THE MAYOR I HOPE TO BE BY MIKE MCGINN Paid for by McGinn for Mayor, PO Box 70643, Seattle, WA 98127 Photo: Jen Nance
LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH LISTENING Since I launched my campaign in March, I ve had one goal. Listen to the people of Seattle. My campaign created ideasforseattle.org, a website for people to contribute their ideas for the future of our city. And I ve held 18 town hall meetings around Seattle where more than a thousand people have shared their vision for Seattle with me. They ve talked to me about transit and education, crime and the environment. They ve voiced their concerns about the state of our economy and expressed frustrations about how our city is currently run. Photo: Asher Hershey Over the past eight months, we have worked together to shape a vision of our city s future. One based on the values and priorities we all share. It s this vision that you ll find in these pages. And it s this vision that will guide me as mayor. Photo: Asher Hershey
ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE NOT THE POWERBROKERS As mayor, I will stand up to the special interests and fight against bad ideas. In 2007, I led the fight against politicians who wanted to build 182 miles of new highways in our region and we won. In 2008, I organized the Parks Levy over strong opposition from city hall and it passed. Now I m standing up against the $4.2 billion deep-bore tunnel. We voted against it, and yet the establishment is trying to force it on us anyway. For too long our politicians have told us our vote doesn t count. As mayor, I will put an end to that. You elect me, I will serve you. It s that simple. Photo: Jen Nance
High capacity transit is critical to our city s future. To Lynnwood Northgate Park & Ride GIVING SEATTLE THE CHOICE FOR MORE LIGHT RAIL I will present an expanded light rail plan to voters within two years of being elected mayor. Neighborhoods like Ballard, Belltown, Wallingford, Fremont, Magnolia, Queen Anne, and West Seattle are simply too far away to be served by the Central Link light rail line. And Sound Transit is at least 30 years away from providing service to these neighborhoods. The plan presented to voters will be based on these four core principles: 1. Voters Decide. The voters will make the decision. If the city s voters support the plan, and agree to raise their taxes to fund it, we will get it built as quickly and efficiently as possible. 2. No Wasted Money. We will not put a Cadillac plan in front of voters. We need to serve as many neighborhoods as inexpensively as possible. 3. No Delays. If we have the will and work together as a community, we can accomplish light rail expansion more quickly. 4. No Agency Duplication. The plan presented to the voters will not create another transportation agency. The city will work with Sound Transit and King County Metro to design, build, and operate the light rail expansion. BALLARD WALLINGFORD FREMONT MAGNOLIA QUEEN ANNE BELLTOWN WEST SEATTLE 99 5 Brooklyn Westlake University Street Pioneer Square Intl District/Chinatown Stadium SODO Link operations & maintenance facility SEATTLE 509 5 Roosevelt Capitol Hill Beacon Hill TUKWILA SeaTac/Airport University of Washington Rainier Station 99 P 90 520 Mount Baker MLK Jr. Way S. Columbia City Tukwila International Blvd Othello Rainier Beach
WHY I BELIEVE THE DEEP-BORE TUNNEL IS A BAD DEAL Last year, the State, County, and City Departments of Transportation worked together to develop eight alternatives to replace the viaduct. After two options were identified that fit within the state s budget, powerful politicians reversed the decision and picked the most expensive option that will take the longest to build the $4.2 billion deep-bore tunnel. Here are four reasons why I believe the deep-bore tunnel is very risky for Seattle: 1. State law holds Seattle taxpayers responsible for ALL cost overruns which could run into the billions. 2. It will require the largest tax increase in city history nearly a billion dollars in new property, parking, and car tab taxes and utility rate increases. 3. The tunnel is only a bypass tunnel there are no onramps or off-ramps anywhere downtown. 4. The funding plan calls for $400 million in tolls you will have to pay a toll of up to $6 each way to use it. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO REPLACE THE VIADUCT? I understand that people are frustrated with delays and want something done. But government can t afford to keep choosing the most expensive option that takes the longest. A cheaper and quicker solution would be to follow San Francisco s lead on the Embarcadero Freeway. Like our viaduct, it was an elevated freeway that ran along the waterfront and was damaged in an earthquake. Instead of rebuilding the elevated freeway or building a new freeway underground city officials worked with community groups and transportation agencies to tear down the freeway, improve transit, and create a vibrant waterfront the entire city now enjoys. We can do the same here in Seattle faster and cheaper than building a $4.2 billion deep-bore tunnel. streetfilms.org/archives/lessons-from-san-francisco
