VIDEO: Mayor’s ‘farewell tour’ stops at Husky Deli on bridge-decision anniversary

With just weeks remaining until she leaves office, Mayor Jenny Durkan has launched a farewell tour, and tonight it stopped in the West Seattle Junction, with an ice-cream party at Husky Deli.

This also happened to be the one-year anniversary of her announcement that the cracked West Seattle Bridge would be repaired rather than replaced, ending months of suspense. Also at Husky Deli tonight, in fact, was Seattle Department of Transportation director Sam Zimbabwe (a West Seattle resident). At some point one of the businesspeople and community advocates there for her visit asked the mayor about the bridge – she turned and called out loudly across the room, “Sam Zimbabwe assures me it’s on time and on budget!” He affirmed that:

We asked him if there’s any update on the about-to-start repairs beyond what we published last night. Not yet, he said, but he said we can “expect some good news right after Thanksgiving.” The estimate for completion of repairs remains the same as what they said the day of that big announcement one year ago – “mid-2022.” In other topics, the mayor got a warm sendoff from Lora Radford, who herself just left a high-profile job, running the West Seattle Junction Association.

As the video shows, Radford also presented the mayor with a gift reminiscent of her past visits to The Junction, Bakery Nouveau macaronns, which the mayor had bought for one of her sons during a walking tour in February 2018. She had a parting request for West Seattleites tonight: “Let’s give the new mayor every chance to succeed.”

CarDriver November 20, 2021 (6:43 am)

So explain why SDOT can give an “estimated completion” date for a project that hasn’t really started. Isn’t the contractor allowed to speak??? Would think hearing a date from them would be more valid considering SDOT’s track record.

flimflam November 20, 2021 (7:05 am)

Hey, I remember her! Long time no see, mayor! What’ve you been up to?

Mellow Kitty November 20, 2021 (8:33 am)

Bye. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.

Smoosh November 22, 2021 (8:52 am)

For sure. Out with the old and in with the same.

Jort November 20, 2021 (9:15 am)

The mayor leaves doing what she wanted the job to be all along: making photo appearances devoid of policy substance. Jenny “I Love Cars” Durkan was never engaged with the job; she just thought it would be a “fun thing to do” after her U.S. Attorney job. Ribbon cuttings and Keys to the City and all that kind of stuff. Turns out running a city is hard, and I’ll bet Bruce Harrell, whose approach, reasoning and attitude is almost identical to Durkan’s, will follow very much in her not-so-trailblazing footsteps. Four more years of governance by Seattle Times Editorials!

skeeter November 22, 2021 (6:06 pm)

I agree with much of what you say, Jort, but I will give the mayor some credit. She approved the decreased speed limits – most of the city roads are now 25mph. Do car drivers still speed? Yes. But I have noticed speeds come down considerably on roads like 35th Ave SW and Delridge. This is real progress toward safety for our most vulnerable road users. I’m gonna call that a win for Durkan and Seattle.

Mj November 20, 2021 (10:02 am)

Good riddance, terrible Mayor, save one good decision regarding repairing the WSB!

Mr. Henry November 21, 2021 (7:45 pm)

I agree with you 100%. She was all show. Should have never been the mayor of such a use to be beautiful city.

Derek November 20, 2021 (12:26 pm)

Bye Teargas Jenny

StopCuttingDownTrees November 20, 2021 (3:43 pm)

She obviously didn’t use enough, as evidenced by the CHOP murders, the destruction of the International District, the nightly I-5 takeovers and death, the Highway 99 tunnel drivers being held hostage, etc.
- Derek November 20, 2021 (5:08 pm)
  
  You’re demonstrably wrong on a lot of fronts. CHOP was a storytelling and zine passing event more than anything else. The murders were really similar to those weekly occurring in CD and CH, but I get that the narrative is to paint CHOP as all bad. The fake security guard guy who fired at the kids wasn’t claimed by anyone in CHOP. But keep pushing false narratives. Jenny Durkan was terrible. Worst mayor in history and used tear gas over an umbrella. Your post is awful. Highway demonstrations have been a thing since MLK (our county’s namesake). Get some historical perspective.
  - Walker November 20, 2021 (7:02 pm)
    
    Did Mayor Durkan order that year gas be used specifically in that instance, or use it herself? Pretty sloppy language there, claiming that she “used tear gas over an umbrella”. You seem to be the one pushing a narrative, largely devoid of facts. While I appreciate the general left-leaning nature of this city, the far left is beyond ridiculous.
  - StopCuttingDownTrees November 20, 2021 (8:11 pm)
    
    Your dismissal of dead young men of color at CHOP is very telling. Fortunately, the recent Election illustrates that you’re in the fringe and the majority want drastic change. And, the worst Mayor in history was the dumpster fire Ed Murray.
    - Derek November 20, 2021 (10:03 pm)
      
      When the ballots were fully counted the margins narrowed big time. Mayoral candidates this year both sucked bad. I’m not dismissing black on black crime. I’m saying it’s not a byproduct of CHOP on any level. You’re the one doing straw man. And you’re conflating stats in a year the majority of citizens barely turned out to even vote and the ones that did were narrow. If this group gets nothing done to help the poor and make Bezos and Boeing pay taxes, then they’ll be voted out too. There’s a fringe in non-CHOP parts of town killing black people near biweekly basis in CD and south end but you ignore those. Doesn’t fit the anti-CHOP narrative eh? How about the cops who killed Fuhr and Lyles… what are you doing about those POCs? And Summer Taylor a queer woman killed by a driver driving illegally during a protest…
    - StopCuttingDownTrees November 20, 2021 (10:35 pm)
      
