Last week, Greg Nickels woke up and realized that he’s the only declared challenger for the office of Seattle mayor.
I’m speaking figuratively, of course. But when County Council member Nickels called the local media to Pioneer Square to talk about the Mardi Gras riots, this sleepy mayoral race unexpectedly shifted from neutral to drive.
It wasn’t so much that Nickels said the right thing in his statement (he did) or that he ably fielded the media’s questions (ditto), but the guy honestly looked and sounded like a candidate for mayor. It’s funny how having an actual issue to debate can make a campaign.
Mark Sidran has noticed. The incumbent city attorney is scrambling to get his campaign filings in order and declare for mayor before the Mardi Gras issue dries up and blows away. Jim Compton was watching, too—the first-term City Council member ended speculation that he’d challenge incumbent mayor Paul Schell by announcing that he’s going to sit this campaign season out.
Without Compton, there is arguably another space in the race. Will veteran Charlie Chong provide residents with the option of a protest vote by joining the fray? Or maybe council member Judy Nicastro will get off the fence and offer herself as a younger candidate with a more populist appeal (than Schell, Nickels, or Sidran, that is—Charlie is still the Prince of Populism).
Stand back, kids, we’re having an election.
Everyone makes mistakes
I wish Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske could hear himself talk about the Mardi Gras riots.
He seems to be an adherent to the macho credo of “whatever you do, don’t admit you were wrong.” This is not the time for such behavior.
The chief keeps telling people he had a good plan to address the situation in Pioneer Square. I’m sure he did, just as I’m sure his plan wasn’t for people to be beaten and molested as police stood by. I’m equally sure the chief’s plan didn’t call for a young man to die. Given that these events occurred, his plan wasn’t a good plan and he should quit telling people otherwise.
Kerlikowske’s statement that the police were “damned if they did [intervene] and damned if they didn’t” may well be accurate, but these aren’t the right words from a leader to reassure the public. Try this on for size: “We thought we planned well for this situation, but obviously things didn’t turn out the way we thought they would. The tragic death of Kris Kime makes this event a failure for everyone concerned.”
Not macho, perhaps, but manly enough.
