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Mayor hires "bicycle advocate"

Started 1 year ago by Dennito
Latest reply from redblack

Dennito
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This is a rant because once again the Mayor is annoying the beejeezus out of me. At a time when the city is cutting staff do we really need to spend tax dollars on a "bicycle advocate" at $95,000 a year? Seattle will never be The Netherlands. Riding a bike is not easy around here. The terrain is hilly and it rains a lot. I own a bike and love to ride it. But I don't need or want to ride it to work. The streets were designed for cars and I've found riding a bike in town to be dangerous; "bike lanes" notwithstanding. I think the Mayor is not focused on the issues the citizens really care about. He is an ineffective and divisive administrator who lied about the tunnel. I wish we could recall him.

Posted 1 year ago #
clark5080
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My bet he will only have one term

Posted 1 year ago #
GoGo
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I wish I'd never voted for him. No vote would've been better than this buffoon. Bicycle advocate, good lord.....

Posted 1 year ago #
lostcoyote
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Its not a good thing to vote someone into office when you're drunk.It impairs your judgment.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sonoma
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Dear Mayor McGoon,

Would you please hire me as a foot advocate? I know the budget is tight, but I'm willing to accept just $90,000 a year. I'll even clean the trash off Alki Beach.

Posted 1 year ago #
KBear
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Can I be the polar fleece and beard advocate? I'd settle for $80,000.

Posted 1 year ago #
maplesyrup
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I am not a McGinn fan but in fairness the position the bike advocate was hired for is not actually Bike Advocate. He was hired to work on general transportation issues.

Of course, he'll probably play favorites when it comes to bike issues, but the scope of the job goes beyond that.

The mayor was talking about this position on KIRO this morning.

Posted 1 year ago #
Cait
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With him demanding 3-8% budget cuts for fire/police though? I don't care what their scope is - why is he making a new job title with those cuts on the table?! And for transportation of all things? He's got think we're stupid... seriously...

Posted 1 year ago #
maplesyrup
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What he said was that this isn't a new position. He was filling a vacancy and that pay cuts had been made across the board already.

Not defending him, just telling you what he said this morning.

Posted 1 year ago #
Genesee Hill
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I would guess that a big part of the job description will be hindering the deep bore tunnel.

Dennito: I agree with your thoughts. I have seldom trashed any of our mayors, but his lying about the tunnel during the mayoral campaign has made my blood boil.

Posted 1 year ago #
dobro
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I don't get the "lying about the tunnel" accusation. He was against the tunnel from the start and even tho post election he agreed to abide by the council decision, he's still against Seattle being on the hook for cost overruns and is fighting that.

Disclosure: I'm against the tunnel and the "Seattle pays" clause too.

Posted 1 year ago #
waynster
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Can one say a one term mayor that will go down as one of the worse in seattle history....? I think so....

Posted 1 year ago #
Genesee Hill
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dobro:

I agree with you on many fronts, but he lied about the tunnel at the last minute. Hey, I can live with the surface option. I am retired. I can easily choose the time-frame when I want to travel out of West Seattle. McGinn is dishonest. It is a State Highway and the State will/would build a tunnel. He could care less about cost overruns. Just ask his new "Bicycle Czar". This is McGinn's agenda. Pure and simple. I could care less about his agenda, in fact, I agree with much of it!

BUT, he LIED to get elected. I will never accept that.

Posted 1 year ago #
DP
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If only dude was not on a personal crusade to stop the tunnel . . .

If only dude had a better plan than "surface streets and transit" . . .

If only dude were more of a people person . . .

By now it should be obvious to all that this guy's decided to blow himself up (politically speaking, wink) over this tunnel.

To which I say: Enjoy your 72 virgins, my man! You've earned every one of 'em.

Posted 1 year ago #
Dunno
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Whats wrong with you people? Every city needs a biking czar. $95,000 barely fixes two flat bike tires these days!

