McGinn’s predilections may well trend toward fiscal conservatism. He was a partner in a relatively small business (a law firm), and careful stewarding of resources is a necessary skill in the private sector.

McGinn’s background in that sense is completely alien to the members of our political class (and those who have been benefiting handsomely for a generation from them).

The political leadership in this state grew to power in an era of fantastic growth in revenues. The tax revenue and bond sale revenue growth from 1975 through 2006 governments around here enjoyed was staggering. The growth of sales tax, property tax, and real estate excise tax confiscation growth during those decades was phenomenal – unlike anything government managers had previously experienced.

It’ll be interesting to watch what happens as the rest of the political figures around here try to make themselves more comfortable by recreating that “revenue-growth” environment, especially if McGinn starts challenging their paradigm more directly. What the balance of the political leadership would need to do to engender revenue growth now is tax more, sell more bonds, increase fees, etc. If McGinn tries throwing monkey wrenches in those plans we’ll see fireworks.

The following excerpt from this piece deserves a comment, as it paints an exceedingly misleading picture of Sound Transit’s taxing rights, bond selling plans, and capacity for spending public money:

“Traditional liberals tend to flail in the new environment, wanting to re-prioritize spending and raise taxes while preserving jobs and union turf. But the money just isn't there, or won't likely be. With so much job loss, taxpayers are unlikely to support tax increases and borrowing power is limited. Even major projects that are underway (like Sound Transit) have to be cut back due to decreasing revenues.”

Absolutely NOTHING about ST’s projects need to be “cut back due to decreasing revenues”. The near-term tax revenue projections are less than what the public was told to expect prior to the 2008 vote. That means nothing, as ST will delay selling bonds, and push out the period at which it collects taxes at the high rates it now uses for years.

Sound Transit most certainly does not need to “cut back” projects. It instead will expand the regressive tax burden on the individuals and families living here. Instead of collecting the .9% sales tax through 2036 as voters were told to expect in 2008, that .9% sales tax revenue stream will be tied to bonds and collected at or near that high rate through (perhaps) 2053. That means ST is dealing with the near-term decrease in tax revenues by increasing the capital costs of its projects to about $40 billion to about $100 billion, and regressive taxing will comprise about 80% of that abusive capital cost financing plan.

Everything else about that excerpt also is flat wrong. “But the money just isn't there, or won't likely be.” Oh, yes it will – it’ll be there because the taxing will continue for many additional years. “With so much job loss, taxpayers are unlikely to support tax increases and borrowing power is limited.” ST doesn’t need to increase the rate of taxing because it is free to massively expand the amount of taxing without having to put it to any kind of vote. There are no protections for taxpayers. Moreover, ST’s bonding capacity is unlimited, and that will not change even if the current tax revenue projections turn out to be too rosy.

It was fun to read the mid-seventies quotes from Jerry Brown in this piece though. So much about them makes sense now.

"...he's green, progressive, and believes government has to be realistic in an era of limits."

Nice try, but the overwhelming evidence is that "green and progressive" and "believes government has to be realistic" are mutually exclusive terms.

I did not hear the KUOW program mentioned above but what you describe is the best McGinn theme I have heard. Almost makes me like the guy.

Mayor Flashinthepan is more like it.

Mayor McDisaster merely awaits his first fistfull of viaduct and 520 toll money to be used for non-automotive causes.

That is some heavy wishful thinking, Knute.

He was a registered lobbyist for upzones. Now he is mayor upzone.

He has zero desire to spend one penny less than he can, he just wants it dumped into the west side upzone corridor. We "need" the most expensive mass transit option rather than the most expensive (and partly state funded) AWV option. He's not "saving" a freaking penny, he is paying off like a lottery ticket (or so they hope) for the funding companies of Great City.

He is cutting because he has to. He is asking for more tax dollars at the same time for Walk/Bike/Wait for the bus.

Nickels would have dumped every penny in the usual places, McGinn will dump every penny in some different places. See the difference?
Not if you live in neither Politically Benefitting District (PBD).

