Seattle Times (RVP news partner):
Just days before the election, Mallahan, a 47-year-old T-Mobile vice president, appeared poised to win. He was leading in the polls, had raised more than three times as much money as McGinn, and was supported by the city’s political and civic leaders.
But McGinn’s volunteer-run campaign had held 25 town-hall meetings around Seattle and focused on gaining votes in Southeast Seattle, where Mayor Greg Nickels took most of the votes in the primary. McGinn picked up support from a number of immigrant communities there.
McGinn, 49, is an attorney and former Sierra Club leader who quit his job at a downtown law firm two years ago to run the nonprofit he started, Great City. He rode his bike to most campaign events and passed out “Mike bikes” stickers featuring his helmet-clad head. Read more.
Mike McGinn took a decisive lead in the Seattle mayor’s race Friday night, leading by 2,384 votes. Photo/David Mullarkey Images
Related:
- McGinn Announces Six More Town Halls Around Seattle, Including Beacon Hill (9/30/09)
- Mike McGinn Embraces SE Seattle With New Campaign Office & Two Town Hall Meetings (9/17/09)
- Open Thread: How Well Does Mike McGinn Know SE Seattle? (9/16/09)
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 31 comments }
I won’t lie. I had moments of incredulity, doubt and nervousness during the final stretch of this Mayoral campaign. But it’s looking like the smart underdog running a canny campaign will emerge victorious over the Establishment’s man. I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s going to a good new era for Seattle.
I believe that Mike will only accelerate the exodus of business (i.e. taxpayers) from Seattle. His self righteousness is very concerning. I think that all we’ll have left after his first term are high legal bills that are a consequence of his need to be right.
Tom T:
I believe, after reading your post, that you are simply a bitter Mallahan supporter.
Was there any other kind?
Let’s talk in 4 years. I’m not bitter, its just that I think has a supersized ego and it doesn’t appear he is good at the art of compromise. He seems as though all he wants to do is fight.
I am, however, hopeful that he do some good things for the bikers among us. And yes, I am a support of Joe Mallahan but I will concede that Mike won.
Mike hasn’t won yet, but I do think if Joe won it would have accelerated the exodus of the soul of Seattle.
And that wouldn’t have been good for business, in the long run.
Hate to say it, but it seems to me that neither have the potential to be a great mayor. I hope the winner is better than our last mayor. DG
It doesn’t matter who go gets the office, we still are going to be underfunded in SE Seattle. Both candidates are from north of I-90 so they could care less. Only time will tell of course.
If we stay the same, but the other 90% of Seattle does well under a new mayor, we win.
And by doing well, I mean preserving all those things that people come to Seattle for; the mountains, the Sound, the trees, the ocean, REI. And the bookstores, the coffee, the arts, the bike paths, the liberal worldview.
Those things are the goose. If we want the golden eggs to continue, we had better preserve them. If we don’t, those people that make for a vibrant economy will go elsewhere, like anywhere they can make money without getting soaked for nine months out of the year.
Mike may not be any more qualified than Joe, but he’s more likely to take care of the goose.
Bien,
You’ve got some interesting points but I’m not sure how the mayor can save the mountains or the ocean. I can see where he might have a small impact on the Sound. Trees he can tag along on the council proposal.
REI is HQ’d in Renton and with the exception of Russell we’ve pretty much been losing business to the Eastside- even though we have very competitive rents.
Here’s a few more major businesses that have recently chosen the Eastside over Seattle.
1) Google- major campus built in Kirkland, token facility in Fremont
2) Microsoft – major campus expansion in Redmond and major leasing in downtown Bellevue (the ughh—- Bravern), minor facility in Eastlake
The bottom line is that we can’t support all the things we want as a city by converting to a residential community. Without actively pursuing and attracting new employers we’ll continue to have serious financial difficulties leading to reduced services leading to a loss of many of the things that you cite as making Seattle great. Life is a compromise.
I don’t have a businessman’s mind, so if the Eastside is doing well I feel like “Seattle” is doing well. And having seen all the people on this site badmouthing developers and Vulcan, I don’t see support for business here.
As long as I could get to the Sound and the mountains from Bellevue, I’d say we’re still OK as a region. There’s an art to projecting that liberal view to the rest of the world, and that’s what will keep the best people coming here.
The region doing well doesn’t necessarily mean Seattle will do well. You have to have the tax base in town and we are losing it to the Eastside. The only saving grace may be the passage of Prop 71. My impression is that Seattle is much more welcoming and attractive to alternative lifestyles than the Eastside. That will be a big positive in the long term.
I agree. Maybe someday we’ll have a waterfront that’ll make the Eastside swoon.
The Quiet One has been quiet recently, but here’s a Grateful Dead tune that just won’t leave my head; for you who choose to lead:
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come thru the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps they’re better left unsung.
I don’t know, don’t really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.
There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then who’s to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.
