Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

McGinn is In

News   March 24, 2009 at 11:58 am Josh Feit

michaelmcginn1

Local Sierra Club leader Micheal McGinn, 49, is running for mayor against Greg Nickels. 

He’s not forming an exploratory committee. He’s running. 

McGinn actually started out as a Nickels fan;  a rare neighborhood activist who was down with Nickels’ plans for raising height limits, decreasing parking requirements, and increasing density in the neighborhoods. 

McGinn was, in fact, out to reclaim neighborhood activism from the “Lesser Seattle” movement, and he saw Nickels’ as an ally. 

Other than last year’s parks levy—which Nickels didn’t want on the ballot, but which McGinn promoted (he ran the winning campaign)—I’m not sure when or why McGinn stopped supporting Nickels. (Maybe when he saw a recent poll he commissioned?)

However, I do know this. With the Sierra Club’s backing, McGinn will be a formidable opponent. 

If you don’t think the Sierra Club has clout, think again. Following McGinn’s leadership, the Sierra Club  crushed the roads and transit initiative in 2007, believing—against all conventional wisdom—that light rail could (and should) come back for a vote, without roads, in 2008.

McGinn made that point in this (and this) now-classic debate filmed in front of the Stranger’s editorial board in the fall of 2007. 

Accused of having spoiled the region’s “last chance” to expand light rail, McGinn and the Club turned out to be right when they helped pass 2008′s light rail expansion measure. 

McGinn, a lawyer who lives in North Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood where he got his political start fighting against Fred Meyer’s big box re-development at N. 85th St., also founded a non-profit called The Great City Initiative.  Great City Initiative helped pass legislation dubbed “Complete Streets” which dictated that any new roads fixes in the city must be designed with pedestrians and bicyclists as part of the equation.

McGinn’s track record—and rhetoric—always convinced me he’s the agitatin’ type who preferred to fight city hall instead of moving in. As the campaign gets underway, I’ll be curious to hear McGinn’s case for taking up residence in the halls of power.

Maybe he’s just jealous of his twin brother, who’s currently a state Rep. in Olympia.


  • BallardSting

    Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • BallardSting

    Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Nighthawks

    “The Beard” is weird.

  • Nighthawks

    “The Beard” is weird.

  • Gary
  • Gary
  • Benjamin Greuel

    McGinn is the change this city needs.

  • Benjamin Greuel

    McGinn is the change this city needs.

  • Ian

    The word “unelectable” just jumps off my tongue. I know this is Seattle, but a viable candidate must have at least a reasonable doubt that they aren’t a “crazy leftist.”
    I am envisioning an add campaign of Mike McGinn breaking ground for some land-whoring co-op with a bunch of sketchy-looking hippies that completely creeps out anyone drawn to his “save the children, save the world” messaging campaign.
    He looks great on paper, but when it comes to most people and their ballpoint pen in the voting booth McGinn just isn’t electable.

  • Ian

    The word “unelectable” just jumps off my tongue. I know this is Seattle, but a viable candidate must have at least a reasonable doubt that they aren’t a “crazy leftist.”
    I am envisioning an add campaign of Mike McGinn breaking ground for some land-whoring co-op with a bunch of sketchy-looking hippies that completely creeps out anyone drawn to his “save the children, save the world” messaging campaign.
    He looks great on paper, but when it comes to most people and their ballpoint pen in the voting booth McGinn just isn’t electable.

  • Bill Gatesby

    Latest TOP 10 most popular names for hizzoner so far:

    1. MAYOR McCHEESE

    2. MAYOR McCONDO

    3. MAYOR NOPLOW

    4. MAYOR SNOWJOB

    5. MAYOR 5-CENTS

    6. MAJOR NOPLOW

    7. MAYOR McSLEAZE

    8. MAYOR FAILure

    9. MAYOR GRIDLOCK

    10. MAYOR QUIMBY

    All the names that are just too mean to such a nice fellow, like MAYOR McFATTY, MAYOR PORK, MAJOR PORK, MAYOR BIGMAC, etc. will not be included in the Top 10 names for HIS HONOR. This is Seattle, a nice city, after all.