      Uh, Harrell won by a L A N D S L I D E of almost 30% and turnout city-wide was +/- 52%, which is high turnout for an of-year election in Seattle.
    - WSB November 20, 2021 (11:01 pm)
      
      He won by a large margin but not anywhere near 30 percent. With the votes soon to be certified, city turnout was 54+ percent. Harrell over Gonzalez, 58 percent to 41 percent.
      https://aqua.kingcounty.gov/elections/2021/nov-general/results.pdf
    - Derek November 21, 2021 (5:23 pm)
      
      Thanks for using facts. Trees doesn’t care and will lie for his agenda. But the other progressives were close too. FACTS. They got one term to prove things get better. I have serious doubts as Harrell is a decade long council person and more of the same.
    - StopCuttingDownTrees November 21, 2021 (6:14 pm)
      
      “Trees doesn’t care and will lie for his agenda”? That’s libel, Derek, and people have been sued over such written slander. Shame on you for cowardly hiding behind your anonymous keyboard while you make personal attacks.
    - Smoosh November 22, 2021 (8:58 am)
      
      The majority of people want drastic change so they elected a political carbon copy of Durkan as mayor? Stopcutting you should stop digging or at least dig up.
      
      Libel? You are off your rocker son. Just as he is anonymous so are you. An undefined ghost can not be libeled. If you don’t like people disagreeing with you on the internet then consider sticking to HAM radio or something.
    - Jort November 23, 2021 (10:31 am)
      
      “STOP HIDING, YOU COWARD!” screamed stopcuttingdowntrees, an anonymous blog comment posting account.
    - zark00 November 23, 2021 (10:59 am)
      
      lol – calling someone a liar is not libel unless you can prove you did not, and in this case do not typically, lie, that you have suffered real damages, and that the persons comment was not simply hyperbole or their own personal opinion. Falsely accusing someone of a crime, like libel, and making threats directly to the individual like ‘People have been sued over such’ is, itself, more defamatory and you’ve eve elevated it to a real threat of retaliation – bonus! Your entire post could be considered libelous or harassment or both.

WW Resident November 20, 2021 (2:24 pm)

Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out

wscommuter November 20, 2021 (6:11 pm)

I’m ambivalent about Mayor Durkan – she did some good; was disappointing in other areas. Given the far left city council she was saddled with, it made it difficult. But I’m shaking my head at many of the comments above, which seem to be mostly ranting without substance. I understand the far left zealots who post here – they have their perspective. Likewise, I understand that anti-government ignorance (“if I don’t get what I want right now, I’m against them all”). But it is disappointing to read comments that are devoid of facts. There are plenty of reason to be critical of elected’s – and thank god we can do that. But its discouraging to see the lack of grasping truth one reads in these comments.

Derek November 20, 2021 (10:08 pm)

She said she would take away Teargas and then went back on it and a peaceful marcher went partially blind over it. She can kick rocks for all I care. Harrell is more of the same.

Pessoa November 20, 2021 (9:25 pm)

Seattle desperately needs some fresh blood, politically speaking, outsiders who can look at the city and its problems from a new perspective. Instead, we get a procession of natives – Harrell, Durkan,Inslee, Constantine et al- playing to the x(^) generation crowd who demand that their city “wallpaper” never, ever changes – for them and their great, great grandchildren. Seattle is a bizarre combination of a glittering skyline and stultifying provincialism. I simply cannot figure this place out.

anonyme November 21, 2021 (6:40 am)

Interesting points, Pessoa. I’ve been here 35+ years and still can’t figure this place out. If I had to reduce it to a single word, it would be hypocrisy. It feels as if the “glitter” you describe is actually a very, very thin veneer – sort of like friendliness in Seattle. Seattle has always been a very provincial town with a lot of defensive pretense. I agree about the “procession of natives”; the last thing Seattle needs in running this city is more Seattleites. However, the entire system is based on this model, so it will be very difficult to change.

Mj November 21, 2021 (8:46 am)

Derek – Bruce’s margin over Gonzalez was 17% one of the largest margins in decades, essentially a landslide. Voters have clearly rejected the hard left that is just as bad as the hard right. Both extremes are unacceptable!

BS November 22, 2021 (5:27 pm)

The only award she has earned is “worst mayor the city of Seattle” award! Congrats Durkan! Good riddance! The city of Seattle will be much better off without her in power and can hopefully actually begin to solve the cities crises. She let civilians (both protesters and innocent capitol hill residents) be gassed by SPD! Let’s never forget that. And the homeless crises has grown worst by the year under her “leadership”. She loves power but not what’s best for the city overall. She is a typical career politician who worked under corrupt Obama of all people. So out of touch with the typical hard working Seattlite and instead of helping improve the city she taxes people out of a decent income and enables those who don’t want to follow laws or who want to overrun our greenspaces / parks / sidewalks with trash and human waste . Now go be a highly paid political analyst for mainstream media like most former politicians do. Hahaha. Buh bye.

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