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Friday, November 13, 2009

McGinn Appoints Transition Staff

Posted by on Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 6:05 PM

Mayor-elect Mike McGinn has announced that Liz Birkholz, a landscape architect and open-space advocate, will serve as his transition program manager. Darryl Smith, a Windermere Realtor and former city council candidate, and Kip Tokuda, head of the human service's family and youth division and a former 37th District Representative, will serve as the mayor's "transition facilitators" to oversee outreach strategy (I reported on that strategy yesterday).

Meanwhile, McGinn has tapped David Postman, the former chief political reporter for the Seattle Times and current spokesman for Vulcan, to serve as an advisor to the transition team. "I am helping out a little bit trying to give some advice where I can to streamline their operation," he says.

Postman wouldn't comment on rumors floating around town about other candidates for the transition staff or jobs at City Hall. "The mayor-elect is not going to be announcing his staff that way," he says. McGinn also won't announce his staff like other campaigns have. In the past, mayoral transition staff have held a circuses in front of the media, trotting out local political leaders and a bloated committee for a photo op, and then released a blizzard of press releases. "Mike’s not going to do that. He didn't run that kind of campaign, and he is not going to run that kind of transition," says Postman.

Obviously, Team McGinn has been inundated with calls and emails in the last few days. They ask that queries and requests be routed to the following folks:

To submit your resume for consideration in the new administration, contact April Thomas.

To request a piece of McGinn's schedule, email Jen Nance. (Good luck.)

To ask a general question about the transition, get your email in front of April Thomas.

 

Comments (9) RSS

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1
(and the audience is shocked into silence.)
Posted by queue the violins on November 13, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Demetria 2
Great! Hire a Vulcan spokesman for the transition team--as if city hall isn't already infested with professional advocates for Seattle's #1 recipient of corporate welfare.
Posted by Demetria on November 13, 2009 at 10:46 PM
3
This is getting funny - the "grassroots" guy is worked by a great PR plan by something called Mercury Group - so is it really just good advertising or real? - and Vulcan is on the inside.

Whoa ....

And the over staffing in a budget crises are all new kids, terse followers of the Pied Piper - whoa ...

When does the masque come off?

Or, are we all glad the council will be running the city? Thank god.

Comic political opera of the first stage about to begin.

And as a bad joke, we are all supposed to answer three simpleton questions about what the city has to do ... geez.

1. Keep the cops funded, to many murders and violent crime. Gangs run crazy is not a good thing. Get on it, now.
2. Be smart about the budget. No time for new projects or new taxes - cut back, reduce bloat - and tell the truth about city money.
3. Make the state pay for state projects and cut the bullshit.
And, get out of the way so they can get those billions for the big time projects, bridges, tunnel, etc. flowing into the Seattle economy.
4. Take some action before downtown become 60 per cent empty ... Jobs, jobs dear Mayor. Simple equation money = jobs = taxes in = jobs = happy city = jobs = brighter future = jobs ..... do you get it? Bike trails do not equal jobs of any magnitude. Neither does a few more veggies at the farmers markets. Or goats as pets. GET fucking focused on the real stuff.

Hail Mary full of Grace ... hope this works ... Blessed are thine children here in the Queen city .. Help us virginal Mary in our hours of need ... and so forth.

Posted by Zyler on November 13, 2009 at 11:22 PM
4
A better headline would have been, "Secret Executive Transition Team Appointed By Covert Puppet Mercury Group Funded and Controlled By International Megacorporations Such As Georgia-Based AT&T; Meanwhile, McGinn Demands Workplace Access to iPhone Apps".
Posted by Wake Up Sheeple!!!!!!!! on November 14, 2009 at 12:15 AM
5
Comforting to see Vulcan fully embraced by the new regime. I was beginning to worry things would actually change.

(Has Will in Seattle's head exploded yet?)
Posted by ian on November 14, 2009 at 1:39 AM
Cato the Younger Younger 6
And THAT'S change we can believe in.

I really like that McGinn is keeping it all secret. And with George W Bush as a template I'm sure we won't have a thing to worry about.

I'm hoping that the council takes back it's power and makes the mayor little more than a figurehead.
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on November 14, 2009 at 4:43 AM
7
The McGinn team also announced that Dominic Holden will continue in his role as head cheerleader.
Posted by bigyaz on November 14, 2009 at 9:23 AM
8
recently Stranger staff on Slog has asked the question of various moments -

"who has whose tongue up whose ass?"

not much of a puzzle ... oh, the ride will get rocky. Many tears of longing will be shed for the missing Nickels hand on the tiller ...

as commented above, wonder what Mc Ginn is going to do about the jobs crises in this town? Save that tree, recycle that can, ride that bike, sure ... well dears, not much on the horizon to tell us jobs are coming back.
Posted by IS THIS THE RUST BELT MOTHER? on November 14, 2009 at 9:32 AM
9
@4, you are spreading false rumors about Seattle's Mercury Group. The Seattle Mercury Group is not related to the Virginia based Mercury Group which does have some reprehensible clients.

Posted by Raincity Calling on November 14, 2009 at 5:19 PM

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