Mayoral campaign has bigger issues than candidates' commuting choice

Only in Seattle would the high priests of political correctness get exercised about the way a mayoral candidate travels to work, but that is what happened when the 43rd District Democrats met to endorse a candidate for mayor.

Joe Mallahan admitted that during the busy campaign season he drives his Prius — his car! — a short distance from home to work. The 43rd District Democrats, already feeling warmly toward the other candidate, Mike McGinn, would have none of that. They smirked, they groaned, they endorsed McGinn.

This city sometimes goes completely nuts over environmental protocol. The correct answer to any question about transportation is bicycle or bus. In Seattle, cars are wicked.

How ridiculous. Bus riders and bikers are not inherently holier than motorists.

To be sure — bike, pedestrian and bus afficionados, please read this paragraph twice — everyone who takes public transportation, walks or pedals to work is a good green citizen. We should be grateful they are not burning fuel, while saving space for others on the roadways.

But after you say that, hero plaques should not be awarded to these earnest citizens. If Mallahan wants to drive to work, maybe he needs to drive to work. How is that my business or yours? If McGinn is Mr. Bicycle, even Mr. Electric Bicycle, bless him, too.

I honestly don't care if Mallahan rides a helicopter to the office if he does solid, substantial work once he arrives. Same for McGinn. We are discussing the difference between the steak and the sizzle.

And by the way, mayors are driven around in a car for security reasons, so the bicycle-riding McGinn, if elected, will have to adapt. His security detail will not fit on his handlebars.

The bottom line is that Seattle has some very large problems and two extremely inexperienced candidates vying to find solutions.

In many parts of the city — for example, in some often-neglected communities — the idea of deciding which candidate is best based in part on mode of transportation would be hilarious if it weren't so dumb. Voters want to know what candidates will do to boost jobs and reduce economic hardship. And by the way, remove the snow if we get another arctic blast.

How you arrived at a certain meeting? Who cares?

If the Fremont Troll were running for mayor, and the troll had a habit of riding the bus or walking to work, would that be a decisive factor?

If both candidates were not so weak, we wouldn't be talking about such inane topics.

I know, I know. It was just one question at a gathering with many more topics discussed. But any focus on such a small point trivializes the campaign.

Mallahan, by the way, thinks it does matter how he gets to work and he should commute responsibly. His staff redid the math of his commute: It's longer than the six blocks he first mentioned — more like two miles.

This is Seattle at its worst: Everybody knows what everyone else should do. The charm of this region has long been its live-and-let-live ethic. You do your thing, I'll do mine.

McGinn understands but thinks more people should ride the bus so they can learn the truth that our region lacks high-quality bus service.

I think voters are looking for a candidate who can manage the city, run the day-to-day operations, and throw in a little vision from time to time.

It seems to me voters finally said, "Stop telling me how to live," when they voted no on the nannyish plastic-bag fee. Twenty cents per bag is not a lot of money but it would have been a hassle and a daily bother.

Let's rescue the campaign from absurdity before it's too late.

Joni Balter's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is jbalter@seattletimes.com