Without taking a position on the mayor's race, a leading Seattle neighborhood activist offers some advice for the winner. For starters, fire the bodyguard and get out there among the people.
The City wants to allow them all over town, in effect creating duplex zoning. The City has a long way to go to earn enough confidence in the neighborhoods for this experiment.
Transit demand should continue to fall through the year, owing to fuel prices and high unemployment. But the demand for new transit taxes, based on last year's rise in usage, will not go away.
So far, Mayor Nickels is sparing high-salary administrators and departments with strong unions. The reason: it's easier to cut services than personnel.
