Neither mayoral candidate thinks so, but until Greg Nickels relinquishes his throne, the city will continue to push for $140 million in funding for the 2.5-mile line. Personally, I see both sides. The First Ave. line, unlike Sound Transit trains and Metro buses, is something the city would have direct control over. Red tape being what is is, that alone is an attractive prospect–and the potential for lines which will one day form a citywide system is why we only had a little fun ribbing the SLUT.Then again, I used to walk to work along what will become the First Avenue Streetcar line. Piece of cake, and a piece of cake that resulted in my burning off whatever actual cake I might have ingested the night before. Which makes you wonder, as the mayoral candidates have, whether spending $140 million on such a line is really the most thoughtful use of public dollars when vital services are being scaled back in every branch of government.