Michael McGinn: Difference between revisions
Tim.thelion (talk | contribs) Not sure if that helps. Tried to make it more neutral... →Transportation |
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McGinn's policy prescriptions in 2010 for the city budget that include additional furloughing of city employees, has been met with stiff resistance from local bargaining units.<ref>http://www.publicola.net/2010/08/18/city-unions-reject-proposal-to-furlough-workers-eliminate-2011-pay-increase/</ref> |
McGinn's policy prescriptions in 2010 for the city budget that include additional furloughing of city employees, has been met with stiff resistance from local bargaining units.<ref>http://www.publicola.net/2010/08/18/city-unions-reject-proposal-to-furlough-workers-eliminate-2011-pay-increase/</ref> |
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After the Seattle Firefighters Union Local 27 and the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) endorsed Joe Mallahan the SPOG President Sgt. Rich O'Neill went on record at a news conference to criticize McGinn's lack of an adequate policy position regarding public safety.<ref>{{cite news |title=Police union president criticizes McGinn |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2009786689_police_union_president_critici.html |publisher=Seattle Times | first=Jim | last=Brunner | date=September 1, 2009}}</ref> |
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McGinn's management record has come under greater scrutiny, including his chairmanship of Seattle's successful 2008 parks levy campaign. Members of the Seattle City Council, including Tom Rasmussen, said that McGinn mismanaged the effort. The City Council became "alarmed" at what members described as a disorganized effort. The City Council appointed Seattle Parks Foundation Executive Director Karen Daubert as co-chair in order to help save the levy campaign. Rasmussen says that it was Daubert that "saved the day" for the levy despite McGinn receiving credit.<ref name="The Seattle Times"/> McGinn has also been accused of [[Push poll|"push polling"]] with [[Robocall|robo calls]] to Seattle residents. His opponent Joe Mallahan called [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2009/10/08/2010027186.pdf the survey (pdf)] about the proposed Alaska Way Viaduct "dishonest" but McGinn says the poll was legitimate research.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Mallahan criticizes Mike McGinn's tunnel poll |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2010027196_poll.html |publisher=The Seattle Times | first=Emily | last=Heffter | date=October 9, 2009}}</ref> |
McGinn's management record has come under greater scrutiny, including his chairmanship of Seattle's successful 2008 parks levy campaign. Members of the Seattle City Council, including Tom Rasmussen, said that McGinn mismanaged the effort. The City Council became "alarmed" at what members described as a disorganized effort. The City Council appointed Seattle Parks Foundation Executive Director Karen Daubert as co-chair in order to help save the levy campaign. Rasmussen says that it was Daubert that "saved the day" for the levy despite McGinn receiving credit.<ref name="The Seattle Times"/> McGinn has also been accused of [[Push poll|"push polling"]] with [[Robocall|robo calls]] to Seattle residents. His opponent Joe Mallahan called [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2009/10/08/2010027186.pdf the survey (pdf)] about the proposed Alaska Way Viaduct "dishonest" but McGinn says the poll was legitimate research.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Mallahan criticizes Mike McGinn's tunnel poll |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2010027196_poll.html |publisher=The Seattle Times | first=Emily | last=Heffter | date=October 9, 2009}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 09:53, 27 December 2010
Michael McGinn | |
|---|---|
 Michael McGinn at an Approve R-71 rally | |
| 52nd Mayor of Seattle | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2010 | |
| Deputy | Phil Fujii Darryl Smith |
| Preceded by | Gregory J. Nickels |
| Majority | 105492 (51.14%)[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 17, 1959 Long Island, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Peggy McGinn |
| Children | Jack McGinn Miyo McGinn Cian McGinn |
| Residence | Wallingford, Seattle, Washington |
| Alma mater | Williams College (B.A. 1982) University of Washington School of Law (J.D. 1992) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Attorney, Activist |
| Website | Mayor Mike McGinn |
Michael "Mike" Patrick McGinn (born December 17, 1959) is the Mayor of Seattle, a lawyer, Greenwood neighborhood activist and a former Sierra Club state Chair.[2] He opposed the proposed tunnel replacement to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Biography
Early life and education
Originally from Long Island, New York, McGinn grew up in a family of eight. He earned a BA in economics from Williams College and worked for Congressman Jim Weaver as a legislative aide. McGinn attended law school at the University of Washington School of Law.[3] After graduation, he practiced business law for the Seattle firm Stokes Lawrence, becoming a partner. He remained a full-time lawyer for Stokes Lawrence until 2006, when he started a small non-profit.