WHERE I STAND ON THE ISSUES Photo: Justin Martin EDUCATION Great cities have great schools. But Seattle s graduation rate is only 63%. Politicians all say that it s someone else s responsibility. I believe the city can be a partner with Seattle schools sharing resources and reducing overhead. We should take steps to increase school safety, fund pre-kindergarten, and create public-private scholarships for graduates. If all else fails, we should explore President Obama s Education Secretary s recommendation for increased city accountability. mcginnformayor.com/education TRANSPORTATION In addition to expanding light rail, we must work to better fund bus service. Too many times, overcrowded rush hour buses pass commuters waiting at stops. We must work towards frequent, reliable, and comfortable bus service. I support expanded Metro RapidRide lines and modernization of our electric trolley bus fleet. mcginnformayor.com/transportation CLEAN ENERGY & GREEN JOBS I will work to make Seattle a world leader in the clean energy economy. Specifically, I will support the Office of Economic Development s blueprint for clean energy, provide incentives to fund smart grid technology, distributed renewables, electric vehicle infrastructure, and energy efficiency. mcginnformayor.com/green-jobs INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE Seattle is falling behind the rest of the country in building out fiber optic Internet. Many neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and the Central District have limited Internet access. The city has a plan to build a citywide fiber optic network to bridge the digital divide, give consumers more choices, and make our city competitive in the information age. mcginnformayor.com/internet-infrastructure REDUCING THE BUDGET DEFICIT I will work to reduce the size and duplication in city government. I will eliminate 200 political appointees, consolidate duplicated functions, reform lax contracting and procurement rules, and eliminate no-bid contracts. mcginnformayor.com/budget NEIGHBORHOODS Ask anyone in Seattle where they live, and you will hear about their neighborhood. Our city s greatest asset is people, and our neighborhoods are our soul. I will make city hall more accountable to neighborhoods, strengthen neighborhood-based funding, and reinvigorate neighborhood-driven planning and strategies. mcginnformayor.com/neighborhoods PLANNING, LAND USE & ZONING The policies that govern the way we use land should reflect our diverse and vibrant communities. Making our neighborhoods more affordable, easier places to walk and use transit, and better for the long-term health of our climate are all challenges that demand a collaborative approach one that puts people at the center of the discussion. mcginnformayor.com/land-use IMMIGRANTS & REFUGEES By 2010, nearly 20% of the City of Seattle s population will be made up of immigrants and refugees. Immigrants come to America to pursue the freedom to live, work, and raise their families. As Mayor of Seattle, I will ensure that these new Americans are welcomed into our city and our neighborhoods with open arms. mcginnformayor.com/immigrants-refugees OLDER ADULTS It is essential that older adults are not merely served by the city, but are integrally involved in charting its course. I will focus on creating a city where our older citizens have the most mobility and freedom. And I will work to reduce social isolation by connecting older adults to volunteer, work, and educational opportunities. mcginnformayor.com/older-adults PUBLIC SAFETY I believe in treating the causes of crime as well as the symptoms. As mayor I will increase the prosecution of gun crimes, restore the gang unit, support community policing and youth violence prevention programs, and fund drug and mental health courts to provide access to treatment. mcginnformayor.com/public-safety ARTS, CULTURE & HERITAGE Rarely does a city of our size have as many major arts institutions as Seattle. Local artists make up an important part of neighborhoods all over town. I will continue to support, fund, and expand the many programs and organizations that make up Seattle s arts, culture, and heritage communities. They are some of our most treasured and vital assets. mcginnformayor.com/arts
HOW WE GET THINGS DONE If we are going to change the way things are done in Seattle, we need a mayor who approaches the job differently. Getting things done isn t about giving orders. It s about bringing people together to find areas of agreement, pushing the good ideas forward, and delivering results. After the 2007 Roads and Transit measure failed, the political insiders told us our region would never get light rail. They were wrong. Working with conservation groups, transit groups, and city councils, we developed a package that not only delivered light rail, but reduced sprawl and protected our environment. Photo: Aaron Briggs
I GOT INTO POLITICS BECAUSE WE DIDN T HAVE SIDEWALKS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD I m running for mayor because I ve seen what can happen when people come together around common goals. Here s a little about me: I started my career in DC working for Congressman Jim Weaver, a Democrat from Oregon. After graduating from UW Law School, I joined a Seattle law firm and made partner. My wife and I moved to Greenwood. While we loved our new neighborhood, we worried about the safety of our children because our streets lacked sidewalks. City officials didn t seem to care about our concerns, so I worked with our neighbors to get the sidewalks we needed. We helped the city find less expensive sidewalk solutions, which allowed us to afford sidewalks. Buoyed by our success, we worked to revitalize our local business district. Talking to people in other neighborhoods, I learned we had two things in common: we loved Seattle, but we were frustrated by the lack of progress from city officials. That s when I decided to leave my position at the law firm and form a non-profit called the Seattle Great City Initiative a name we chose because it reflected how we truly feel about our city. Our goal was to bring people together from all over Seattle. It worked. On issue after issue, we found common ground and got results. Now I want to bring this same cooperative approach to the mayor s office. While my love for Seattle inspired me to run for office, it is the ideas and concerns of the people all over our great city that has fueled my campaign. I m Mike McGinn and I d appreciate your vote. Remember to mail your ballot by November 3.
PLEASE MAIL YOUR BALLOT BY NOV 3 PO Box 70643, Seattle, WA 98127 McGinnForMayor.com IdeasForSeattle.org