Emphasize the bully part.

You want to kill regional support across county lines, make this all a Big Seattle Project.

Why am I afraid that the only way we're going to get rid of him is to have President Hillary appoint him Federal Secretary of Greenhouse Gases and Other Miscellaneous and Sundry Hot Airs?

Go GREG! No offense but the Seattle-self defeating message proposed by NapoleonXIV has made us the doormat of the state when we are actually the cash register.

SD is right.

And it's time to stop bowing down to the anti-roads pro-ultra-rich Republicants.

Seattle's the largest transportation problem in ST's coverage area. It makes sense for him to lead the board and get ST2.1 on the ballot in 2008.

If you really want to get things done, stomp on others' feet? (Feets?)

It's not like that in this type of political process, he can't be sabotaged in a myriad of little ways once he gets too imperious.

Well I don't think he should ignore the concerns of the council or walk all over them, but to take a leadership role when his city is the most serious about mass transit is not opportune or evil -- it's intelligent.

So, we're all agreed this is in preparation for the ST2.1 vote in 2008, right? Good.

Gonna be fun!

Let's hope next time they don't try to dis Seattle voters, because that way leads to defeat.

I disagree that he stomps on people's feet. He asserts what he thinks is in the best interest of Seattle and does not apologize for it. (As we Seattle-lites tend to do) Now even the Governor is backing off on the rebuilt viaduct. Go GREG and lets get some Light Rail to Northgate!

Yes! Hope he gets it. If he can convince people the slut was a good idea, just imagine what he could do with a viable form of regional transit.

Sure he's pro business and pro development, but I mostly trust the guy.

Are you shitting me?

The same Greg Nickels that killed the monorail?

The same Greg Nickels that wanted to build a Big Dig, Seattle style?

The same Greg Nickels that gave us the utterly useless SLUT?

You want him in charge of Sound Transit?

Are you out of your fucking mind?

You know, I can remember a day, (pre-Monorail) when Sound Transit was anathema to the Stranger, an unaccountable, multi-billion dollar boondoggle of waste and pork.

I'm not sure when the thinking changed.

And frankly, I'm too lazy to search the archives. But its there, and the Stranger found it icky--*icky!*

they're/their/there

I'm sure that the first thing he'll do is clean up the oversight of Sound Transit, just like he did for the police force.

I'm sure once he's there, the first thing he'll do is have Tim Ceis take a tire-iron to John Ladenburg or Aaron Reardon's knee-caps.

The same Nickels that was finance chair when ST went 300% over budget and they had to pull in that guy Kevin from Tacoma?

For people who profess to not like/trust/vote for the mayor, you all attribute tremendous power and accomplishments to him. He is just the Mayor and he does what he thinks is right. Voters have had two chances to fire him and have not taken it.

one chance to fire

SD - Now even the Governor is backing off on the rebuilt viaduct

Ahhh Greg was for a tunnel not no highway.

Tremendous power and accomplishments? No, simple duplicity and arrogance is more like it.

This is how the former Yugoslavia fell apart, when Serbia insisted on taking over the presidency when it wasn’t their turn.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Re: @ 8 “He asserts what he thinks is in the best interest of Seattle and does not apologize for it.”

Substitute “Serbia” for “Seattle” and you’ve got Slobodan Milosevic—who also did what he thought was right, and did not apologize for it. Strategically, strong-arming the neighbors didn’t work out so good. Who could’ve known they’d fight back?

Ooooohh! A thought!

Maybe Josh is enthusiastically supporting Greg Nickels because he knows that if he gets his hands in there, the project will be doomed?

Sly folks, those Stranger peeps.

Is there any room for Joel Horn?

"The same Nickels that was finance chair when ST went 300% over budget and they had to pull in that guy Kevin from Tacoma?"

do the math: how many lies are you planning to tell today?

OK @22:

Rather than accuse with no specifics, just show us your math.

Got data?
Show it.

I've only found 55% over budget so far, but I've not been looking too hard.

Ah, yes. The man used to be called "Mayor Gridlock...."

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=25270

There's a picture, too!

http://2045seattle.org/images/glcover.jpg

Dump Nickels. For so many reasons, other then the one trick pony of transit. There's plenty of better people. Oh, maybe there isn't anyone else. Like elections in Putin's Russia.

"Rather than accuse with no specifics, just show us your math. Got data? Show it."

Oh, I get it, do the math.

You make some outlandish claim about a project being 300% over budget without citing sources, and then I'm supposed to figure out where you came up with that ridiculous figure...then refute it?

Reminds me of the kind of arguments I got into when I was 9 years old.

First, tell me how you came up with the 300% number (sure it's not 3,000% or 30,000%??). Then, I will likely proceed to illustrate (yet again) how every anti-rail whack-job and crank in this town bases their opinions on false information.

If you're going to make a claim like that, you gotta be prepared to back it up.

Pretty simple stuff - for the post-age 9 age group, anyways...

@27: Yes, friend, YOU got to give us the data because YOU said the 300% figure was a lie.

"Put up or shut up" is the adult way to resolve disagreemenets.

The childish way is name calling, then stomping and screaming and whining when asked for data. ("I won't, I won't and I don't have to either and you can't make me!!).

Got data?

Thought not.

When are we Seattlites going to come together and actually support comprehensive transit? Only an integrated, single mode network will work to serve the most people in the most areas. Building a myriad of pet projects to please this group or that group will lead neither to a comprehensive network, nor a wide base of support to sustain it.

The fact is, Sound Transit is here to stay. When the initial line is completed in 2009, it will be the largest and only viable means of exclusive right-of-way public transportation. Now it's time to build that one line into a network. Any other project will distract from effective regional transit.

The SLUT was obviously a huge waste and distraction from the debate. But you have to give Nickels credit for getting it done. And in 5 years, idea to opening. The streetcar was something he could do within his jurisdiction and he delivered on that promise. Now that he is chair of ST, he can put these skills to work on our real transit system.