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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i'm guessing that none of you ever watch "ask the mayor," or visit the mayor's web site. because while the shrillness of the his detractors is deafening, most of the time they have no idea what they're talking about. i guess what you lack in knowledge you make up for with volume.

furthermore, seattleites need a civics lesson.

for example, expecting the mayor to plan the route and contingencies for reconstruction of a state highway is asinine, DP. so is blaming him for gridlock in and around AWV.

then there's the schizophrenia. in one breath you bitch about traffic and are ready to tar and feather mcginn. then, when the mayor fills a traffic advisory position, you bitch about that.

look. if you're going to tear the mayor down, at least inform yourselves and know what you're talking about:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/121815734.html

so, to the topic. mcginn has said that he hired this guy because he has been able to swing a bat in connecticutt and get bicycle/traffic projects completed - and with federal money. the mayor hopes the guy can do the same for light rail here, for example.

however, his resume looks thin, at best, and the mayor's office should make its case about his qualifications.

while it's true that the mayor did, indeed, hire a "bicycle advocate," that title goes with the person, not with the job. for some reason, KOMO's crack team of "investigators" are scandalized by this. however, no one else seems to think it's front-page-worthy.

lastly, genesee hill, when did the mayor lie about the tunnel? as i recall, he said something along the lines of, "if the tunnel is a done deal, i won't stand in the way." but even though it isn't a done deal, it hasn't been stopped by mcginn or anyone else. if you're referring to his veto of city council's backroom deal with WSDOT and the governor (which was overridden, as everyone knew it would be) mcginn was spot on. city council has basically handed the keys over to the state. the mayor is the only one asking tough questions on seattle's behalf that the state is unwilling or unable to answer - and they're hoping no one notices. and in that respect, he has my full support in preventing DBT from being rammed up seattle's backside, and handing seattle the bill.

my theory is that the state and big money are trying desperately to bring down the mayor and remove any and all obstructions for DBT. well, i want someone in there demanding to see the paperwork. that's why i voted for mcginn. and given a choice, i'll do it again.

if you good people are going to help the powers-that-be get mcginn thrown out - or at least trash him in every public forum available to you - come up with some better talking points and get the facts straight first. because so far, your vitriol hasn't been enough to convince me.

Posted 1 year ago #
Genesee Hill
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redblack:

We've had this discussion before. You don't want the DBT, I do. Though I can live with the surface/transit option. I am not trying to convince you of anything. The tunnel was pretty much looking like a done deal until he started actively impeding it. That is what angers me. Not snow removal, bike lanes, or road diets. Being dishonest in the mayoral campaign bothers me.

Posted 1 year ago #
DP
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McGinn is a one-issue guy. People who love him on that issue tend to overlook his failings, the chiefest of which is that he's . . . well . . . a one-issue guy.

r/b, I agree with you that the "bicycle advocate" thing is silly. But as for us letting the Mayor know what we think of him, I say we're entitled to squawk every time he gets some new hair up his butt about the DBT.

Does he really think he's speaking for Seattle's interests? What a joke! He's certainly not speaking for me — or a lot of other folks here.

Face it: people just don't like this guy. Could be because he's just not a likeable guy. Or it could be because he's a liar, like GenHill says. Take your pick.

On the liar thing, I don't know where you and dobro were that day, r/b, but the rest of us clearly heard this guy say he would respect the will of the City Council on the DBT.

Please tell me how McGinn's pre-election pledge to respect the City Council's vote jibes with his post-election actions, including:

1) repeated Lady Godiva-like protests

2) vetoeing a Council vote moving the DBT forward

3) initiating and funding a public initiative to cancel the DBT all together.

I have watched "Ask the Mayor." I have listened to the press conferences. Sure, McGinn's good on some issues, but nothing that I've seen or heard so far persuades me that his continued public opposition to the DBT is the right or honorable thing to do.

McGinn is nothing but one big baby, and come next election he will certainly be tossed out, along with his tubful of tears.

Posted 1 year ago #
Michael Waldo
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What bothers me about our mayor is he is locked into bikes and transit. As a former trades person, I have never heard him address the needs of trades people. You need a truck to haul your tools. I cannot take an extension ladder or 5 gallon buckets of paint on a bike or bus.Carpenters, sheet rockers, landscapers, electricians, etc., all need to drive and get around town. Our jobs and clients depend on a functioning road system. Not everyone can or whats to take a bus or bike. It drives me crazy.

Posted 1 year ago #
kootchman
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Whoooo hoss....what is wrong about knowing what it will cost? Ask the citizens of Boston...or the stuck boring machines in Woodinville for the Clearwater project. We are sure paying for the latter. We are going to have a buried tunnel that bisects the Seattle fault line...SCUBA gear for every commuter. This is nothing but corporate welfare for the concrete, cement, Architect and engineering firms. The viaduct CAN be fixed..for a lot less money. Now the state will play closure games to frustrate the public.

Posted 1 year ago #
texas
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Michael Waldo: good points. Seattle is also a major seaport, which fact is likewise often lost in the drama. And YES, McGinn lied. I know a number of people who voted for him on the basis of that LIE, who now feel deceived.

