KPLU Local News
(2009-08-06)
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SEATTLE, WA
(KPLU) -
Mike McGinn may not have an instantly recognizable name to Seattle voters, but he's been in the trenches of the city's recent, big political battles. It's the kind of experience he believes helps him stick out from a crowded field in the race for Seattle mayor.
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McGinn says his opposition to a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct sets him apart. "It's a huge amount of money," he says. "And if we have to commit that much money to the viaduct tunnel, we won't have the resources for the priorities we do need in education, local transportation and economic development."
McGinn was president of Sierra Club's Cascade Chapter when the group was one of the leaders in the fight to defeat a regional roads and rail proposal in 2007. He opposed Mayor Greg Nickels original tunnel plan that same year. And he doesn't like the latest Viaduct solution either: a multi-billion dollar deep-bore tunnel supported by Nickels and approved by state leaders. "We need to make a transition from polluting vehicles to better transit and more efficient use of our roadways," says McGinn, who is an avid cyclist. He says he rides his bike to meetings as often as he can.
McGinn says by increasing capacity on I-5 you could replace the viaduct with surface streets to accommodate public transit and bike lanes. It would be better for the environment, he says, and save money for his other priorities, notably education.
"I'm proposing to say a mayor should take responsibility for success or failure of the school system." He says he'd explore an overhaul of how Seattle schools are run. "I do think we should do what Obama's education secretary recommends, and look at changing the governance system so there's direct political accountability and direct accountability to the voters," he added.
The former Greenwood Community Council president is 49, married and the father of three children who attend public schools. Though unknown to many, he's encouraged by the results of his most recent political adventure. McGinn led last year's parks levy campaign, opposed by Mayor Nickels. It won. Gary Davis, KPLU News, Seattle.
McGinn For Mayor Web Site
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