New sidewalks -- but not for YOU

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels rolled out a new initiative on sidewalk construction today -- but this new development is literally about development. Or more accurately, redevelopment.

It's yet another anti-community, responsibility-evading government response in the many-year attempt to get the City of Seattle to do something about funding the basic public infrastructure that sidewalks represent.

Nickels's plan: require sidewalks be built in front of most new residential construction, as well as major renovation/expansion of existing homes.

Who benefits? Transportation and infrastructure interests in the city budget that are not pedestrian related. Nickels's plan does nothing to address the inequity in funding between roads (one big pot of public money) and pedestrian facilities (homeowners must pay out of pocket, and compete against other neighborhoods for grants).

And they all look just the same

The particularly distasteful and outrageous aspect of Nickels's plan is that it shows how he continues to have his eye on just one objective -- enriching developers through redevelopment projects. His plan means that if you need sidewalks on your street, the solution is for you to move somewhere else: sell to a developer who tears down your home, and replaces it with a new cookie-cutter "Northwest Style" townhouse cluster (curse you, Carlson Architects) with a sidewalk out front.

The cost, of course, is passed on to the new buyers -- not you -- and the money goes into the developers' pockets.

That's the price of sidewalks under this municipal regime.

Seattle City Council, Position 3

Freakshow 2007^®

As I mark my absentee ballot for the August 21 primary election, the only race that gets me frustrated is the Position 3 city council race. With a slate of FIVE whole candidates, you'd think the odds would be pretty good there'd be at least one appealing person running.

But no. Reading their official Voters' Pamphlet statements makes one wish for a stiff drink. Or a Magic 8-Ball.

1. Venus Velasquez: has run before and lost. Sorry, no points for living with all the other insiders in Mount Baker, or for listing parenthood as a qualification for office. Come on -- Britney has spawned.

2. Bruce Harrell: has run before and lost. First endorsement he lists is actually the Alki Foundation. Chump.

3. Al Runte: Give me a freaking break.

4. Scott Feldman: He's so well spoken I actually had to read this a second time. Alas, his two showpiece issues are:

• the Viaduct -- he wants to tear it down and build Surface+Transit. Fine; but that was the March 2007 election.

• the Sonics -- he will "fight" to keep them in KeyArena. Feldman must be the only person on the planet who hasn't noticed that one side has already made up its mind against that possibility. Plus, I sense that 90% of Seattlites simply have stopped caring about the NBA.
  

5. John Manning: Ex-cop who had an anger problem -- former councilman ('96-'97) who resigned after being arrested (twice) for domestic violence. Later convicted and served 30 days house arrest. And 2007 is not even his first try at a comeback -- that was in 2003.

I will probably skip over this race, but 'know what? Manning might be the surprise in this one. He ought to be hungrier than his uber-mainstream opponents. People can change but, quite simply, he has the most to prove by changing. For the others the job is just another tick-off on the resume, while for Manning it could well be about his life. Redemption can be a powerful motivator.