The only good thing about having a mayor who's so grossly unqualified, is that we may get a great one in the next election.....can't come soon enough!

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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DP: again, i'm asking you to check your facts. mcginn did not initiate or fund the "stop the tunnel" initiative.

for the record, you guys, mcginn isn't actively impeding the tunnel, and i challenge anyone here to offer proof to the contrary. where's the lawsuit? sure, he opposes it. a lot of us do. maybe a majority.

we'll find out at the ballot box, won't we?

what mcginn has done is simply ask some questions that no one can or will answer. the response of city council, WSDOT, the governor, the media, and citizen tunnel advocates have been to turn their backs on mcginn and ignore his questions - which a good many of us seattleites also want answered.

what i'm asking people here to do - instead of being dismissive and flippant - is answer our concerns over this tunnel.

for example, if you read the budget, you'll find out pretty quickly that tolling is capped at $400 million by the state and that the contingency fund for the project has been reduced to 15%. so while the thing just barely balances on paper - before you add in the cost to demo the central waterfront AWV, that is - there is no room for error.

then there's the AWV safety issue. leaving it standing until the tunnel is open in 2016 is a bad idea.

and access to that still-standing portion is going to be choked to 1-lane ramps by qwest field, anyway. where's the benefit in leaving AWV open?

lastly, i'm a member of hod carriers and laborers' local 242, LIUNA. the tunnel isn't the only way to replace the viaduct and create jobs for workers and suppliers. besides, DBT will require an army of out-of-state "tunnel experts," as well as a spanish/NYC construction conglomerate to build it.

let's keep the jobs local.

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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and for the record, i don't think AWV replacement should start and end with surface/transit. that should happen regardless of what replaces AWV as a through route.

the cut-and-cover/integrated seawall is the tunnel that was defeated so roundly at the ballot box in 2007.

i'm more of a fan of a 4-lane lidded trench that would be in roughly the footprint of the viaduct.

cheaper and faster to build. with downtown exits. out of sight and earshot easy to access in emergencies.

Posted 1 year ago #
dbsea
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I've been a fan of the lidded trench option, if possible. I'm not an engineer, no idea. But, like Portland did with some of their riverfront, our waterfront would be opened for green spaces, parking too, and who knows what else.

Here's a slightly off topic thought I get when reading comments regarding a 1 term mayor, not being re-elected etc. Part of me dreams of 1 term elected legislators. Maybe officials and legislators need more than 1 term to learn what the heck they're doing. But I don't like how much energy is spent on being re-electable as opposed to making what they believe are the "right" decisions.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucky chick
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One of the ariticles I read stated that $95k is the COST of the position, not the salary. I hope so, since that would make the salary closer to, what... $40-$50K? I don't know. I hear Hiller was very popular at CBC, but NINETY-FIVE THOUSAND??? I don't imagine he's paying that much off in student loans (which are really what high salaries are supposed to offset).

Posted 1 year ago #
I Wonder
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Hiller was "very popular at CBC"? Thats a laugh, apparently the comments in the ST were overlooked. Polarizing seems to come to mind. Doesn't equal popular, but I can sure envision the crowd he was popular with.

Posted 1 year ago #
charlabob
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WRT McGinn, what we really all should learn is not to vote to "send someone a message." My guess is McGinn's majority came from those of us who were mad at Greg for one reason or another and I can say both the charla and the bob were amazed and despondent to find out he didn't make the cut. Noooooo. We won't do that again -- we'll stick to email and phone "messages" and ballots that count.

Posted 1 year ago #
lostcoyote
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Most voters are ignorant or stupid and politicians know that.

Posted 1 year ago #
I Wonder
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Hiller will be paid $87,000. Goes nicely with his wifes salary of $93,000. Oh yea. She works for McGinn too. Why not keep it in the family! (Before you go off, yes, her salary is paid by a grant from Rockefeller Foundation). Nevertheless, quite the cozy commune.

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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i wonder: cite, please?

Posted 1 year ago #
I Wonder
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http://tinyurl.com/6x6u7j2

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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ahh, yes. i missed that.

inagi has worked for the mayor since he was elected. sounds like she recommended her hubby for the job.

good luck with the recall.

