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Mallahan or McGinn???

Started 2 years ago by WSMom
Latest reply from charlabob

WSMom
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Tell me why one deserves my vote!

I'm leaning toward writing in Nickles...

Posted 2 years ago #
marianne
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I don't know what to do. I don't really care for either of them. I am trying to figure out someone to write in.

Posted 2 years ago #
MargL
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lol - I'm just as waffley on this one.
The debates are just painful to watch. At least with Hutchinson I get a strong feeling of 'smarm' that is off-putting enough that I don't want to vote for her.
But neither Mallahan or McGinn give me warm fuzzies...

Posted 2 years ago #
JenV
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McGinn is already flip-flopping on the tunnel issue. Not exactly inspiring.

Posted 2 years ago #
westseattledood
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I don't know for sure yet either, but I keep wondering if the city can afford the learning curve required of McGinn for management skills. There can be no denying that Mallahan brings 20 years of high-level management skills to the table. At this critical juncture, I just want the guy who isn't going to screw things up TOO bad till The Dow runs for mayor. :)

Seriously, I think The Dow made a strategic error in bowing out for Mr. Nickels. I admire his integrity, but DARN it, much damage can be done in four years. So it comes down to experience and who do I perceive as doing the least damage? What a way to have to base a vote?!?

Posted 2 years ago #
maplesyrup
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I wish McGinn had been supportive of the tunnel all along. It would have been an easy choice.

But even though he's changing his position I feel like the horse already left the barn.

Do you want someone who will begrudgingly go along with the plans or someone who will be enthusiastic about getting it done?

Posted 2 years ago #
Lindsey
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I don't want the mayor election to be a referendum on the tunnel. I think it was wise of McGinn to say that while he still doesn't think the tunnel is the best idea, he won't fight the decision that the council made. I don't think that's flipflopping. In fact, I kind of hate that term. I don't know that the tunnel is the best idea either. I didn't get warm fuzzies, but I did get smarm from Mallahan. Warm fuzzies does not make a good leader. Also, Mallahan hasn't voted IN THE LAST 13 ELECTIONS in King County! I don't trust that someone really cares about public service if they'd missed that many elections. (McGinn missed four)

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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I know so many people writing in Nickles that he might just win. Now that'd be an election!

I definitely wrote in Nickels.

Course, I also don't fear snow.

Posted 2 years ago #
maplesyrup
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Heard on NPR this morning that the election rules state that anyone who lost in the primary election cannot be elected.

It's a shame, because I would write in Nickels otherwise.

Posted 2 years ago #
KBear
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The fact that Mallahan can run a big corporation does not qualify him to manage a city. I wish people would stop assuming that business experience is what's required to fix government's problems. That said, I hope he can do it, because I'm sure not voting for Mike McNoTunnel.

Posted 2 years ago #
Keith
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I'm voting for McGinn.

I was hesitant before because of the tunnel issue, but I actually admire his position on it now that the city council has voted to approve it. He hasn't "flip-flopped" - he's still thinks the tunnel is a bad idea. But now that it's too late for him to do anything about, he's not going to try and go backwards and undo what's already in motion; instead he is going to take a hardline approach to cost overruns. I think Mallahan is more of a 'rubberstamp the expenditures' mindset. As McGinn pointed out in the debate the other night, Mallahan's campaign is funded in no small part by the many companies poised to reap a huge windfall from the tunnel project and related developments. I'd rather have someone who has the people's interests at heart overseeing that project (since it's we the people who are on the hook for any cost overruns) than someone with a more 'corporate crony' background. I feel that Mallahan would be like Mic Dinsmore of the Port all over again.

And beyond the tunnel, there are so many other issues that McGinn has a stated position on and actual position papers, from education to transportation and even the arts (a huge industry in our city) whereas Mallahan is more vague or has no plan at all.

Personally, I would rather vote for someone who makes their opinions and rationale crystal clear (McGinn) than someone who is more vague and seems more into 'lip service' than actual ideas.

Watch some of the debate from the other night and I think you'll agree that McGinn is a guy who is clear about his ideas and principles and willing to come on strong with them... not characteristics you'd find in a 'flip-flopper.'
http://www.king5.com/news/specials/politics/

BTW, WSMom - my understanding was that writing in Nickels would be a waste of your vote, as he is disqualified from winning after losing the primary.

