Seattle City Council takes turns at goals

The ongoing competition between the Seattle City Council and Mayor Mike McGinn continued Monday when the council ceremoniously announced its 2010 priorities.

The council packed its chambers with staff, community activists and leaders from business and labor. That drew a stark contrast with Mayor Mike McGinn's State of the City speech a week ago, which was not well-attended and nearly devoid of applause.

Council members commented after McGinn's presentation that they were disappointed and planned to move ahead without him.

They've already clashed with the mayor during his first six weeks, complaining that he didn't give them enough notice about his announcements and that he has been slow to send them legislation.

Council members presented 17 priorities, most of which overlap with McGinn's own agenda, but they managed to do it almost without mentioning the mayor.

For example, the council vowed to develop "a funding plan for the City's work on the Seawall and Waterfront," but ignored McGinn's proposal for a public vote on a bond measure to pay for a sea-wall replacement. McGinn plans to send his legislation to the council this week.

McGinn made a citywide broadband network part of his campaign platform, but Councilmember Bruce Harrell didn't mention the mayor's plans when he spoke about the council's own goals.

"Broadband access for all has long been a priority for this council," he said.

Councilmember Tim Burgess spoke about a better partnership with Seattle Public Schools to improve education and address low high-school-graduation rates. He gave a nod to McGinn's Youth and Families Initiative, which is aimed at the same goal.

"This council is going to be known as the get-it-done gang," declared Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

That includes projects the mayor disagrees with, such as the current design for the 520 bridge and plans for a deep-bore tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

"It's time to break ground and build the projects that have been debated for years," said council Transportation Chairman Tom Rasmussen.

The council also resolved to improve the business climate, strengthen the city's regional relationships, encourage local-food production and fund pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

The audience burst into applause after Councilmember Mike O'Brien announced a goal to make Seattle carbon-neutral, fully offsetting the environmental harm done by the city's greenhouse-gas emissions.

By the end of the year, he said, the council should set a realistic deadline for achieving carbon neutrality, and define what that will mean.

In a session with reporters after the council's announcements, McGinn said he supports a carbon-neutral goal but thinks the council's stance on the 520 bridge design and a deep-bore Highway 99 tunnel contradict the goal.

"I would love it if they'd embrace aggressive action on reducing global-warming emissions," McGinn said. But he said that would require "hard choices" the council doesn't seem willing to make.

And if the competition is about crowd-size, McGinn pointed out that his inaugural speech drew 1,000 people. That event, of course, included a juggler and a man on stilts.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com