Joe Mallahan vs. Mike McGinn
After the last ballots were counted for Seattle’s 2009 mayoral election, the vote count concluded that former Sierra Club state chairman Mike McGinn, won the election with two percentage points more than his opponent, T-mobile executive Joe Mallahan. This was a long election, with the votes flying back and forth between Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn, but in the end, Mr. McGinn came out on top. Both of the candidates for the 2009 election had strong opinions that contributed to the hard decision that Seattle was forced to make this November.
According to the Seattle Times, McGinn is “likeable and smart”, which probably contributed to the 50.88% of the vote he won. The Seattle Times also noted that McGinn has tried to “paint himself as a principled visionary”, although some argue that he is an “out-of-touch idealist”. McGinn’s campaign has been noted as uncompromising and populist. This decisiveness and voice for the people is a quality that will help him succeed in his new position as mayor. At a debate in Belltown, Mike told voters not to get stuck on one issue, maintaining that “issues come and go, but values remain.”
Joe Mallahan is known as a problem solver, with strong business skills the he said would help improve basic services in Seattle. During his campaign, Mallahan described himself as an “open and transparent leader”, but was often very hard to reach. He is also known to have used prepared speeched in interviews. Mallahan had a style of campaigning that made people more confident in knowing that he was someone that the people could work with. Mallahan stressed his experience in the private sector, which he believed would help streamline city government. During the same debate in Belltown, Mallahan said “I have a long track record on effective management and I want to lead us forward on a number of issues.”
Seattle has been struggling with the Alaska Way Viaduct issue, an issue that has been a problem with our previous mayor, Greg Nickels. Mallahan favors the tunnel; McGinn opposes it. McGinn says the $930 million the city would have to spend in related viaduct tunnel improvements is too much money for a project Seattle voters rejected in a 2007 advisory vote. He favors a surface replacement alternative that will put less emphasis on cars. Mallahan counters that McGinn is fighting a battle that is over. Mallahan also says the $2.4 billion the state has committed to replacing the viaduct – which is a state highway – will disapper if McGinn blows up a deal that had been agreed to by the Seattle mayor, governor and King County executive. Mallahan has criticized McGinn repeatedly for wanting to re-open the viaduct replacement debate. Mallahan believes Seattle gets bogged down administrative processes too often- something that is dangerous in a time of economic upheaval that calls for decisiveness. McGinn counters that the “Seattle way” is often an example of the people trying to prevent powerful interests from countermanding their wishes, and he says the viaduct tunnel is an example of that. The people voted against it, but the interests chose it anyway.
Though the topic of education wasn’t in the spotlight in this election, it still remains a very important issue. According to Mike McGinn, Seattle treats education like it’s a hot potato. Everybody runs on it, but when things get tough the school board point to someone else and say it’s their problem. He says, “that has to change”, and believes that the mayor needs to be held accountable for the success of the school system. For the first two years of his administration he intends to put all available resources into helping Seattle schools succeed. He plans to partner with parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and the community in order to ensure success.
What are some of McGinn’s promises from his campaign?·
Ensure our kids are safe at school
- Fund pre-kindergarten
- Create a public-private partnership for scholarships for Seattle High School graduates, similar to the Pittsburgh Promise
- Fund afterschool activities at the schools
- Support great transportation to and from schools
- Stand up for Seattle Public Schools in Olympia
Currently, responsibility for the success of the school district is distributed between the administrators, the school board, the state legislature, and the city. No one is held accountable for failure (Seattle has a 63% graduation rate), and as a result, Seattle’s children and community suffers. Mike McGinn pledges that city schools will improve, and that students will receive a better education. Overall, Mike McGinn seems to care about Seattle, and is acting in what he thinks are the best interests of Seattle. Mike McGinn has showed his dedication to our beautiful city, and hopefully, he will be good to our schools, our neighborhoods and our people.
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