Aide to Nickels runs for council

Casey Corr, communications director for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, announced yesterday that he is running for City Council against incumbent Richard Conlin.

Corr said he will quit his job Friday to start his campaign. Corr, a former reporter and columnist for The Seattle Times, said he has been considering a council bid for several years. He has worked for Nickels since the mayor took office in January 2002.

"I'm running because I think the council lacks leadership and is ineffective. This is not a council known for its guts," he said in an interview.

Corr also criticized the council's priorities, noting that the council increased utility taxes so it could add almost $6 million to the mayor's spending plan for 2005. In the process, the council restored several programs Nickels had cut, including a city photo-archive program.

"The budget they passed reflected their cluelessness. They raised utility taxes and used the money to hire photographers, but they didn't spend a dime to hire more police officers and firefighters," he said.

Corr said transportation, building the new monorail, jobs, public safety and education would be his priorities.

Corr said Conlin, chairman of the Transportation Committee, has been inconsistent, ineffective and a monorail critic.

First elected in 1997, Conlin is known as an advocate for the environment, sustainable development and neighborhoods. He said Corr's announcement was no surprise. But Conlin, who plans to run again, called Corr's criticism, particularly on transportation issues, "bizarre."

Conlin pushed the council to add $4 million in spending over the next two years on local street and bridge maintenance. He also has worked with Nickels to build a coalition of 35 cities that plans to lobby the Legislature for a gas-tax increase dedicated to local roads.

"I'm happy to debate him on my record," Conlin said.

While Corr said he thought Nickels was steering the city in the right direction, he predicted he would disagree with Nickels on some issues — though he did not cite any.

"As a council member I'm going to be ornery about the cost of government and increases in the tax burden," he said.

This year four council members will be up for re-election: Conlin, Jan Drago, Nick Licata and Richard McIver. Licata is running, McIver has said he plans to seek another term, and Drago is expected to reveal her intentions today.

Corr is the first challenger to declare which seat he is seeking. Metropolitan King County Councilman Dwight Pelz is running for the City Council but hasn't disclosed which position. Robert Rosencrantz, who narrowly lost a 2003 council primary to Jean Godden and former Councilwoman Judy Nicastro, is in the same situation. So is Mike Thompson, a neighborhood activist, who ran in 2003 on a shoestring budget.

Nickels also faces re-election and plans to run. No challenger has surfaced yet.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com