    We are monitoring the TIMES, P-I, Weakly, Strangler, Crosscut, Publicola, and a few blogs for the most mentions in comments from the citizenry.
    Newest contenders:
    MAYOR DISASTER, MAJOR DISASTER, BOSS NICKELS, MAYOR NOSALT, MAYOR NICKELBAGS, MAYOR KNUCKLEHEAD, MAYOR FUDD, MAYOR FIVEPENNIES, MAYOR CHUMPCHANGE, MAYOR KNUCKLES

  • Bill Gatesby

    Latest TOP 10 most popular names for hizzoner so far:

    1. MAYOR McCHEESE

    2. MAYOR McCONDO

    3. MAYOR NOPLOW

    4. MAYOR SNOWJOB

    5. MAYOR 5-CENTS

    6. MAJOR NOPLOW

    7. MAYOR McSLEAZE

    8. MAYOR FAILure

    9. MAYOR GRIDLOCK

    10. MAYOR QUIMBY

    All the names that are just too mean to such a nice fellow, like MAYOR McFATTY, MAYOR PORK, MAJOR PORK, MAYOR BIGMAC, etc. will not be included in the Top 10 names for HIS HONOR. This is Seattle, a nice city, after all.

    We are monitoring the TIMES, P-I, Weakly, Strangler, Crosscut, Publicola, and a few blogs for the most mentions in comments from the citizenry.
    Newest contenders:
    MAYOR DISASTER, MAJOR DISASTER, BOSS NICKELS, MAYOR NOSALT, MAYOR NICKELBAGS, MAYOR KNUCKLEHEAD, MAYOR FUDD, MAYOR FIVEPENNIES, MAYOR CHUMPCHANGE, MAYOR KNUCKLES

  • myths

    josh – you know this transit story is an urban legend – like drinking soda and eating pop rocks at the same time. it’s a good story, but it just isn’t so.

  • myths

    josh – you know this transit story is an urban legend – like drinking soda and eating pop rocks at the same time. it’s a good story, but it just isn’t so.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @6,
    What transit story?

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @6,
    What transit story?

  • myths

    If you don’t think the Sierra Club has clout, think again. Following McGinn’s leadership, the Sierra Club crushed the roads and transit initiative in 2007, believing—against all conventional wisdom—that light rail could (and should) come back for a vote, without roads, in 2008.

    Accused of having spoiled the region’s “last chance” to expand light rail, McGinn and the Club turned out to be right when they helped pass 2008’s light rail expansion measure.

  • myths

    If you don’t think the Sierra Club has clout, think again. Following McGinn’s leadership, the Sierra Club crushed the roads and transit initiative in 2007, believing—against all conventional wisdom—that light rail could (and should) come back for a vote, without roads, in 2008.

    Accused of having spoiled the region’s “last chance” to expand light rail, McGinn and the Club turned out to be right when they helped pass 2008’s light rail expansion measure.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @8,
    I’m not clear what part of the story you’re saying is an urban legend.

    Here’s what’s true: McGinn and the Sierra Club did some heavy lifting on the anti-roads/transit version of Prop. 1 in 2007, defying the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels.

    It’s also true that the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels, were saying McGinn and company were foolish because if the measure went down in ’07, it wasn’t coming back in ’08 because Olympia wouldn’t let it. McGinn’s rejoinder? “Olympia doesn’t tell us what to do. We tell them.” Kinda catchy.

    And, in fact, the transit version of Prop. 1 was on the ballot in ’08, and it won. Big.