I guess I’m always happy if whoever gets elected just doesn’t muck up the city too much in their 4 year term–a modest hope indeed. Rather than relying on the various mayors to “save” Seattle, one is better off working with their local community club to make sure their neighborhood stays secure, looks presentable, and has potential to prosper.
And it’s official.
Are we pleased or frightened?
Put me down as concerned. I see lots of energy being expended over the next four years without much being accomplished. It’s going to be very tiring.
But as Brian said, it’s really all local (even more local than he hinted to. It’s within the skin.)
We just need McGinn to project that tree-huggin’ persona to the rest of the world. If we don’t build over it, they will come.
@Tom A
Are you hinting that you and your friends are planning on making his four years miserable? That would be most expected, but sad.
Whats’ not sad is Google’s tribute to Seasame Street/the Muppets.
I was just a little kid in elementary school when we were sent home with info for our parents on SEE-SAME street.
Could that communist outfit be fourty years old now?
Me wants coooookie!
McGinn!! How do I feel? Happy and hopeful for the future of Seattle.
I dropped in at McGinn’s King Plaza campaign office on MLK Jr. Way shortly before 4:30pm. I knew that the latest tally would drop from County Elections and had heard that McGinn himself would be there. Naively, I had not expected the throng of volunteers, supporters and media trucks. The atmosphere was pretty electric.
What a disciplined campaign: at this late stage, volunteers were still seated at long tables, cell phones in hand, placing calls to the 4,700 voters whose ballots were set aside due to signature discrepencies and offering to help them send in facsimiles of their ID so that their votes would count.
McGinn beat Joe Mallahan soundly. He didn’t do it with deep pockets, a cadre of professional political advisers, or the backing of Seattle’s business, labor and political Establishments. All those advantages accrued to Mallahan, who still lost.
Recall that McGinn raised about $200,000 to campaign with. Mallahan raised over three times that much, about $700,000 ($230,000 of that from his own wallet).
McGinn won because had a message that resonated with Seattleites (and could articulate it; McGinn didn’t have a campaign manager or a spokesperson). He held town meetings in our neighborhoods, a couple dozen of them, really reaching out directly to regular citizens. His volunteers worked harder and more passionately for his campaign because he had a message they could believe in; and they still could believe. McGinn was a better campaigner, hands down.
When the numbers were announced on election night, Mallahan said he was stunned.
Well, yeah. I expect that Mallahan’s prominent supporters in Southeast Seattle were stunned, too. But I hope that they can graciously get behind the Mayor Elect now that this race is over. McGinn was always more in tune with Seattle’s zeitgeist than his opponent, and the election results bear that out.
There’s work to do.
trellis
Glad you’re back. Your enthusiasm makes me “happy and hopeful”.
Careful with words like “zeitgeist”, though…You know you’re gonna get it from MarkB…
I think that analysis in the very near future will demonstrate that SE Seattle has played a MAJOR role in delivering the votes to Mike McGinn. And that WILL ensure a significant spotlight on this part of the city. The grassroots communities – esp. among traditionally marginalized communities are empowered and are determined to continue to organize and to build coalition.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be involved with this campaign and other city council position campaigns. The perception that a couple of us have about Mike having a big ego – couldn’t be further from the truth. I can personally attest to that.
The future of this city depends on all of us to come together now more than ever. Mike have said that he doesn’t hold all the answers … The answers come from all of us, putting the election behind us, rolling up our sleeves and go to work in unity of mission and purpose. That’s what the campaign has been all about.
I am particular proud to have helped among key community leaders to deliver the Vietnamese American community for Mike McGinn – a voting block that has been squarely voting for the conservative party in the past 30 years. It’s now officially flipped!
Way to go, Linh. Indeed, after the primaries people studied the election map and said that the Mayor’s race would turn on Southeast Seattle. I’m eager for the analysis. I’m also eager for more of the story of how the McGinn campaign successfully courted the marginalized communities in the Southeast. Congratulations! Btw, it was nice to meet you and to have that chat yesterday.
“Glad you’re back. Your enthusiasm makes me “happy and hopeful”.
Careful with words like “zeitgeist”, though…You know you’re gonna get it from MarkB…”
I almost spit up my coffee on that one.
You know I was about to give him a little something but now I can not.
Only 52 new words left in the year trellis, good to see you are still around.
Thanks for the kind words, Ahow and Mark B. Sorry I was AWOL for a while: I made a quest to enchanted lands to gather more vocabulary words for you.
Yo, I needta buy me a ticket to the aforementioned, “enchanted lands.” Is that a Calgon thing? Or is it just a thesaurus? Maybe I’ll read a thesaurus in the bathtub. We’ll see how that works…
I read the dictionary and now I do not have to read any other books, they are all in there just disorganized.
lol, yeah Mark B, divert your book money toward pizza and beer.
“Calgon, take me away.” I could really use summa that. Or a good massage. My computer setups are knotting up my neck and back something fierce. I got Tiger Balm, but someone told me the Vietnamese places do an hour massage for $25, cheap!
$25.00, I take it that is sans happy ending.
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