BRIDGE MEETING FOLLOWUPS: See all 175 questions/comments. Plus: Where the mayor actually was

(West end of the West Seattle Bridge [technically the Fauntleroy Expressway] – photo by Jerry Simmons)

Two followups from last night’s West Seattle Bridge community meeting (here’s our as-it-happened coverage, with video):

ALL THE QUESTIONS: As noted here, questions submitted in writing via Zoom were only visible to the meeting panelists. 28 questions were read/asked and answered, but anyone wondering what else was asked was left wondering. SDOT promised an “FAQ” list would eventually be published, but we asked today if we could just get the list of all the questions asked. Here’s the document sent to us as a result, with all 175 of the questions/comments submitted via Zoom Q&A.

WHERE THE MAYOR ACTUALLY WAS: During introductions, SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe said Mayor Jenny Durkan – who has spoken at past bridge-related meetings – “couldn’t be here because she has been in the other Washington, D.C., working hard” to secure federal funding. But as it turns out (thanks to the reader who caught this via a Seattle Times photo gallery), she was actually already back in Seattle at the time of the meeting – attending the Kraken NHL team expansion-draft event at Gas Works Park. Her Twitter account featured this, seven minutes before the bridge meeting began:

Certainly a mayoral appearance was not a must for the bridge meeting. But since a point was made of her absence, we inquired with SDOT and the mayor’s office. First, from an SDOT spokesperson, “What Director Zimbabwe meant to say was 1) the Mayor had been in or was shortly traveling back from DC and 2) wasn’t able to make the meeting in part because of that. Any inference that she was in DC at the time was a miscommunication and we regret the error.” A spokesperson from the mayor, meantime, replied, “Yes, the Mayor was in DC the first half of this week until she flew in yesterday, shortly ahead of the Kraken draft, which you are correct that she attended. While in DC she met on several transportation priorities, including with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to secure additional resources for the West Seattle Bridge repair. Over the past 16 months since the West Seattle Bridge closed, the Mayor has attended many West Seattle virtual town halls and Community Task Force Meetings. As Mayor, she often has to balance competing priorities but remains wholly committed to getting West Seattle connected again.”

17 Replies to "BRIDGE MEETING FOLLOWUPS: See all 175 questions/comments. Plus: Where the mayor actually was"

  • Auntie July 22, 2021 (5:39 pm)

    Goodbye Jenny. Take your cell phone with you. 

  • Tom July 22, 2021 (6:15 pm)

    Why answer questions about something that has made life miserable for so many folks in your city when you can go to a cool celebrity party instead?

  • Jort July 22, 2021 (6:28 pm)

    A significant portion of the “questions” submitted but unanswered are actually people’s opinions and comments. There’s lots of venting, lots of demanding this and that. Lots of telling people how to do their jobs. There’s a reason SDOT didn’t “answer” all of them. It’s because many of them aren’t relevant because they aren’t questions. Kudos to the SDOT staff for ignoring them.

    • Eldorado July 26, 2021 (7:50 am)

      Whatever. 

  • Roms July 22, 2021 (6:49 pm)

    It’s interesting to see that many questions are flagged as “live answered” when the live answer was just a standard blurb answering nothing (or when there was no live answer). I also note that the questions related to controlling when the bridges are opened are never addressed. Yes, maritime traffic takes precedence, but nothing prevents SDOT to try hard to get something there. Aren’t they “taking a look at all options,” as they said so many times?

    • WSB July 22, 2021 (7:16 pm)

      We’ve reported on this a lot over the years. The city has zero say in restricting maritime traffic affecting the bridges. It’s tried over multiple administrations.

  • flimflam July 22, 2021 (6:51 pm)

    Lol, nice backtracking….embarrassing.

  • 22blades July 23, 2021 (4:20 am)

    I think this mayor has already entered her lame duck phase. There’s no plus side to answering hard questions. She’ll now stick to sporting events, D.C. junkets, & elementary school photo op’s.Ladies & gentlemen, welcome to Seattle Tacoma International Airport where the local time is 5:01 pm. You may now turn off your airplane mode on your personal electronic devices… if you want.

  • nwpolitico July 23, 2021 (7:48 am)

    The mayor misspelled Seattle when she tried tagging the team in the tweet too…oof

  • helpermonkey July 23, 2021 (9:27 am)

    That photo of the entrance to the bridge is eerily beautiful. Getting some strong Walking Dead vibes. 

  • Railroaded July 23, 2021 (9:38 am)

    soon they will have to mow the roadway

  • Railroaded July 23, 2021 (9:40 am)

    I guess Durkan has shown it is far easier to judge then actually accomplish stuff. should be a lesson to us all.

  • Great follow-up July 23, 2021 (5:43 pm)

    Thank you West Seattle Blog for the great follow-up!  You represent a positive amount of clout and information for our new quasi-island.

  • Ash July 24, 2021 (4:18 pm)

    Its hard to imagine a worse mayor than Durkan, tbh

    • Peter S. July 26, 2021 (10:14 am)

      Oh no it’s not.  And, I’m no Durkan fan :(

  • Pat August 11, 2021 (5:06 pm)

    Hey, Seattle.  You voted for this mayor.     Your next mayor and council will be no better.  Might want to review your values.

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