Despite being forced to walk the tightrope on the Sound Transit plan, Nickels is toughening his rhetoric. He responds to Schell's boasts about tripling the size of the neighborhood matching fund by wondering aloud why residents have to file grant applications to fix up parks and repair sidewalks. "People feel that the city is there to provide services to neighborhoods and individuals, and that's not happening," he says.
Three ballot issues passed during Schell's tenure may be pouring money into neighborhood projects, but Nickels isn't impressed. "Being able to pass a levy in the best economic times in our city's history is not exactly heavy lifting," he says.
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Nickels also criticizes Schell for his failure to put his own people in positions of power. "I will replace more department heads in my first year as mayor than Paul Schell has in four years," he says.
Despite this firm language, Nickels weakens his stand by refusing to specifically name any current department heads he would sack (although Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske should heed these sage words: "Rent, don't buy"). Over the years, Nickels hasn't escaped criticism for being overly calculating, for example on primary election night in 1997: When it appeared Nickels might advance along with Schell, the candidate borrowed a page from rival Chong by ripping into Schell as a big-money carpetbagger. Then, once eliminated, Nickels promptly endorsed Schell and blasted Chong's divisive rhetoric.
Other observers were appalled by Nickels' March pledge to hang the death certificate of 20-year-old Mardi Gras beating victim Kris Kime in his office if elected. Nickels responds that the current administration's poor performance at Mardi Gras is a big deal to most city residents, including Nickels himself and his wife Sharon, the parents of teenagers. "If somebody is getting beat up on the street within sight of our police, help should be coming," says Nickels. "A fundamental promise was broken that night."
Political consultant Greg Dewar, himself a West Seattle resident, says Nickels' record doesn't necessarily stand up to close scrutiny. As West Seattle simmered during the 1990s over such controversies as the Seattle Comprehensive Plan and the Admiral Garage project, Nickels often appeared out of touch with his constituents—a situation that became apparent when Chong soundly whipped him on his home turf in the 1997 mayoral primary. "Charlie being in the race will remind every West Seattleite where Greg has been on West Seattle issues over the last 10 years, which is AWOL," says Dewar.
Nickels' ability to say the right thing doesn't always lend itself to a substantial campaign. Take his response to the recent shooting of Aaron Roberts by police. Nickels invariably breaks into the story of his conversation with a prominent African-American minister, who asked him what he told his own son about the police. "I told my son that if he's in trouble to go to the police—they're there to help him," Nickels recalls. The minister replied that he told his son to avoid the police whenever possible, because he'll only get in trouble. This is a fine political anecdote that has scored well with crowds thus far. But what exactly does he mean by it?
Light-Rail Greg's recent conversion to monorail enthusiast could also draw charges of political expediency. However, Nickels has correctly identified yet another Schell blunder (the mayor led an effort to derail a grant and kill the monorail; the voters rebuked him with a second monorail initiative) and taken the other side.
Many observers expect the power of incumbency will propel Schell into the final election and into a two-man race with Nickels. Tim Flynn, Nickels' 1997 campaign manager, thinks Greg can take the incumbent. "It seems in this election that Greg's kind of found his stride," he says. "He's learned from '97, he's got an early start, he's put money in the bank to reach out to voters, and he's having more fun this time around. And I think that shows."
Nickels thinks that voters are looking for a candidate who can beat the incumbent, and he's the man for the job. "I think there's going to be a real issue of electability, and I think that's going to work in my favor," he says.
jbush@seattleweekly.com
