Local politics don’t inspire me much these days.
My favorite city councilman, Peter Steinbrueck, is quitting. The monorail is dead. The Alaskan Way Viaduct is being retrofitted. Mayor Nickels is doing a lot of the hard work put off by previous mayors. Everything is in its place. Sure, there’s some police department stuff, but when isn’t there some of that?
The two major candidates runnig to replace Steinbrueck are Venus Velazquez and Bruce Harrell. Harrell is the business-backed candidate, while Velazquez wants to be. Both want to fix the Seattle Schools even though it isn’t in their job description.
Council candidates talk small ball, but I want to know: what do you want the city to look like in 25 years?
Meanwhile, the guy I do want on the council is quitting. So if you want a “Steinbrueck for Council” t-shirt or some stickers, let me know.
Let go of the monorail already.
Will
You andf I are on the same planet! Have you read my essay on Sluville?
I find it beyond belief that “we” are building a city for 100,000 with little or no planning to develop a community. Vulcan is getting away with a lot!
Steinbrueck is also “my” guy/ I assuem, however, that all of this is an effort to raise $$ ro run for mayor. no?
I WANT TO SEE A CITY WHERE EVERYONE WALKS AND RIDES A BIKE EVERYWHERE BECAUSE THEY CAN. EVERYTHING IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT.
I WANT TO SEE A CITY WHERE THE HOUSEHOLDS ONLY OWN ONE VEHICLE. NO ONE FEELS THE NEED FOR ANOTHER.
I WANT TO SEE CITY WHERE A TEACHER AND A COP CAN AFFORD TO OWN THEIR OWN PLACE.
THE CITY OF TWENTY FIVE YEARS IN THE FUTURE IS A MUCH QUIETER PLACE BECAUSE ALL VEHICLES ARE ELECTRIC. MAYBE TRUCKS ARE HYBRID OR RUN ON A FUEL CELL.
THE CITY HAS FIXED THE SEWAGE SYSTEM. SALMON RUN IN THE URBAN CREEKS BECAUSE THERE’S NO TOXIC RUNOFF.
THE CITY OF THE FUTURE HAS A LOT MORE OPEN SPACE AND BALL FIELDS. A FORMULA HAS BEEN WORKED OUT BETWEEN DENSITY AND RECREATIONAL SPACES.
I WANT TO SEE A CITY LIKE THE SEATTLE OF OLD. MOSTLY MIDDLE CLASS. WALLED OFF, GATED NEIGHBORHOODS ARE A THING OF THE PAST BECAUSE THEY’RE JUST PLAIN UNAMERICAN.
In the past gated communities were built to keep people like us out.
In the future maybe they’ll be built to keep the ultra-rich (and Welsher and Fake Newsman and all the other faithful followers of Brother George Bush) in.
Yeah, I’m down with what #3 said.
In the old days walled communities were built to keep people like you and me out.
In the future they’ll be built to keep the ultra-rich (and Welsher and Fake Newsman and Duddy and all the other faithful followers of Brother George Bush) in.
Goldy, what’s going on? I’ve tried to post several times but they won’t take. If it was that thing about the proofreading, I’m sorry, I won’t mention it again.
In the past walled and gated communities were created to keep people like you and me out.
In the future they might be created to keep the rich and their sycophants and wannabees (like Welsher and Fake Newsman and the other faithful followers of Brother George Bush around here) in.
@ 1
I’m over it. It still hurts, though.
@ 2
You’re peeved that a community isn’t created at SLU? For the longest time, I remember you being angry a community WAS being created in SLU. I did read your post, however. You shouldn’t view the trolley as being for “scientists”. It’s for everybody. And also, connecting the line to Westlake is a very good idea (as it will connect to the light rail line).
@ 3
Run for city council.
This exchange between me and Proud Leftist is so good, I am going to post it in every thread on HA from now on. It destroys the Publicans’ stupid talking points – period.
“I’m working really hard to understand how President Bill Clinton’s actions act as justifcation for the righties. Read this fuckwads.
If your lame ass argument is that Bill Clinton was a bad President – which is what you say – and if your argument now is that the AWOL coward GW Bush is in someway comparable to Bill Clinton, what you are actually saying is that GW Bush is NO BETTER THAN CLINTON.
Does it hurt to be that stupid? I really want to know.
proud leftist says:
RES @ 18
You’ve hit it on the nose. The rightwing fringefucks consider Clinton to be the personification of evil–indeed, he is the devil incarnate in their twisted little minds. Nonetheless, their justification for all of the Bushites’ sins is, always, “well, Clinton did it, too.” Methinks they never studied logic.”
And what’s better, is that the rightie traitor keeps pointing out that this is true. Thanks MTR. Please keep proving my point for me.
If there’s ENOUGH whitespace on ’em, you could donate to the Young Turks’ ENOUGH campaign:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/7/16314/43977
9 Will
I have never been angry at the development but at my tax dollars being used to subsidize homes for rich folks an Vulcan.
The Trolley was sold to the city as an amenity that would serve the biotech park .. but no one here wants it. I have no trouble with it serving its real purpose .. selling condoes so Vulcan can make $$$ and there will be an increase in downtown night life. Only issue is who should pay for it?
As for the idea of a community at SLU, obviously that is a catch 22. Someone is building a town here, the question is whether that town is in the imterests of the people of Seattle. Obviously bringing jobs in in the form of Biotech would be good but there is not much evidence that the city is doing what needs to be done for that to happen.
As for housing, where we disagree is on the nature of Bell town and SLU. I think they are both poorly planned. Bell town is better because it is built on some older neighborhood structures, SLU could end up as sterile as some of the tower-cities on places like Miami.
I am struck by the lack of planning for a shopping street or streets, attraction of magnets for shoppers etc.
Read the blog, I have hunch you would agree with me and if not, I wuld like to learn from your ideas as someone laready living in neourban Seattle.
Sorry about the multiple posts. I swear, I hit the button and they didn’t appear.