In the mayor’s race, the mainstream media and local bigwigs are assuming Mike McGinn is done. And I get it: he isn’t popular. He has had problems with police accountability. Dumbasses think paying market rates for parking and installing bike lanes are a war on cars.* Something something the tunnel. But given that they all told us Greg Nickels would have a cakewalk, I’m not so sure. And neither is UNITE HERE Local 8, as they’ve just endorsed him.
During his first term, Mayor McGinn played an instrumental role in passing Seattle’s groundbreaking paid sick days law. He also publicly supported Hyatt workers in their effort to organize for a better workplace free of employer intimidation, and championed the creation of good jobs for stadium workers with the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
“Mayor McGinn has proven to be an incredibly strong advocate for hospitality workers in Seattle,” said Erik Van Rossum, President of UNITE HERE Local 8. “From passing the nation’s third paid sick leave law to creating jobs and standing with workers, Mayor McGinn is the most progressive mayor in America.”
“Mayor McGinn has consistently supported good quality jobs and responsible economic growth,” continued Van Rossum. “Time and again when hotel housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, servers and stadium concession workers need a strong voice at City Hall, Mayor McGinn is there.”
He still has a lot of work to do to get reelected, or for that matter to get out of the primary (by way of full disclosure: including to get my vote, although if the election were today, I’d vote for him). But certainly this is the right sort of endorsement to get. It reminds people why The Seattle Times and bidness people hate him, and it may be a dedicated force of door knockers and phone callers for a campaign that will be short of cash compared to some of the others.
* Late edit because I didn’t like the original war on cars sentence.
If all McGinn’s got going against him are dumbasses and those blaming the mayor for trigger-happy cops then for the lack of better alternatives he’s got my vote.
Being as the subject of this thread has to do with organized labor, I’m even YLB was able to post before Serial and Puddy rushed in to crap on the floor.
As to McGinn’s chances for re-election it may be more a matter of who runs against him than who supports him.
The “dumbasses” Carl refers to above are of course oblivious to the fact that what makes it impossible to drive is (wait for it)……DRIVERS. Too many of ’em period, and too many of ’em who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground.
@ 2
…before Serial and Puddy rushed in to crap on the floor.
I actually don’t have much of an opinion on the mayoral race.
They guy I’d choose to handle the job
http://www.seattlepi.com/local.....063703.php
wouldn’t want it today.
@4 Not a bad choice at all, assuming he’s still interested–and whether or not McGinn kicks the can that far down the road regarding the choice of a permanent police chief.
4, 5 – Are you guys kidding? Sidran is the slimeball who cast the deciding vote on the state utilities and transportation commission that allowed an Australian hedge fund to buy Puget Sound Energy. The CEO got millions and consumers got 3 times the natural gas bills they were paying a few years ago, despite rock bottom nat gas prices. And have you guys also forgotten that Sidran was a very controversial city attorney? I will NEVER vote for Sidran for anything, not even dogcatcher, least of all for dogcatcher. (I want a dogcatcher who catches dogs, not turns them loose.)
I have to admit I’d forgotten about Sidran’s part in the PSE debacle. Oh, by the way…the most recent consequence of that is that the good people of Jefferson County got sick and tired of the lousy service they were paying more and more for, and recently voted to buy out PSE’s assets there and start a new PUD.
I do remember voting against Sidran because he seemed to have become the self-appointed arch-nemesis of the entire Seattle entertainment scene–and then it turned out Nickles was even worse.
Exactly. I recall all the rosy predictions if Nickels was elected and that Sidran was the second coming of Hitler due to his sidewalk initiative (quite ironic). Nickels was totally the wrong guy for the job (I don’t really hold the snow thing on him, you can’t control nature).
I will be fairly certain We’ve look at this identical type of declaration anywhere else, it must be gaining popularity with all the public.