Election 2013: Mayoral candidate Peter Steinbrueck in West Seattle

Making the rounds at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market this morning, Peter Steinbrueck became the third mayoral candidate in five days to visit the peninsula. He brought along what seemed like an armada of supporters – they staked out the corners by the market, offering literature to passers-by (we were hit up twice in each direction) even as the former city councilmember mingled. No soapbox speeches, just handshakes and on-the-fly chats. His visit follows incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn‘s coffeehouse chat yesterday (WSB coverage here) and State Sen. Ed Murray‘s Wednesday night event at the Masonic Temple (WSB coverage here). Any of the other six candidates (here’s the online voters’ guide for all 9) headed this way before voting ends Tuesday night? Let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com. And if you haven’t voted yet – whoever you’re voting for – the West Seattle and White Center ballot-dropoff vans will be back tomorrow and Tuesday.

Lauren August 4, 2013 (3:55 pm)

I voted for Peter Steinbrueck! As a citizen activist on parks and openspace issues he is the clear choice, and I’ve always appreciated how thoughtful and accessible he is as an elected official. He also cares deeply about affordable housing and neighborhoods. Go Peter!

anomie25 August 4, 2013 (5:18 pm)

Does he care about the rest of the city and the rest of the people, that’s the question. Guess we will see on Tuesday.

a August 4, 2013 (5:46 pm)

If you care about bringing back the Sonics and getting an NHL team here do NOT vote for this guy! He will do everything in his power to prevent these things from happening. We have made tremendous progress in our quest to get our Sonics back and this one single guy can destroy all of that

G August 4, 2013 (6:49 pm)

Are any of these guys talking about employment, bringing economic growth to Seattle, or is it all bringing up the drawbridge and turning neighborhoods into frozen-in-time “Christmas Ball” scenes of farmer’s markets and affluent shoppers?

Cycleman August 4, 2013 (6:54 pm)

So over the sonics. So much hype, for nothing. Happy birthday Jake Nickels!!!!! Former mayors son, great kid.

chris August 4, 2013 (8:41 pm)

This guy would turn down a 1 billion arena investment which would bring jobs and tax revenue . While proposing to save parks and open space with what ? Tax money ? How could you turn down revenue that would pay for the parks aand more open space …

Rockford Columbo August 4, 2013 (9:44 pm)

Fooey on pro sports and their blood sucking stadiums. They are hardly a priority in who should be mayor of Seattle.

a August 4, 2013 (10:07 pm)

rockford funny you say that cuz steinbrueck will lose this election if everyone knows how he feels about bringing the Sonics and NHL to Seattle. This is why he won’t go on local sports talk radio stations even after multiple attempts by them to have him on their shows. Anyone who loves sports please do your part and let people know this guy is against us. He’s trying to keep it on the hush but we need to get the word out

robespierre August 5, 2013 (7:19 am)

I’m sorry, but getting the sonics back at taxpayer expense is hardly a priority for Seattle right now. If Chris Hansen wants to build a stadium an obtain a team entirely at his own expense then he is free to do so, and keep the profits.

G August 5, 2013 (10:03 am)

Jobs? Who needs jobs? Let the unemployed go walk in the park and enjoy Mother Nature. Such materialism! Tsk, tsk!

Ajax August 5, 2013 (12:08 pm)

I’ve heard of single issue voters but it never occurred to me that the single issue would be a sports team. I don’t think Steinbrueck is trying to keep his opposition to the stadium on the down-low, it’s been reported in every candidate forum and article I’ve seen. There are probably a few reasons an intelligent person might not want to be interviewed on local sports talk radio…

Diane August 5, 2013 (1:01 pm)

we need living wage jobs

WSNimby August 5, 2013 (1:11 pm)

I will never vote for Steinbrueck. He does not support the SoDo arena proposal. Whether you like professional sports or not, they do bring tremendous economic value to our region. You’re never going to see a better investment than the one Chris Hansen is offering.

