Mayor McGinn’s first major challenger: City Councilmember Tim Burgess

(WSB photo from July 2012)
Breaking this evening – news that City Councilmember Tim Burgess is officially running for mayor. He filed paperwork today; the first big interview is on The Stranger‘s website. The news release just arrived in the WSB inbox. Burgess has visited West Seattle several times this year, including July’s joint Southwest District Council/Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting at the Southwest Teen Life Center, during which we took the photo above. He’s launched a campaign website here; you might recognize some West Seattleites’ names on the endorsements list, particularly in the right column. Burgess – midway through his second term on the council – is the second to declare, after Charlie Staadecker; McGinn has not made a formal announcement that he’s running, but hasn’t made any indication he isn’t. The primary is still nine months away, on August 6, 2013.

G November 27, 2012 (6:42 pm)

Be still my beating heart!

(couldn’t resist)

Use Common Sense November 27, 2012 (7:10 pm)

Glad to hear it, when Mr. Burgess was walking in the West Seattle Parade last year I told him I hoped he would run.

Seattle needs a progressive leader who cares about the future of our city, and works for ALL of us, not just special interest groups.

Yikes November 27, 2012 (7:20 pm)

I would vote for daffy duck and the easter bunny before I vote for mcginn

eric1 November 27, 2012 (7:41 pm)

Yikes..
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What about Marvin the Martian?

JN November 27, 2012 (7:48 pm)

Mcginn still gets my vote. The economy is stronger in Seattle than the vast majority of the rest of the country, we are attracting significant economic growth and investment (Amazon, South Lake Union), he has finally learned how to cooperate and coordinate with others after the tunnel incident, which is an enormous investment in motorist infrastructure ,and he is pushing (more slowly than is needed) for fair and safe streets for all road users. He has done an amazing job.

Yikes November 27, 2012 (8:50 pm)

Jn,

You have to be kidding right? The economy in Seattle is because of mcginn? I actually think by extending paid parking hours in the downtown core to 8pm mcginn has driven people out of going downtown. what examples do you have that he has done to help the Seattle economy?

He threw a hissy fit over the tunnel and broke a campaign promise not to oppose the tunnel that got him elected. Then held an advisory vote that cost taxpayers which he promptly lost. And promised there would be cost overruns and delays. Yet the first phase of the project was completed ahead of time and below budget. All this while the Spokane street viaduct that his sdot was incharge of was over a year delayed.

He has been mayor during a period where his own police force has come under federal investigation for wrong doing.

He is proposing a dramatic increase in Seattle utility rates and the ride free zone doesn’t exist anymore in the downtown core.

And in the last major snow storm two years ago sdot still didn’t have an effective response to clearing the roads.

The city has potholes everywhere and a lack of any semblance of leadership in city hall.

But hey he was at the photo op for bringing back the sonics. Let me guess you ride your bike and think bike lanes are a great use of taxpayer money.

Anne November 27, 2012 (9:00 pm)

An amazingly awful job — in my view.

Yikes November 27, 2012 (9:01 pm)

Oh yeah forgot to mention the Seattle public schools scandal that cost the superintendent her job. Mcginn is an empty desk and has been since a month after he took office.

z November 28, 2012 (12:28 am)

Suffice it to say I am not a McGinn fan for many of the reasons mentioned – but this comment:

“He has been mayor during a period where his own police force has come under federal investigation for wrong doing.”

This has nothing to do with his leadership more poor decision making by officers. He is not a huge supporter of the police. Since the DOJ it seems him and Diaz have forged a working relationship but remember Diaz was chosen largely by him.

