So, at his press conference this afternoon the Mayor said, “the people of Seattle have the final say in this project.” However he also said, “I’m withdrawing city support for the Seattle Monorail Project.”

So, which is it?

Well, I just got off the phone with Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis who said, “We’ve made our decision. We’re pulling the plug.”

So, if the city is pulling the plug—Nickels is canceling the project’s Transit Way Agreement—what exactly are the people deciding? Well, Nickels—having killed the transit way agreement—is asking the council to send an advisory measure to the people asking them if the city should stop supporting the monorail. It’s like taking the wheels off a car and asking people if they still want to buy it.

(And this from a guy who really respects the will of the people. Remember, Nickels was one of the County Council members who voted to approve the baseball stadium despite the vote of the people against it.)

The other problem here is the double standard. Consider: Back in 2000, Sound Transit— $1.1 billion over budget, with its federal money in limbo—had a year and a half to come up with a new plan. Why did the city give the monorail agency a month?