Seattle is in a funk. Businesses are struggling. Unemployment is high. The city budget needs a trim. An urban center long admired because it worked so well has become a place that can't deliver basic services. Fortunately Seattle'ês two mayoral candidates, Whatshisname and The Other Guy, offer fresh ideas, bold new visions, and vigorous, innovative leadership.
In the primary election, voters responded to Whatshisname's message that he was not Greg Nickels. The Other Guy campaigned successfully on the platform that he, also, was not Greg Nickels.
The mayoral campaign has centered on which candidate is more not-Greg Nickels. The Other Guy states that he is not Greg Nickels, and if elected will still not be Greg Nickels. Whatshisname says pretty much the same thing. Flip Side'ês crack Investigative Reporting Team has established that both claims are correct. Neither Whatshisname nor The Other Guy is Greg Nickels. Therefore both are highly qualified to be mayor.
One of the candidates, we can'êt remember who, never votes in elections. The other one, or maybe it'ês the same one, was against building a tunnel before he was for building a tunnel. One of them, probably Whatshisname, once held a job. Both speak English as a first language.
The next mayor faces a challenging economy and will have to work hard to rebuild the city'ês business base and boost job opportunities. He must be a pragmatic, solution-oriented leader who can work with Olympia. More than anything, he must be a change agent and an inspirational turnaround manager.
On balance, Flip Side'ês editorial board believes that Whatshisname is the better choice, assuming we are correct that he is the one who once held a job. If it turns out that The Other Guy is the candidate who once held a job, we would go with him. Flip Side'ês crack Investigative Reporting Team will not research this issue, claiming they never received payment for determining that neither candidate is Greg Nickels.
Therefore, we will go with our gut and endorse Whatshisname. But The Other Guy is good second choice.