If you do your research the DOJ is going around the country putting police departments in strangle-holds. Paving the way for a Federal Police force? The City should have never allowed their ‘free audit’ because when they finally (if ever) crawl out of Seattle it will cost Seattle over $10 million in their legal fees billed back to the City. They make money and they get info.

visitor November 28, 2012 (5:52 am)

Weak mayor who has allowed the city council to expand and fill the executive role because he has not the slightest bit of leadership ability. He was so ineffective as parks levy chair, someone else had to be brought in to run the operation. And the irony is that he cites that role as an example of his strength…… He’s been a complete disaster as mayor of Seattle IMO.

redblack November 28, 2012 (7:02 am)

yikes: don’t forget that not everyone in seattle loves the deep bore tunnel – or the way it got “approved.” it’s still the most expensive option with the greatest amount of risk, and funding it was a shaky proposition that required some creative budgeting and arm-twisting.
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but i don’t want to re-litigate that whole thing.
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i don’t fault mcginn for bucking a campaign promise. he called an audible when he saw problems with the city council’s rubber stamp deal with the state. if he did nothing else, mcginn made the state and the city council promise that seattle property owners won’t be on the hook for cost overruns.
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someone had to ask the tough questions about the project’s budget, instead of just kissing big businesses’ backsides.
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but there are other campaign promises he didn’t fulfill that i am p.o.’ed about: city-wide and publicly-owned fiber optic broadband, and in-city grade-separated rail.

JoB November 28, 2012 (7:45 am)

Burgess is seen as progressive?

wscommuter November 28, 2012 (9:28 am)

McGinn is a disaster as a mayor and has been all along. He is an embarrassment and completely inept as mayor. I echo most of the criticims above, especially as concerns his disingenuous behavior concerning the SR 99 tunnel project.

And the real point about him and the police departmant is that because he hasn’t wanted to busy himself with police issues at a time when the department has gone through a major crisis concerning police misdeeds, he has poorly served us all as a result. The department requires firm civilian oversight and leadership from the mayor while it goes through the DOJ review process and implements the changes required of it. McGinn has done little more than placate and offer weak-kneed, tepid leadership. This has been a significant failure by him which should concern Seattle citizens.

dsa November 28, 2012 (9:37 am)

Just remember that Mcginn made Nickels look good, so be careful who to consider.

wetone November 28, 2012 (10:05 am)

I thought Nickels was bad, but Mcginn took Seattle to a new level it seems for people that live and work outside of downtown. He might of tried with the tunnel but sure screwed the people with alot of other issues. One big one is the downtown seawall even though people voted on it. It was handled very badly. All the big money property owners, developers down there are laughing that tax payers are paying for all their ground work for future development projects. Hopefully we will get a new face in there.

Godwin November 28, 2012 (11:03 am)

Ask Burgess his position on charter schools. I bet he doesn’t give a straight answer.

JN November 28, 2012 (2:34 pm)

Yikes: the DBT is not even fully funded, and they are admitting that the tolls will be lower, not generate the planned revenue, and that most people will flood downtown streets to avoid the tolls. At least the bike lanes are cheap and FULLY FUNDED before they put them in. You can’t blame Mcginn for the bad stuff that occurred during his term, then turn around and deny that anything good had him involved.

JN November 28, 2012 (2:46 pm)

Besides, all bicycle infrastructure currently being worked on has been in the pipeline for years. Mcginn hasn’t had any say regarding what is installed or when.

owen November 28, 2012 (3:14 pm)

Yikes – while there are many other reasons to be critical of McGinn, I don’t think its fair to hold him responsible for the Seattle Public Schools scandal.

redblack November 29, 2012 (6:09 am)

wow, wscommuter. “a disaster?” ’cause the city is broke and no one goes downtown? ’cause he caused your bad commute?
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and i’m curious what your idea of leadership in the face of the DOJ investigation would look like. should he be pounding his shoe on his desk and yelling about police brutality? or throwing his shoe at eric holder?
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maybe you guys should elect the deep bore tunnel machine.

redblack November 29, 2012 (6:36 am)

wetone: regarding the seawall, if it wasn’t for that ridiculous tunnel, we’d be getting a new seawall as we speak.
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as it is, you can’t have a seawall until the viaduct goes away.
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and that’s what a lot of us anti-tunnel folks were saying: tear down the viaduct. the seawall is more important, ’cause it keeps downtown from sliding into elliott bay.
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now, thanks to the tunnel, we get to twiddle our thumbs and hope an earthquake doesn’t do serious damage between now and 2016. and then we can have a new seawall. scheduled to be complete in 2019.

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