Yet another name once bandied about as a potential challenger to Mayor Greg Nickels has officially dropped from contention, with Nick Licata announcing that he will instead seek another term on the Seattle City Council:
“After considerable reflection on how to best serve the community I love, I am happy to announce that I will run for re-election to the City Council. A number of you urged me to run for Mayor, but I feel my role as a legislator, writing the laws that govern our city, is the one that suits me best.”
Greg Smith, Richard Conlin, Tim Burgess and Licata had all floated the idea of challenging Nickels, and all have backed down. According to the local rumor mills, that leaves only one potential serious contender left with a chance of unseating Boss Nickels this November: popular former City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck, who reportedly beats Nickels in at least one private poll… for whatever that’s worth.
Now that would be an interesting race.
UPDATE:
Of course, just as I hit the publish button, Publicola posts that former Sonics star, and current city council candidate James Donaldson is about to jump into the mayor’s race. I dunno. Doesn’t seem like a smart political move to me, and while I’ve never met him, everybody tells me that Donaldson is smart.
…but does he “got game”?
(or money)
From the comments section of this P.I. article …
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....with03.htm.
“I used to support Peter. I don’t now. He’s lost touch with the neighborhoods. He does not have a real commitment to South Seattle. As a council member, he only opened his door to people who agreed with him on the topic of the day.”
Let me repeat that. Peter only “opened his door to people who agreed with him.”
And this Crosscut article describes him as a being very surly and angry during his youth, and going to the exclusive and elite Lakeside school, where he didn’t have exposure to poor people. Instead, he went to school with kids who’s last names were “Pigott, Weyerhaeuser, Blethen, and Nordstorm.”
http://crosscut.com/2007/12/19/mossback/9995/
James Donaldson? Isn’t he a physical therapist?
The Stranger never told anybody the source of its “poll,” and for all anybody knows, made the whole thing up. So why would you even believe it, much less repeat it?
@3
No idea where the Stranger got their date. But anyone with half a brain who watches local politics would see Steinbrueck as an obvious candidate for mayor and one of the few with a chance of defeating Nickles.
I have to say were Steinbrueck to jump in the race I might have a very hard time voting for Nickels for a 3rd term.
No real challenge will be raised against Nickels. He’d punish anyone who tried. For starters he’s got the judiciary in his pocket. The entities that make $$$$ directly and indirectly off ST can unseat appellate judges, so they’d FUCK anyone and their brother who crosses Nickels. He also controls what happens and does not happen in all City dept.’s.
Greg Smith was an idiot not to run against him. The City permits he needs to develop his co.’s properties would have been handed to him with no muss & no fuss if he’d been willing to put up a nominal, and of course losing, campaign. Now Smith’s in thumbscrews.
It’s about time SOMEONE in Seattle has the courage to take on Nickels. It’s never too soon to say goodbye to the Bully who has given our city away to developers who live in OTHER cities where their leaders don’t bankrupt and destroy the community. Go James GO!
James is not a physical therapist but rather is the owner of The Donaldson Clinic. http://www.donaldsonclinic.com/index.html
I think it more than fitting that a former Sonic might show our present mayor the exit door.
Imagine the debate scene as the 7′-2″ Donaldson looms over the mayor. Nickels will look like a dwarf.
james donaldson would make a great mayor canditate. james is a smart man with great integrity. everyone ive ever meet that knows the man has nothing but good to say about him. ive meet very few people who have a favorable opinion of mayor nichols. i believe its time for some real change, i think donaldson would be the ideal person for this change