Candidates for Seattle mayor meet in first forum

The candidates for Seattle mayor met for the first time Monday night in a public forum. One of the big topics of the evening was reforms underway at the Seattle Police Department.

Mayor Mike McGinn said he did what was best for the city in working with the Department of Justice to address accusations of excessive force within the police department.

“The Police Officer’s Guild, they wanted us to fight to the death, litigate to the end. There were others who wanted to take the first offer that the DOJ gave us to show that we cared. What I did was I worked to negotiate and get a reform package that worked for Seattle’s needs,” said McGinn.

But many of his challengers said he has failed to resolve the issues that have long plagued the police department and failed to restore trust within the community.

“As a council member, I couldn’t do certain things and I was most concerned about the slow pace of reform in our police department. I realized that to really transform our police department I’d have to be the mayor,” said City Councilmember Tim Burgess.

McGinn agreed being mayor does allow you to get more things done, and believes they’ve accomplished a lot in his time in office.

“What was very appealing to me about running was you could really get things done as mayor, even more so than I could get done as an advocate, and you know what we have gotten a lot done: doubling the Families and Education Levy, fighting coal trains, working with the police department on reform, creating a community police commission.”

But not every candidate agreed with all that has been done during McGinn’s term.

“The events of last summer with almost a year of secret negotiation with a private investor that led to a unilateral decision to place a sports facility in the heart of the Duwamish industrial district was over the top for me,” said Former City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck.

The candidates were asked what they’d like their legacy to be if elected. State Senator Ed Murray noted a lot of areas he’d like to see improvement including education, conditions for working class families, and the transit system.

“I’d like my legacy to be that we could actually get things done and that the bickering and divisions in city government that have gone on for years would come to an end.”

Seattle businessman Charlie Staadecker said the legacy from the next four to eight years in Seattle will involve more than one person.

“The legacy of this city does not rest with one person. It will rest with all of us. I think if you look today there is no Aladdin’s lamp. There’s no magic bullet, the cavalry isn’t coming. Federal government is sequestered and we’re going to get less and less money for our infrastructure. The same is true for the state. There is a lot of pressure financially. What are we, as a city, going to do over the next four to eight years?”
Staadecker asked. “We are going to have to collaborate among ourselves.”

The candidates were also asked why they wanted to run for mayor.

Kate Martin said after a close run at the school board she felt like her experience and skills were pointing her toward the office.

“I thought I’ve wrapped my head around so many different things with the city. I’ve been an activist for about 15 years. I’m a planner and designer. I’m a mother of two grown sons, 22 and 20, and through all those lenses I thought I can take all my experiences and bring them forward,” said Martin.

Socialist Worker’s candidate Mary Martin said she chose to run “the moment it became clear that the working class would have no voice in this election.”

“We run to provide an alternative to the big business interest represented by the Democrats and Republicans. We present immediate demands for relief of the working class and also a long-term program in order for workers to take power out of the hands of the capitalist class in this country.”

City Councilmember Bruce Harrell said both of his parents worked for the city and he’s always planned to serve as mayor at whatever point the city was ready for him. Several recent events, including the shooting of John T. Williams in 2010, inspired him to run now.

“I witnessed something that was miraculous. I witnessed a city that can heal and try to move forward,” said Harrell. “That healing process that I believe Seattle can have with a strong inspirational leader, an authentic leader, is what I believe is the opportunity we have in front of us. So it was based on those events that I said, ‘Now is the time for Bruce Harrell to run for mayor.'”

Seattleites will decide their new mayor November 5, 2013.