Comments on: Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels

By: Zed

Zed — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:43:38 +0000

Yeah, ’cause higher property values don’t benefit the city at all.

By: Mike Orr

Mike Orr — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:04:44 +0000

“Allen was willing to pay half of it.” Or, Allen wanted the city to pay half of an investment intended to raise his property values, even though it wasn’t among the top 10 transit needs in Seattle. Like he got the public to pay for his revenue-generating stadium with its luxury boxes and $7 hot dogs, even though we had a perfectly good Kingdome that could accommodate a wider variety of events.

By: Martin H. Duke

Martin H. Duke — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:03:04 +0000

Mickymse,

We generally don’t delete comments that are factually wrong as long as they’re not part of a trolling campaign to spread disinformation. Catowner’s comment has enough words with elastic definitions that it would probably pass muster anyway.

Of course, you’re more than welcome to correct the record.

By: Mickymse

Mickymse — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:49:52 +0000

This is an utterly ridiculous comment, serial…, and the editors should delete it from the comments.

To suggest that McGinn never advocated for transit until after he began campaigning for Mayor shows you clearly have not been involved in transit advocacy around the city.

Not only did McGinn start an organization [Great City] that has density and transit and sustainability amongst its main goals, but he was quite involved in defeating Roads+Transit and bringing back the transit-only ST2 package.

By: Mathew "RennDawg" Renner

Mathew "RennDawg" Renner — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:29:10 +0000

I believe that after a year of McGinn the people of Seattle will wish they had Nickles. Thankfully I live in Kent.

By: eddiew

eddiew — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:57:45 +0000

Nickels made progress, but the Martin post in incomplete.

it understates Bridging the Gap. Decades of under spending on pavement management is being corrected. Nickels helped negotiate the simultaneous ballot measures of Transit Now and BTG; the former included the service partnership program; the latter spends $1.5 million annually on new service. With BTG, Nickels finally realized he had to use the commercial parking tax and it has worked out quite well. SDOT has several years left in the program and we will see more improvement. sidewalks were really a modest part of it.

the Seattle Streetcar network and its SLU line are distractions. As Ben acknowledged, the SLU line would not have been built without Vulcan. It main purpose is as a marketing devise for their development. it is a poor use of scarce service subsidy.

Nickels was a leader at ST for all of its existance. so, he shares credit for their successes and blame for their poor decisions (e.g., south-first Link, the Tukwila alignment, and north Sounder). He designed Route 570, the rump of which is attached to Route 560. a station north of the DSTT will not open until 2016, 20 years after the sound move measure was adopted. the transit capacity of downtown will be constrained during the AWV construction program.

the George Benson line need not have been killed. no elected official was willing to pressure SAM to incorporate the maintenance facility into their design. a shame.

the zoning changes he asked for were very modest.

the fire levy was a sound move; the libraries were improved

on net, a very nice record, but transit pe se, was not a strong point.

By: Chris Stefan

Chris Stefan — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:18:31 +0000

Well Second, Fourth, and Stewart downtown were all repaved this past year.

By: Chad

Chad — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:50:41 +0000

80 miles of roads paved, 32 blocks of sidewalks created, plus new signs, etc these past 3 years. It seems like that ain’t all that much considering the money we’re spending. So, where are these 80 miles of newly paved roads in Seattle? I sure don’t see them where I drive or ride the bus every day. Northgate Way had one lane out of four repaved, but only for a few blocks and it looks like a bad temporary job at that. The rest of it is still horrible to drive on. Where exactly are these 32 blocks of new sidewalks?

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:58:35 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones

By: Jason Mitchell

Jason Mitchell — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:04:31 +0000

Bridging the Gap has led to tons of new sidewalks. Anyone can see the annual project list on the SDOT website.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/BridgingtheGap.htm

By: Chad

Chad — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:28:29 +0000

I was never a fan of Greg Nickels. I voted for Mark Sidran over Schell. Someone mentioned that Nickels has made Seattle a more walk-able city, but where’s the evidence? The South Lake Union area is just one big block-sized building after another, built right up to the edge of the sidewalk. Where are the set-backs that make walking more pleasant? Go walking in downtown Portland and you’ll see what I mean. And about the ‘bridging the gap’ levy. I still have yet to see any real evidence of that. North 45th street was finally repaved, but that was done with money BEFORE the levy was passed. Finally, we’re getting sidewalks on Greenwood Avenue but only about 10 blocks’ worth. Someone point me to a website that shows where this money has actually been spent, please! Instead, it seemed that Nickels spent far too much time worrying about legacy stuff, about becoming a more ‘green’ city, trying to ban plastic bags and such. Well, I already use reuseable bags and get 3-5 cents off at the grocery stores I go to. I want a mayor who is looking out for me. Where was Nickels’ outrage about panhandling? I am more annoyed and nervous about the freaking bums on the street than I am about some nutjob and a concealed weapon. And I think the tourists would agree too, trying to walk from a hotel on 5th Avenue to Pike Place Market. Go ahead and ban the bums at streetcorners and freeway off-ramps and then let someone sue you, like he did with the gun ban. I want to feel safe while waiting for a bus at night.

Now, if the things that he did do can sprout up and grow, then maybe 10 years from now I can look back and say, sure, Nickels was a good Mayor…I do look forward to more streetcar lines, more Sound Transit rail, and a stronger downtown core.

By: Under The Clouds

Under The Clouds — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:06:33 +0000

I think Nickels’ leadership will be sorely missed. I don’t see how McGinn’s all-inclusive, touchy-feely leadership style can result in anything worthwhile for those of us who support increased density and transit. People who cheered at the failure of the City to overcome NIMBY opposition for the new Queen Anne fire station or the Goodwill site development will love the do-nothing, gridlock approach of McGinn.

By: Martin H. Duke

Martin H. Duke — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:53:56 +0000

GW Bush certainly got a lot done: a massive tax cut, a huge deficit-financed prescription drug benefit, at least one very controversial war, and that’s just the highlights. Whether or not you agree with his policies or appreciate their outcomes, people of any persuasion should hope their agendas are pursued with such vigor and success.

By: rex

rex — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:12:20 +0000

Nickels did what was necessary to get things done. Seattle is too indecisive and it needed an strong mayor to move things forward. Unfortunately, this sometimes mean angering some people. It is sad to see him go.

By: rex

rex — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:43:54 +0000

He needed to be bully to get things done. Otherwise he would have been voted after the first term.

By: rex

rex — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:30:31 +0000

What does cognitive dissonance mean?

By: Jeff Welch

Jeff Welch — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:47:03 +0000

Martin,

“Sidelining” detractors is how things get done.

It certainly worked for G.W. Bush.

By: Mathew "RennDawg" Renner

Mathew "RennDawg" Renner — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:37:24 +0000

Noe that I think about it. I don’t think I’ve liked any Seattle Mayor since Ole Hanson.

(That was a joke)

By: Mathew "RennDawg" Renner

Mathew "RennDawg" Renner — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:36:22 +0000

Seattle has gone from Charles Royer to Norm Rice to Paul Schell to Greg Nickles to Mike McGinn. Is this getting better or worse, I cannot tell.

By: Chetan

Chetan — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:10:06 +0000

Martin,

Regardless of weather or not sidelining other people is how things get done (I don’t believe it is) Nickles could have done a much better job of clearly explaining why streetcars and light rail are good things, and why they are better than the monorail or BRT. In this aspect, he failed and was forced to ignore and anger those who disagreed with him.