Election 2011: West Seattleite Michael Taylor-Judd’s council-campaign platform

The only non-incumbent West Seattleite in this year’s City Council races so far has gone public today with his platform and his full campaign website. Michael Taylor-Judd is running for Position 1, along with four other people so far (all listed here), including incumbent Councilmember Jean Godden. From this page on his site, he breaks down his positions into four issue areas: education, housing, transportation, public safety. He says he’s in favor of passing the Families and Education Levy this fall; opposes the Highway 99 tunnel but acknowledges it’s the designated alternative and says “Now is the time to assess whether or not the Tunnel will be the safe and successful option our city can afford”; for public safety, he says, “I believe we need to redouble the Seattle Police Department’s commitment to community policing.” You can read his full news release here; his campaign also is on Facebook, here. Taylor-Judd is not the only West Seattleite who’s aiming to be on the ballot this year for City Council; in a separate race, incumbent Councilmember Tom Rasmussen is so far running unopposed (besides Godden with 4 opponents and Rasmussen with none, each of the other 3 incumbents on the fall ballot has one challenger so far). This year’s election dates are August 16 (primary) and November 8 (general).

Jen March 30, 2011 (8:02 pm)

Whoo-hoo … go MTJ :-)

Steve March 30, 2011 (10:21 pm)

Your non-support of the tunnel means you won’t get my support. The WS bridge will be total gridlock without the tunnel..and people that think downtown surface streets are a realistic alternative are complete idiots…with Mike McGinn at the top of the list.

westie March 31, 2011 (7:30 am)

@ Steve
Touché!

Michael Taylor-Judd March 31, 2011 (12:47 pm)

I’m sorry to hear that, Steve… As I say on my website, now is the time (during the EIS process) to assess whether or not the Tunnel will be the safe and successful option our city can afford.
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Right now, we need to secure the option for increased transit funding, ensure stable financing, and work out a tolling plan. Without these three things in place on this project, “total gridlock” is exactly what we will have.

(required) March 31, 2011 (9:40 pm)

Look. Michael, it is way way way past time to assess whether the tunnel makes sense. It does. Will it be expensive? You bet. Risky to build? Sure. But every year more people try to slow it down — it gets MORE expensive. And the risks will always be there — but it can be done. You know full well there are tunnels all over the world that are longer and more complex. For example, the tunnels for Chicago’s subways are about a century old — including the ones that run under the Chicago River. Astonishingly enough, Seattle debated monorail for over four decades — FOUR DECADES. Forty years. Had we built it in the 70s, when there was federal funding, we’d have saved billions. But four monorail votes later — and after three yes votes — one final ‘no’ monorail vote killed it. I, for one, think our elected officials ought to do what they’re elected to do: make decisions and go. I think this pandering to the people with this constant “oh, we’ve got to do another public vote” is a stupid way to run a government. Less than half of voters have a clue about what they vote on, and that’s of the barely 25% of the eligible voting populace that gets off its rear and exercises the franchise. Enough votes. Enough. No more McGinns. Build the tunnel. Open downtown space on the waterfront forever for the city and for the people, not the developers or the cars. This city needs less navel gazing and more action. This city needs a tunnel to move the city forward — transportation planning can no longer be “like, let’s get a bus, or maybe, let’s drive.” Sorry Michael. I’m with Steve.

David April 1, 2011 (6:45 pm)

Steve et al. Consider:
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Global petrolium production is expected to peak as early as next year. Even oil industry executives now admit we are years rather than decades from the peak.
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Once the markets realize we’re on the downside of the petroleum production curve, they’ll go wild, bidding the price of oil up closer to it’s actual costs and value. This will crush the global economy, the global financial system, and employment as we know it. Biofuels and electric cars are not going to save us.
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Food production will continue to fall as the Green Revolution, fueled by petrochemicals, comes to an end. Most of us will be farming what arable land we’re able to find.
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This future will come in the lifetime of most of us alive today. How many of us will use a tunnel, or a car for that matter, when gas exceeds $20/gallon? Not enough to fill a 2 lane road.
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What we ought to do is shore up the viaduct so that it lasts for another decade or so (as long as most of us will likely drive), and plan for the low carbon future that is our destiny.

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