Posted 1 year ago #
kootchman
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The cut and cover tunnel in Bremerton went like a charm. Came in ahead of schedule and under budget. More to the point, it was done by "local" contractors, not out of state contractors. WSDOT has a terrible track record with out of state contractors...look at the emergin 520 fiasco....the 15 plus million already wasted with the TX contractor and the toll system. (WSDOT talked mean to them though) Show me ONE bore project in the USA that has come inon time and under budget. or.Look at the Brightwater project... FIASCO! http://crosscut.com/2010/04/13/king-county/19736/Dim-light-at-the-end-of-the-Brightwater-tunnel/?pagejump=2 I am no fan of this mayor.. but he is right on the money..given the history of bored tunnels here and nationally, the use of out of state consortiums, we do need to be indemnified for cost overruns, Light reading suggestion..the history of Boston's "Big Dig" !!!!!

Posted 11 months ago #
kootchman
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A last note.... NTSB after reviewing the fatal collapse of the Big Dig ceiling... noted this ... Massachussets relied too heavily on Parsons Brinkerhoff/Bechtel as a "partner"... with the decision making resting on that assumption. The state didn't exersize control and supervision. One can argue that the state simply didn't have the staff and expertise to manage the complexities of the project, as a contractor design build program. So far,given the ineptness of WASHDOT to manage the simple task of getting a toll system implemented on 520...this mayor has every reason to insist we have cost overrun indemnification... does WASHDOT have the expertise? That is an open question and we would be well served to be as cautious as the mayor. Let's see how they manage the 520 project FIRST... so far it looks bleak.

Posted 11 months ago #
mpento
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So what happened with this guy that was hired? It seemed to fall off the radar or did I miss something? I was not paying attention. If he is still there somebody did a great job of taking the issue out of the media?

Posted 11 months ago #
redblack
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kootch: yep, i'm about the only liberal left in these parts defending mcginn and his fiscally-responsible attitude toward the big bore.

if there are any other mcginn supporters left, they're scared of the name-calling, it seems.

WSDOT does not have the expertise. one of the first things they did to balance the DBT budget was lower the contingency (emergency) fund from 25% to 15%. big mistake, imho.

they have hired a foreign conglomerate to perform our big dig. this is a conglomerate of delgados USA and a bridge-and-tunnel firm from new york, i think.

there go about 100 local jobs.

back to the topic, though, mcginn hired this hiller feller because he has experience getting federal funds for transportation projects. mcginn figures that if hiller could get bike highway funding in connecticutt, maybe he could do the same for in-city light rail for seattle.

Posted 11 months ago #
JoB
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what a hoot...
by all means
let's bring this all to another vote
because god knows Seattle voters know best
they already turned down the bang for the buck option because they didn't want construction interfering with their waterfront...
how they are going to get around that interference when it comes to repairing the sea wall i don't know
but heck.. let's not let actual facts get in the way

the voters know best
let's take it back to them for another round and another round
and watch those federal dollars slip away to someone who will actually do something with them.
our 50s hiway system still gets us around

may i suggest Amy Goodman for your commute?
if you are going to spend an hour in your car you might as well get some educational benefit from it.

Posted 11 months ago #
redblack
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and we can't repair the seawall until AWV is demolished and removed. not gonna happen until 2016 at the earliest.

but please, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

you can't just chalk up skepticism for DBT to "the seattle process" or blatant obstructionism, jo. this is one of the largest and riskiest tunnels attempted anywhere in the world.

not saying it can't be done, but shouldn't we have some semblance of an honest, open process? or at least a stable revenue stream?

Posted 11 months ago #
kootchman
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Well redblack...on thing NOT mentioned ... a cut and cover tunnel...the concept is pretty simple... cut a trench, make a big box...what wasn't considered it... one wall of the cut and cover could have been the new seawall. The foundation of the World Trade Center included one Hudson River facing wall... and although damaged, it held out the river and that sir...was no small engineering marvel. Cut and cover could have been both the tunnel and the seawall all wrapped up in one project.

Posted 10 months ago #
kootchman
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Nickels wanted as much federal money as possible...hence two projects. Oink.

Posted 10 months ago #
redblack
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kootch: there were 8 scenarios presented by WSDOT for replacing 99. 3 of them were tunnels.

in 2007, voters rejected the cut-and-cover integrated seawall.

most of them never saw the 4-lane lidded trench scenario, which takes a route roughly in the path of the existing viaduct with a separate seawall. like the cut-and-cover, it has a short ramp connecting it to battery street tunnel.

Posted 10 months ago #
redblack
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regarding funding, of course nickels wanted seattle to get federal money. he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't, and some other city would get that cash.

Posted 10 months ago #