Suddenly, Mayor Nickels may have a serious challenger

After months of saying “no thanks,” Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess is changing his tune on a run for mayor next fall, presumably because the chorus behind him is growing louder. If Burgess does jump in, despite his late start, he would probably turn Mayor Greg Nickels' hopes for a waltz to a third term into one tough contest.

Joel Connelly reported Monday in the Post-Intelligencer that a source close to Burgess indicated the Seattle City Councilman was taking another look. And Burgess himself used the mayor's State of the City address Tuesday to float a test balloon of sorts, telling the Seattle Times that he was exploring the possibility of a bid against two-term incumbent Nickels. He got in two shots at Nickels, saying the city was out of touch with concerns of normal citizens and had become a "regional bully" in dealing with other jurisdictions.

Burgess says when the idea of being a candidate was initially broached late last year he was skeptical. A first-year council member coming off a long campaign against incumbent David Della, he says he felt like he was still learning the ropes of his new job. However, he explains, recently those talking about his possible candidacy have not just been the chattering class, but neighborhood types, business types, people from the public safety community, citizens at large — and, he says, they've started contacting him directly.

“I said, OK. I'll consider it,” Burgess told Crosscut. “What I'm doing now is talking to people and gauging a sense of where they think the city is, where we're headed, and weighing stuff. We'll see.”

Burgess' sudden interest was also no doubt helped by developer Greg Smith's decision last week to opt out of a run. Smith's decision left the field quite open, though there are other potential candidates looking at the race, including council member Nick Licata, former council member Peter Steinbrueck, and Great City Initiative organizer Michael McGinn.

Burgess, a former Seattle police officer and more recently, owner of a marketing consulting firm, knows he'd risk some by getting in with relatively little City Hall experience. Though many observers say he's had a successful first year on council — spearheading a crime fighting initiative called “Safer Streets” and helping to ensure that the latest incarnation of the Parks Levy passed last November — it's only been just that: one year on the council.

“You have to measure the political calculus of timing, which is crucial,” admits Burgess. “Leaders identify problems and solutions and lead. My consideration is do we have the luxury of four more years of the same? That's the question in my mind.”

Asked how things are in Seattle these days, Burgess answers: “mixed.” He explains: “I think there has been inattention paid to basic core city services and inattention to a core purpose. I see that most in the neighborhoods. Regionally, there is a mindset that Seattle acts like a bully in the schoolyard,” says Burgess, who is making the rounds in Olympia today. “Especially when we're facing serious challenges with regard to the economy, regional cooperation and collaboration is crucial. I'm not sure we have that.”

Ken Stuart, president of Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local No. 27, says he's confident Burgess would prioritize public safety if he ran for mayor. “I think he's dedicated, skilled, and competent on city council and would bring leadership and a variety of strengths to any office he'd run for.” But Stuart, whose political action committee played a big role in getting Burgess elected to council, stopped short of saying that the fire fighters are encouraging him to take on Nickels. “I wouldn't want to push anyone into that job right now,” he says. “Though it's obviously a very interesting idea.”

Burgess, who has three daughters ages 28, 26, and 21, and turns 60 next month, says his family will have a lot of influence on whether he chooses to run — a decision he says he plans to make in two to three weeks.