But he has, many times throughout the years, with a ton of projects.
Horn, 46, has short, dark, curly hair that is graying on the sides, wears black reading glasses when needed, and usually dresses casually, in an "I'm ready to go hiking" kind of way. He's an excellent speaker with a clear, distinct voice, like a radio DJ or a late-night talk-show announcer. He's bright, manically energetic, and full of ideas. In fact, his colleagues and those who've worked with him are starstruck. "He's amazing and has incredible commitment once he gets his teeth into something," says former Mayor Paul Schell, whom Horn worked for as a fundraiser. Horn also has a reputation of being overly ambitious, politically savvy, and a smooth talker. "He could talk a leopard out of his spots," says local political strategist Matt Fox, who worked against Horn during the Commons campaign to turn South Lake Union into a giant park. "But getting Horn was the smartest thing the ETC could do," says Horn's former adversary.
In the mid-'90s, after a stint with the Nature Conservancy, Horn helped pass an initiative to reduce class size, and a tax levy to rebuild Seattle-area schools. Then, in '94, Horn volunteered for the South Lake Union park project called the Commons. Horn was soon running the campaign, but after two unsuccessful trips to the voting booth, the project was dead in the water. Though passionate, Horn's inability to defend the Commons against Matt Fox's "it's just a park for the rich" attacks ultimately led to the campaign's demise.
A few years later, while working for real-estate firm Wright Runstad, Horn met Paul Schell, a politician who held many of Horn's ideals: a strong neighborhood focus, a commitment to improving schools, and managing city sprawl. Horn was soon fundraising for Schell's reelection, but that too ended in failure. "I think history will show Paul really understood and accomplished a lot," says Horn, somewhat saddened. After a short term on the ETC board, Horn took a leave of absence from Wright Runstad and joined the ETC staff in December of 2001.The populist monorail could be a perfect fit for Horn's talents.
"The monorail fits into everything I have worked on in the past," says Horn, explaining his philosophy. "Whether it was my work with the schools, or the Commons, I've tried hard to keep people in the city. If you have a strong public school system, parents will keep their kids here and not move to the suburbs," says Horn. "If you have a good transportation system that is not dependent on automobiles, people will stay in the city," he says. "We've built this wonderful city but no way to get around in it. I truly believe the monorail will do that like nothing else can."