Just as it becomes fashionable for the discourse to embrace things like “100 year plans” and worries about “our great, great grandchildren,” we find that we are living in a world where change occurs at a rate that often makes technologies obsolete and conditions unfavorable before strategies are even applied or engaged. Would we have lavished 3-5 billion dollars on Boeing had we known that they may / are leaving town? Would we still lavish hundreds of millions of dollars in variances, administrative favors, tax breaks and gifts of public property to the richest people in the world who promise, like every other city in the America, that they can create some magical technical community where we roller skate to work and meet Carey and Samantha for Mojitos after a hard day at the lab?

Seattle leadership needs to splash some water in its face and grow up. Elected officials should govern in a way that affects change, while maintaining some amount of quality of life for those of us who have to wait for these “hundred year plans” to work themselves out. I have a car that I drive every day. I have a bicycle that I ride occasionally. So far, I haven’t seen one existing or proposed route for Sound Transit that serves me at all unless I just want to take a ride.

I think that I’m in a majority that is getting tired of amateur social engineers who are becoming more of a problem than a solution.

Yes, there are a lot of people around who refer to McGinn as Moonbeam. My bet is that few of them, unlike Mike Royko, are even close to considering another nickname.

McGinn does appear to be similar to Jerry Brown, who, as Mayor of Oakland, delayed the re-building of the of the Bay Bridge to make it look better (not to reduce lanes) - the delay drove up costs by billions. McGinn's delays, if he were successful, would likely have the same effect. (Except Brown did get a better looking gateway to Oakland.)

Otherwise, the comparison seems flat. Brown is an effective political leader with lots of experience, basically born into political leadership. McGinn is not that, and suffers much because he doesn't have those skills. I'd take Brown over McGinn any day. (I'm pretty sure Brown wouldn't seek McGinn's endorsement in his current race for Governor.)

Knute mis-characterizes the 520 and tunnel projects. Neither represents huge expansion - 520 gets replaced with added HOV lanes (to support better transit among other things) and bike lanes, and a far better footprint lakeside. I think the tunnel results in less highway lanes than current through downtown on the viaduct and a dramatically improved waterfront to rebuild a great city.

Mr. Berger seems to see much more in Mayor McGinn than many of us do...the mayor has yet to demonstrate that he is anything but tone deaf as far as his working with others. Working with others does not mean you always embrace the other view or that you capitulate on matters of principle...but it does mean showing some respect for the other side which, so far, this Mayor has not. Nor do I see any virtue in his looking like an unmade bed...that's only good for columnists and on-line posters!

bwa ha ha.....McGinn is no Brown! Crosscut, trying to curry favor again....so transparent. Trying to pretty up McGinn, wrapping him up in fancy political theory, isn't gonna transform him from a dull neophyte to a powerful political force. It was a mistake that he was elected, and thankfully he will be gone before he can do too much damage.

LOL, the emphasis is on "some." Governor Brown was progressive in the sense that California of the mid 1970s didn't collect sales tax on food (Washington state was at the time), were using geothermal energy, and the state was giving state income tax credits for use of solar energy, long before President Carter wore his sweater in an attempt to get people to save energy! He was unconventional in that he shunned the $1 million Governor's mansion that his predecessor Ronald Reagan had built, along with not taking a limousine. Meanwhile, Mayor McGinn reportedly has 32 advisors, way more than his predecessor. He's proposed new taxes at every turn, whether it be the seawall or light rail to Ballard and West Seattle. He's attempted to get light rail onto route 520 despite it being well on its way to final design. I've never seen him comment on collecting the reported $52 million in unpaid parking fines. None of these are things that former (and potentially future) Governor Brown would be a party to. Therefore, I think it's a stretch to equate the two other than perhaps in their both being unconventional. But, I'd rather have Governor Brown in charge any day over Mayor McGinn.

Waiting for you to paint the picture of the MOHAI negotiations with the Mayor....