Political activism
McGinn was the founder and former executive director of the Seattle Great City Initiative, a non-profit advocacy group, as well as a former head of the Greenwood Community Council.[4] While at Seattle Great Initiative McGinn oversaw a budget of $160,000 and worked alliances with companies like Triad Development, Harbor Properties and Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. on environmental and urban development issues.[5] As a neighborhood organizer and head of his non-profit, McGinn endorsed his future opponent Mayor Greg Nickels and worked with him to bar development of large, commercial "big box stores", eliminate street parking in favor of bus lanes and push for changes in zoning laws to encourage greater density in the Greenwood neighborhood.[6] McGinn stepped down from his position as head of the Greenwood Community Council in 2006 and as Executive Director of his non-profit in March 2009 in order to run for Mayor.[7] In 2007, McGinn used his position as a leader in the Sierra Club's Cascade Chapter to help successfully campaign against Washington State's Proposition 1, a combined road and mass transit measure, in favor of a transit-only measure.[8][9] Later McGinn chaired the successful campaign to pass a Seattle parks levy.[10]
2009 Seattle Mayoral Campaign
McGinn announced his candidacy in the 2009 Seattle Mayoral election on March 24, 2009. McGinn stated that his principal policy positions would center on schools, broadband Internet access and local transportation infrastructure. He advocated the abolishing of local school boards and replacing them with city officials, replacing private broadband Internet service with a government-controlled utility provider, the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a surface street instead of the planned tunnel and greater local neighborhood control of their parking taxes and meter rates. [11]
Mayor Greg Nickels proposed to elimination of Seattle's business tax on SOV commuters on the grounds it was no longer needed and was hurting business and job growth. McGinn opposed ending the tax, called the Employee Hours Tax, which taxes business $25 for each of its employees that drive to work alone. McGinn said that Nickels and his opponent Mallahan, who also favored repealing the tax, were "out of touch" and too close to the "business elite".[12]
McGinn rode his electrically-assisted bicycle to and from political events and maintained no paid campaign staff. In an upset, aided by exposure in the form of a cover profile from The Stranger,[13] McGinn led the August primary with 39,097 votes, ahead of Joe Mallahan's 37,933 votes and incumbent Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' 35,781 votes. By October 2009 the McGinn campaign had raised approximately $150,000.[14]
Criticism
McGinn's anti-tunnel stance received significant criticism from groups like the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce,[15] the downtown business community[16], the King County Labor Council[17] and the Seattle Times which called McGinn's surface street plan "impractical" and claimed it would clog downtown and overwhelm nearby Interstate 5.[18][19]
McGinn did not gain the widespread support of local organized labor unions. The King County Labor Council endorsed McGinn's opponent, Joe Mallahan, mainly on the position that McGinn's opposition to the viaduct tunnel, described by unions as a "deal breaker", would cause the city and its unions to lose jobs and billions of dollars from the State of Washington and Federal government. The viaduct tunnel would have been partially funded by city, state and federal governments, bringing federal money into the state and supporting the building industry[17][20]. McGinn did, however, receive the endorsements of several other unions, including IBEW Local 77,SEIU Local 925, and UFCW Local 21.[21]
McGinn's policy prescriptions in 2010 for the city budget that include additional furloughing of city employees, has been met with stiff resistance from local bargaining units.[22]
After the Seattle Firefighters Union Local 27 and the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) endorsed Joe Mallahan the SPOG President Sgt. Rich O'Neill went on record at a news conference to criticize McGinn's lack of an adequate policy position regarding public safety.[23]