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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I live in a Democracy. I vote for who I want to vote for and it gets counted.

Nickels is NOT disqualified from being a write-in candidate.

If you feel like Nickels would be the best candidate, and you write in Nickels, then your vote will be counted.

It would be illegal not to count that vote.

Posted 2 years ago #
Lindsey
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Keith - agree with 100%. He's not flip-flopping, he's doing what the people (via the city council) want. That's a very admirable position. The debate last night definitely helped me make up my mind.

Posted 2 years ago #
maplesyrup
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Yardvark your vote might get counted but all I'm saying is I heard that Nickels can't be elected even if he gets the most votes. It's the way the rules were written, apparently.

Sorry.

I didn't know about that either until this morning btw.

Posted 2 years ago #
Keith
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More info on the Nickels write-in issue:

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/10/sore_loser_law_would_prevent_n.php

Posted 2 years ago #
Laconique
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I wish people had just turned up and voted for him in the damn primary and we wouldn't be in this position. People loved to hate on Nickels, but now we're stuck with a choice between Wingus and Dingus. Awesome.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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does anyone else besides me get an "Eddie Haskell" feeling about Joe Malahan? I don't know how else to describe it...he gives me the willies :( and lol, all at the same time...

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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People voted in the primary.

It was conclusive.

They don't like snowstorms.

McGinn has a proven history of stopping snowstorms.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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Malahan is better looking than McGinn..

but McGinn kind of reminds me of Bud Clark in Portland.. the mayor who posed for the flashing raincoat statue... Expose Yourself to Art .

Can't you just see McGinn doing that?

Bud's prior experience was running a tavern.. a really good tavern.. he was the city's innkeeper... and he managed the city as well as he managed his tavern. He rode a bicycle to work:)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Clark

it didn't work out so badly for Portland. Bud turned the corner on urban development in Portland, launched light rail and a homeless plan that worked. He inherited a city that was on the verge of bankruptcy and "managing the city resources with the Portland City Council, Clark left the city 8 years later with $20 million in reserves and an award from the AMBAC Corporation for Portland as the Best Managed city of its size in the USA."

Portland could use another Bud Clark about now...

and i think that McGinn, Seattle's version of Bud is long overdue here.

I am glad the tunnel issue is out of the way.. now i can vote for him with no reservations.

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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Greg Nickels cannot win; no matter how many voters write in his name. He lost the primary (thank you misguided Seattle voters!) If a candidate loses the primary she/he may not be voted in as a write-in candidate.
I'm fine with a candidate changing his mind and begrudgingly going along with a project he/she doesn't like. It takes a bigger person to do that than sweeping up his toys and saying I'm not going to play if it doesn't go my way.
I am concerned about who Mallahan has in his pocket; mainly big business is what it looks like to me. Do you think he will pay much attention to Columbia City; the U district, Beacon Hill or West Seattle. I'm concerned that he will not.

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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A vote for Nickels WILL be counted, just like a vote for any other election loser (Gore, Kerry, McCain).

Always vote for what and who you believe in.

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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It will be counted, you are correct. So will votes for Mickey Mouse; these just won't be fulfilled. Like gravity, its the law

Posted 2 years ago #
Jiggers
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I'm writing in Jiggers

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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Exactly. Mickey Mouse is the epitome of democracy. He's been elected for so many things over the years.

And from such humble beginnings on that steamship...

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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and Mickey Mouse has never held an elected office...

if equal numbers of those who write in would have voted for McGinn or Malahan, writing Nichols in to make the point wouldn't matter.

But I bleieve it to be more likely that those who would have voted for Nichols find McGinn the lesser of two evils.

It would be a shame to hand Malahan the election just to make a point. We will live with the consequences of this vote for a very long time.

I am reminded of the Nadar votes in the first Bush victory... those who voted Nadar handed the election to Bush.

I talked with many of them afterwards and they said they would never have voted Nadar to make a point if they had thought it would cost the election.

There are apparently many of us who voted for a candidate they were pretty certain wouldn't win in the primary race to make a point to Nichols.. including me.. who would never have done so if they had known Nichols wouldn't be in the running.

Our choice may be between the lesser of two evils... but it is still an important choice.

