Former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announces Secretary of State bid
Feb 23, 2012, 9:50 AM | Updated: 11:42 am
Also describing himself as passionate for democracy, Nickels says he won't be ignoring the troubled economy. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
After serving as Seattle’s mayor and a King County councilmember, Greg Nickels is hoping to take his political philosophies to the secretary of state’s office.
Secretary of State Sam Reed retirement leaves room for newcomers to battle it out for the position.
According to Nickels, the focus of his campaign will be election transparency: Campaign finance disclosure and the integrity of the initiative process.
Also describing himself as passionate for democracy, Nickels says he won’t be ignoring the troubled economy.
“When it comes to creating jobs, we must leverage every resource at our disposal,” Nickels said in a news release. He said he sees the role of Secretary of State as a resource for news businesses and a recruiter for bringing jobs to the state.
Nickels sought a third term as mayor, but was defeated in the primary. It has been largely speculated that poor handling of the city during an unusually snowy winter, as well as the exit of the Seattle SuperSonics, lead to his defeat.
Since 2008, Nickels taught a semester at Harvard and served a one-year term as a special representative to the United Nations.