McGinn's management record has come under greater scrutiny, including his chairmanship of Seattle's successful 2008 parks levy campaign. Members of the Seattle City Council, including Tom Rasmussen, said that McGinn mismanaged the effort. The City Council became "alarmed" at what members described as a disorganized effort. The City Council appointed Seattle Parks Foundation Executive Director Karen Daubert as co-chair in order to help save the levy campaign. Rasmussen says that it was Daubert that "saved the day" for the levy despite McGinn receiving credit.[10] McGinn has also been accused of "push polling" with robo calls to Seattle residents. His opponent Joe Mallahan called the survey (pdf) about the proposed Alaska Way Viaduct "dishonest" but McGinn says the poll was legitimate research.[24]
Policy positions
Taxes and budget
Facing a substantial deficit, McGinn has called for new taxes and the raising of existing taxes and fees in 2010 and 2011, mainly targeting drivers. McGinn has asked for a higher car tab tax and doubling the parking lot tax,[25] raising parking fees in several neighborhoods to $4 an hour[26] and a $241 million levy to replace the city's seawall two years early.[27]
Marijuana
McGinn supports the legalization and taxation of marijuana, saying on KUOW-FM, "We recognize that, you know, like alcohol, it's something that should be regulated, not treated as a criminal activity. And I think that's where the citizens of Seattle want us to go." He believes marijuana can be used as a cash crop to offset the city's financial problems.[28][29] McGinn called for an executive review of Seattle's law enforcement policy in regard to marijuana after a controversial police raid on a medical marijuana user who was growing plants in his home. He has said that he believes the country is in a time of transition in regard to marijuana policy citing California as a "social bellwether'.[30]
Transportation
McGinn is a proponent of reducing car ridership through the promotion of bycicling and pedestrianism, and public transportation. McGinn has proposed raising taxes on car transportation. He has been described as "philosophically anti-car" and even conducting a "war on cars".[31][32][33] McGinn descibed the idea of a war on cars as "silly" and stated his transportation policy is focused on reducing the number of cars in Seattle and expanding biking, walking and public transit.[34] McGinn asserts that the only way to make people change their behaivior is to make it more difficult for them to drive and park.[35] Since his time as a neighborhood activist in Greenwood, to his current position as Mayor, McGinn has pushed for the removal of car lanes and on-street parking around the city in favor of bus and bike lanes.
The Mayor's allocation of a $13 million funding increase, derived from new taxes on motorists, to be spent on bicycle and pedestrian projects in the same year he pushed for cuts to basic services, layoffs, hiring and pay freezes of police and other city employees, library and community center closings and reduced funding in road maintenance has caused debate over his budgetary priorities.[36]
McGinn's proposed surface street replacement of the viaduct calls for the reduction of cars on that portion of the Highway 99 corridor from 105,000 to 50,000 per weekday.[37] McGinn claims that the lost traffic capacity could be offset by diverteing more cars to Interstate 5, increased transit use, walking, biking and drivers staying home.
McGinn advocates expanding Light rail in Seattle[28] calling for a public vote in 2011 to raise taxes for a new light rail line for the western side of the city, including Ballard, Interbay, Queen Anne, Belltown, Downtown, West Seattle, and possibly Fremont.[38]
Social and public welfare
McGinn and a panel of activists for the homeless, appointed by him, have called for the creation of a permanent tent city for the homeless on city land. The panel forwarded seven different locations for the mayor's consideration.[39] After initially choosing a site in the Georgetown neighborhood McGinn elected to have the old Fire Station 39 in Lake City act as the site for a period of four to six months.[40]
McGinn vetoed a ban on aggressive pan handling which was passed by the Seattle city council. The law was designed to cut down on aggressive pan handlers using intimidating language and gestures, begging at ATMs, repeatedly soliciting people who have already said "no" or blocking people's path while soliciting money.[41][42] He cited concerns about free speech rights, the panhandlers not having access to lawyers, and that the bill could compel people into mental health and drug treatment programs instead of what he called the "normal civil commitment process."[43]
See also
References
- ^ http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/200911/Respage23.aspx
- ^ Heffter, Emily (2009-08-19). "75% of Seattle voters picking someone besides Nickels in race for mayor". Seattle Times.