Please don't throw your vote away by writing in Nichols.

Posted 2 years ago #
nuni
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voting for McGinn, because Mallahan takes credit for other people's work. Not respectable, IMO.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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and who knows..
he might have some unexpected benefits...
i really can see him posing for the next generation expose yourself to art poster:)

Posted 2 years ago #
Yardvark
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Not to rehash old wounds, JoB, but I firmly hold that it was actually all those people that voted for Gore that gave Bush the election.

You HAVE to vote for who and what you believe in....and I don't believe in the lesser of two evils theory, nor that McGinn is actually evil.

Mallawho, on the other hand...possibly evil. Very possible.

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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I wonder how long we will remember the lesson of not voting for someone else to send (in this case) a "message." Vote for who you think will do the best job. We are stuck now. Low voter turnout and write-ins will be forgotten by the next mayor.
Me, I am still undecided.

Posted 2 years ago #
JenV
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I think I will also write in Jiggers.

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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Great idea! Spirits will flow at City Hall, and I aint talking about the spooky ones.

Posted 2 years ago #
westseattledood
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Here's an interesting, or scary, scenario destined to derail everything: McGinn as mayor with Hutchison as Exec.

Now, How the heck either one of them could fulfill their campaign platforms and agendas is beyond me; all I can see is RELENTLESS butting of heads and being at total cross purposes. For example, the light rail McGinn says he can conjure up ? How is THAT gonna' happen under Ms. H.?
The morale of a city up to
the gills in it already.

Posted 2 years ago #
miws
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As much as I don't like doing it, I went with the "lesser of the two evils" thing.

I voted for McGinn, not that I think he's going to be great, but because of his concern for the enviroment, and because I generally have a distrust of large corporations, and those involved in the leadership of them. I figure they are most likely to have the big corps, and the wealthiest citizens in their best interest, at the expense of the smaller business owners, average working, and poorer, citizens. I fear that Mallahan would have the huge downtown developers in his pocket, much as Nickels seems to have had.

I very exitedly voted for Nickels in 2001, having been to several of his community meetings during the '90's, when he was our County Councilmember, and really liking him. Although I didn't expect that West Seattle would get special treatment, since he hails from here, (woulda been kinda nice though ;-) ) I did hope, and expect, that not only would we not be forgotten here, over on our little penninsula, as has seemingly long been the case, but, that the neighborhoods in general, would get priority, over the big business interests in downtown Seattle. I grudgingly voted for him again, in 2005.

There's that old line "Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him!" Well, after 2005, I was like "Go ahead, blame me, it's my fault, I voted for him, sorry!" ;-)

This past primary, I just couldn't, in good conscience, vote for him again. Now, I'm almost wishing I, and enough others had, and just sucked it up as far as having to have him in office another four years.

All that being said, I still really like the guy. Just not too happy with the way he's run the city. Even though I've heard, that behind the scenes he can have a pretty nasty temper, I think he's otherwise a very personable guy. Maybe that's just the politician in him.

Mike

Posted 2 years ago #
westseattledood
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Posted 2 years ago #
Julie
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Hmmm....the Times' endorsement of Mallahan is pushing me even more towards McGinn...

Posted 2 years ago #
nuni
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that's why you vote for McGinn and Constantine :)

Posted 2 years ago #
marianne
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I also was excited to vote for Nickels when he first ran and really disappointed in him once he got into office. He seemed to me to be too cozy with the developers once he got in. I am afraid Mallahan would be that way but even worse. Not thrilled with McGinn, but I do see him as the lesser evil.

Posted 2 years ago #
Flyonthewall
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I was leaning towards Mallahan during the primaries, but after watching the debates I find him to be mired in old fashion Washington politics and it was clear to me that he will use the Mayor's office as a stepping stone to bigger political ambitions.

I want someone who is interested in this City and not the national spotlight. So I'm now voting for McGinn, although he's not the strongest candidate for political office I've ever seen. McGinn reminds me of the Yeslers' and Maynards' of the past - he kind of fits the model of the old time City Mayor. Not that they were great Mayors, but they were interesting nonetheless.

Posted 2 years ago #
Julie
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@nuni: Oh, Constantine--no question! I didn't even need the Times' endorsement of Hutchinson to tell me that!