    What is often disputed is: Why exactly did Prop. 1 lose in ’07? Or more to the point: How much credit should we give to the Sierra Club? Different polling that was done after the vote says different things. The package was a mess. It was too expensive. And: People wanted transit w/out roads. There was overlap on an ST poll and a Survey USA poll on the “transit w/out roads” point—which is the point that lends credence to the Sierra Club factor.

    So, I don’t agree that there’s a “myth” here. I’ll grant you that McGinn and the Sierra Club weren’t the only reason the ’07 Prop. 1 went down. However, Mcginn’s analysis was spot on, and he was in the thick of the fight.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @8,
    I’m not clear what part of the story you’re saying is an urban legend.

    Here’s what’s true: McGinn and the Sierra Club did some heavy lifting on the anti-roads/transit version of Prop. 1 in 2007, defying the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels.

    It’s also true that the rest of the environmental community and the liberal establishment—including Nickels, were saying McGinn and company were foolish because if the measure went down in ’07, it wasn’t coming back in ’08 because Olympia wouldn’t let it. McGinn’s rejoinder? “Olympia doesn’t tell us what to do. We tell them.” Kinda catchy.

    And, in fact, the transit version of Prop. 1 was on the ballot in ’08, and it won. Big.

    What is often disputed is: Why exactly did Prop. 1 lose in ’07? Or more to the point: How much credit should we give to the Sierra Club? Different polling that was done after the vote says different things. The package was a mess. It was too expensive. And: People wanted transit w/out roads. There was overlap on an ST poll and a Survey USA poll on the “transit w/out roads” point—which is the point that lends credence to the Sierra Club factor.

    So, I don’t agree that there’s a “myth” here. I’ll grant you that McGinn and the Sierra Club weren’t the only reason the ’07 Prop. 1 went down. However, Mcginn’s analysis was spot on, and he was in the thick of the fight.

  • Brice Maryman

    One of the more powerful messages that I heard at the “announcement” at Piecora’s today was a return of clout and empowerment to the neighborhoods rather the centralized style that Nickels seems to prefer. McGinn’s example was great: he said let’s use neighborhood parking charges (which the city is already implementing) to return that money directly to the neighborhoods. success breeds success. more business = more public investments. good stuff.

    one of the weaknesses of nickels is his autocratic style. everything mcginn has done is not that. establishing Great City (name changed recently, Josh), creating the Seattle Network where citizens can empower each other for change http://seattlegreatcitynetwork.ning.com/index.php and even the parks levy, which was open source/web 2.0 are about changing the way that people and government interact.

    powerful stuff and just what seattle needs. he’s more than environmental, he’s open, honest and thoughtful…are ready for the right kind of change.

  • Brice Maryman

    One of the more powerful messages that I heard at the “announcement” at Piecora’s today was a return of clout and empowerment to the neighborhoods rather the centralized style that Nickels seems to prefer. McGinn’s example was great: he said let’s use neighborhood parking charges (which the city is already implementing) to return that money directly to the neighborhoods. success breeds success. more business = more public investments. good stuff.

    one of the weaknesses of nickels is his autocratic style. everything mcginn has done is not that. establishing Great City (name changed recently, Josh), creating the Seattle Network where citizens can empower each other for change http://seattlegreatcitynetwork.ning.com/index.php and even the parks levy, which was open source/web 2.0 are about changing the way that people and government interact.

    powerful stuff and just what seattle needs. he’s more than environmental, he’s open, honest and thoughtful…are ready for the right kind of change.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Brice,

    Thanks for pointing out McGinn’s parking charges idea—which McGinn suggested for both meters and lots.

    You’re absolutely right, it was one of his better moments, and it connected with his theme of “devolving” power (his word at Piecora’s). He mentioned this when he came out or the hybrid district model as well.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Brice,

    Thanks for pointing out McGinn’s parking charges idea—which McGinn suggested for both meters and lots.

    You’re absolutely right, it was one of his better moments, and it connected with his theme of “devolving” power (his word at Piecora’s). He mentioned this when he came out or the hybrid district model as well.