Nickels concedes mayor’s race

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Two-term Mayor Greg Nickels conceded this morning after trailing Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan since the primary election on Tuesday. Although King County still has around 30,000 ballots left to count, the mayor was in third place trailing leader McGinn by 1,170 votes after Thursday’s count. “I think the people of Seattle decided it was time for a new generation of leadership,” Nickels said at press conference today that the Seattle Times attended. You can read their entire story here.

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20 thoughts to “Nickels concedes mayor’s race”

  3. No kidding. Not liking Nickels is one thing, but voting for unqualified candidates who have no experience running a major city is another.
    Sometimes one needs to put petty grievances aside and do what's best for the total populace, and sadly – this was not considered in the primary election.

  4. My thoughts exactly! It's not just the lack of experience but also a lack of vision for where they want to see the city. All I heard from McGinn was “no tunnel” and all I heard from Mallahan was “I'm not Nickles”.

  5. I'm a little surprised that Mallahan didn't have a better message for all of the money that he spent.

    McGinn ran his primary campaign with such limited funding that he had to focus on Nickel's weak spot.

    I expect to hear a lot more genuine debate on a wider range of issues for the general election, from both candidates. My impression is that McGinn has a lot more substance on neighborhood issues and Mallahan has much better business connections.

  7. Anyone catch Malahan's press conference? Let me summarize the brief appearance:

    Hi. I'm going to focus on VERY LONG LIST OF PLATITUDES but I'm taking off to hide in a cabin with no cell phone for the next week and I gotta leave right now. Bye.

    McGinn on KUOW: I don't want a tunnel.

    Now that Nickels isn't running what are these guys going to do?

  10. I just hope we can have 10 more elections on light rail and the viaduct! Why get things done when you can just endlessly debate them instead? That seems to be the Seattle way.

    Nickels was unimpressive and so far the other two candidates don't seem to be saying much.

    I also wonder how much it really matters who is mayor in this town. Personally, the biggest problems I see in Seattle are transportation and education. The school district is largely beyond the control of the mayor and transportation is funded largely at the state and county level.

  12. Nickels stood up to the Ballard bullies, and for that I believe he deserves some credit. Though that stance is not what brought him down, his strong voice for pedestrians and bicyclists and efforts to make even teeny steps towards addressing climate change were among his accomplishments. Love him or hate him, he isn't and wasn't afraid to take a stand.

  14. At least Mallahan has run a business. Why is it this isn't more admirable today? So you're slick. So you have $$. So you're pretty. So you can organize and make a nice speach. And I don't care what you can do for me. It's what you're gonna do to me that scares the bleep outta me. Is the Sierra club a little to the left and perhaps fringe? I don't need no stinkin agenda. I don't need stinkin consensus. I do however want real leadership, for a change. Good bye mayor McPutz

  15. the industrialist cabal that gets in the face of ANYONE who makes an effort anywhere in the city, but mostly in ballard, to address pedestrian, bicycle improvements.

  17. Nickels, you will not be missed. You killed any opinion I had of you when you lied and took that terrible deal during the Sonics trial.

  19. exactly.
    it's a funny thing, you can both be a business owner who providers living wage jobs AND a bully. and i can be a trail supporter who is also a member of the working class. and some people are actually members of the industrialist clan and support the trail and provide jobs and don't ride bicycles or use the trail. it's a funny world, no?

  20. Nickels is now political history and we'll tie up the tunnel in the courts.
    Now we need to hear real proposals from McGinn and Mallahan or it will the same old, same old.
    Trouble is, we possess a city council so far on the looney left they consider Marx a rabid conservative.
    We need to show them the door as well if anything meaningful is to be accomplished.
    Take the bag tax; an enormous waste of time and effort brought about by tree huggers who think they know what's right for all and you had better do it their way.
    Elect a few conservative council members and this city will start to get back on track, not to mention all the doped-up hippies who will keel over with strokes when they hear the news. Plus the Lefties who'll pack up and move to Canada will be a bonus as well.

    Start with this:
    1. Send the bums to Portland.
    2. Track down those graffiti artists and have them spend a few months or years beautifying the city with chains around their ankles.
    3. Ditto with the gangbangers.
    4. Steps 2 and 3 can be helped along by really, really cracking down on weed smokers and drug dealers. This little “meeting” SPD had with these drug dealers was a joke. Arrest them, charge them and recommend the maximum penalty. Cooperation will result in a lesser sentence.
    5. Time the traffic lights.
    6. Cut all city taxes and fees by 25% across the board.
    7. Fire all in the city's transportation office and hire nonunion workers; our sidewalks may get poured in a straight line for once.

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