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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transportation? Constantine and McGinn
Education? Constantine and McGinn
Community development? Constantine and McGinn

I forget. Why was there a question?

Posted 2 years ago #
CeeBee
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I keep flipping, and am currently holding on the Mallahan side. This was after I read that Vulcan was happily consulting with McGinn on development policy. South Lake Union redux anybody?

Posted 2 years ago #
KBear
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Mallahan, McGinn, hardly worth comment. There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama.

Posted 2 years ago #
westseattledood
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AHA CeeBee!

No kidding?

Good - no - GREAT, information to share!

You know, there is alot I don't like about Mallahan, but I think
McGinn consulting with Vulcan shows he is NOT necessarily the Opie of Mayberry RFD homie people are painting him as. In this regard, I think any difference tween the two is theater.

Posted 2 years ago #
CeeBee
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WSdood, yeah, I know. I can't remember where I saw it, I think it was in the Times and Phi Fuji (Vulcan guy who was part of their land acquisition team) was going on about how McGinn's land use thinking was right on target. I'll see if I can find it.

Posted 2 years ago #
CeeBee
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Gee, that was easy! From the Seattle Times, Oct 11, by Emily Heffter, except from McGinn article, starts midway though at a description of the activities of the Great City org, which McGinn founded:
"Among the 75 or so donors to Great City are such varied entities as international architecture firm Mithun, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, The Bullitt Foundation, Puget Sound Energy and the Cascade Bicycle Club.

"He did have some credibility in bringing people together," said Phil Fujii, senior community-relations manager for Vulcan, which has given about $10,000 a year to Great City for the past four years. The development company endorsed Nickels in the primary but hasn't made an endorsement in the general election.

Fujii had worked with McGinn in 2000, when Fujii was with the city's Department of Neighborhoods and McGinn was a Greenwood neighborhood leader. He thought McGinn understood development issues, and he'd seen McGinn work well with different groups of people.

"He's very open and communicative," Fujii said.
...."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2010040749_mcginn11m.html

Posted 2 years ago #
HMC Rich
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Jiggers, you have my vote.

Posted 2 years ago #
Jiggers
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Hehehehehe...I should run for Mayor. Anyways, I talked with Dow awhile back and found him to be a little bit arrogant.Maybe he's changed the older he got.

Posted 2 years ago #
acemotel
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Have any of you folks actually worked with McGinn, or watched him at work? At the Parks levy committee, he was so disorganized, befuddled and ineffective, they had to bring in a co-chair to get the committee on track. That co-chair has publicly endorsed Mallahan; in fact, she is on his advising committee. And yet, McGinn lists the Parks levy as one of his greatest accomplishments!!!??? As someone who has seen McGinn in action, I have a great fear for the city if he becomes mayor. I don't want an ineffective and disorganized mayor! I don't want a mayor who takes credit for things that were accomplished by others, IN SPITE of his weaknesses.

Also, the man has never supervised a staff! One of his primary duties as mayor is directing, managing and supervising the leadership team that runs the whole city - directors of all the departments. HOW can a person with NO supervisory experience direct others and gain their respect and loyalty? The people he would be managing have more management experience than he does!

Call him a maverick, whatever, if you are entranced with his public persona. But in terms of effectiveness, he is a dangerous gamble for this city. IMO.

Posted 2 years ago #
charlabob
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Mallahan is a corporatist and he's not a very good, um, fibber. I saw him address the 34 Legislative Dems when we were deciding on whether to endorse him along with McGinn. The big issue there was Verizon's antiunion campaigns. Instead of owning his role as an exec VP, he said, "I wasn't VP of employment...I knew nothing." Even he realized we weren't dumb enough to believe that someone in the executive suite had no knowledge of the company's anti union activities.

Since then I've watched him use our lack of endorsement as a "feature" (on the eastside.) I saw him weasel word, be bad at it, and not own it. That was enough for me.

McGinn is applauded by some folks from Vulcan? Well, we got through n years of the mayor from Vulcan (Nickels) -- do we want to start over with the mayor from another set of industries? Any public official who gets elected in the United States will be a corporatist. All we can do is hope some of it will trickle down. I'm voting for McGinn because I expect more to trickle down to the folks who actually need it.

Posted 2 years ago #

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