- ^ "Meet the Team". City of Seattle.
- ^ "Sections of Seattle still await sidewalks". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Heffter, Emily (2009-08-20). "McGinn: Surprise survivor in race for mayor?". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "Counter Intel: Nickels Is Pro-Neighborhood". The Stranger.
- ^ "Great City is Hiring". Seattle Great City Initiative.
- ^ "Club Clout Helps Turn Tide Against Tainted Transit Tax". Sierra Club.
- ^ "Huge roads-transit plan gets trounced". The Seattle Times. November 7, 2007.
- ^ a b Heffter, Emily (October 11, 2009). "Mike McGinn: Grass-roots style paid off in recent campaigns". The Seattle Times.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|refname=ignored (help) - ^ "From McGinn's Mouth". Seattle Weekly.
- ^ "City: 'head tax' repeal wouldn't threaten transpo funding". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Heffter, Emily (2009-08-20). "McGinn: surprise survivor in race for mayor?". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "McGinn's Campaign: Successfully Underfunded". Seattle Weekly. Tuesday, Oct. 13 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Message from the Chamber Chair: Setting the record straight on the Viaduct Replacement Project". Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
- ^ Young, Bob; Heffter, Emily (2009-09-15). "Chamber group endorses Constantine, Mallahan". The Seattle Times.
- ^ a b "Mallahan wins labor endorsement". Seattle Post Globe.
- ^ "Seattle mayor candidates need to bring positions on city issues into sharper focus". Seattle Times. September 6, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|refname=ignored (help) - ^ "McGinn's no-tunnel campaign is a no-go". The Seattle Times. 2009-09-15.
- ^ "SGN exclusive interview: Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn". Seattle Gay News.
- ^ http://mcginnformayor.com/endorsements/
- ^ http://www.publicola.net/2010/08/18/city-unions-reject-proposal-to-furlough-workers-eliminate-2011-pay-increase/
- ^ Brunner, Jim (September 1, 2009). "Police union president criticizes McGinn". Seattle Times.
- ^ Heffter, Emily (October 9, 2009). "Joe Mallahan criticizes Mike McGinn's tunnel poll". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Mike Lindblom. "McGinn proposes $20 car-tab fee, higher parking lot taxes". Seattle Times.
- ^ Mike Lindblom. "McGinn plan for street parking would exceed NYC rate". Seattle Times.
- ^ "Could Seattle afford McGinn's light rail proposal?". Seattel Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ a b "The 'green' mayor? McGinn wants to legalize pot and tax it, too". KOMO News.
- ^ "Mayor-elect McGinn supports legalizing marijuana". MyNorthwest.com.
- ^ Casey McNerthney. "McGinn calls for review of marijuana enforcement efforts". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Dan Springer. "Seattle's War on Cars". Fox News.
- ^ Dana Rebik. "Car Wars: Can Seattle's Bikes And Cars Coexist?". Q13 FOX News.
- ^ "Slow down on parking-rate hikes to avoid harm to shoppers, retailers". Seattle Times.
- ^ "Issues - Planning, Land Use, and Zoning". McGinn for Mayor.
- ^ Dan Springer (13 October 2010). Seattle's War on Cars (News Broadcast). Seattle: Q13 FOX.
- ^ Joel Connelly. "Mayor McGinn: Potential nightmare for Greens?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Mike Lindblom (September 15, 2009). "McGinn's no-tunnel campaign counts on fewer cars". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "McGinn wants light-rail line on Seattle's west side". Seattle Times. [dead link]
- ^ Emily Heffter. "Seven Seattle sites suggested for homeless camp". Seattle Times.
- ^ Natalie Swaby. "Nickelsville homeless camp moves to former Lake City fire station". KING 5 News.
- ^ Emily Heffter. "Seattle panhandling bill passes; lacks votes to override mayoral veto". Seattle Times.
- ^ Chris Grygiel. "Seattle mayor vetoes aggressive panhandling ban". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Emily Heffter. "Seattle mayor vetoes aggressive panhandling bill". Seattle Times.
External links
Template:Mayors of the largest 50 US cities Template:Washington cities and mayors of 100,000 population