If his anti-arena position were so popular, why won’t he openly discuss and promote it? Seems to me it would ensure him more votes. But he won’t because he knows it’s not the popular sentiment.

Oh, and to those saying it’s coming at taxpayer expense – you’re showing your ignorance and lack of research. The MOU is easily found online. Read it.

ChefJoe August 5, 2013 (1:44 pm)

Hansen and Ballmer can certainly afford their own arena building, and pay their taxes to support the city like good citizens/businesses do.

Peter Steinbrueck has my vote, he knows darn well that we’ve invested heavily in the Port infrastructure and don’t need to keep edging it into nothingness.

Neal August 5, 2013 (2:06 pm)

The rabid NBA fans are twisting the truth again and repeating propaganda from Chris Hansen’s spin machine. Yes, it really is taxpayer funded. The taxes that are confiscated to pay for the arena are siphoned from other tax revenue the city will no longer see; tax receipts don’t magically appear out of nowhere. Ballmer is worth $16 Billion, he can well afford to do it without any city help, and then the city gets to *keep* the hundreds of millions in taxes. It was a secret backroom deal begun by McGinn/Hansen, and then dumped in the lap of the Council who passed it without even attempting to explain how it could ever pass I-91 muster, and it has now attracted two different lawsuits. And academic study after study has shown no net positive economic effect of having a team. Several scientific polls have put opposition to public involvement in another stadium in the 67%-75% range.

Steinbrueck is a thoughtful, educated and experienced guy, and knows and cares deeply about land uses issues at a time when we have serious land use issues popping up everywhere. It would be crazy to vote for someone else just to try to get the corrupt NBA back here at taxpayer expense in violation of I-91, and in a location that negatively impacts industrial operations and is not zoned for a third stadium, all while the existing Key Arena is perfectly viable for basketball, as the Storm have shown.

I’m voting Steinbrueck, and I hope you will too, because he’s clearly the best choice, and not just on the arena issue.

chris August 5, 2013 (3:40 pm)

He is addicted to the public limelight…move on, Peter…

a August 5, 2013 (4:30 pm)

thanks for the common sense nimby

P August 5, 2013 (6:02 pm)

Steinbruek’s just a NIMBY living in the past. He just won’t let go of the 20th century because that’s when daddy was so popular. He has yet to develop his own identity. He anyways says his view on growth and density is “nuanced,” but continues to give ZERO details on what he means by that. Even he doesn’t know what he’s for or against.

West Seattle Hipster August 5, 2013 (6:14 pm)

“As a citizen activist on parks and openspace issues ……. He also cares deeply about affordable housing and neighborhoods”

I would prefer a mayor who represents all the citizens of Seattle, including the shrinking middle class. McGinn favored the special interest groups who got him elected, and it sounds like Steinbrueck will be no better.

I am thankful for his father for saving Pike Place Market however.

GReynolds August 5, 2013 (9:11 pm)

@westseattlehipster the commenter you quote was saying that she/he is a citizen activist for parks issues, not Steinbrueck. Your partial quote of that comment removed the context.

Speaking of parks, funny how no candidates ever bring that up. Our city’s downtown core has less park space than any major city in the US. I don’t know why anyone would buy a condo downtown – there’s no park!

G August 6, 2013 (9:55 am)

There are two large downtown parks on the waterfront, Myrtle Edwards and the Olympic Sculpture Park, and the Sculpture Park has more seagulls than people most of the year. There are large parks in any direction you point from from anywhere in Seattle. The whole city practically IS a park.

Greenspace? Get real, people.

West Seattle Hipster August 6, 2013 (2:22 pm)

Good points G, not to mention Freeway Park and Westlake Park. Parks are there, and people should not forget the 2008 Parks Levy provides 146 million taxpayer dollars to sustain them.

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/levy/

G August 6, 2013 (5:18 pm)

WSH, I agree with you on the Pike Place Market. I used to go down with my pops as a kid and spend an afternoon poking around, long before it became a tourist trap. But nothing stays the same, glad he saved it :)

Sorry, comment time is over.