Today Michael announced his opposition to the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement plan emerging in the Legislature. “This deal keeps getting worse,” said Michael. “As Mayor, I will not authorize the use of city tax dollars for the tunnel or associated cost overruns.”

The Washington State Legislature is poised to pass legislation to force all tunnel cost overruns onto Seattle taxpayers. This is in addition to the $900 million in city revenues that Mayor Greg Nickels has already pledged to the $4.2 billion project. continue reading »

Greg Nickels’ record on the environment does not square with the grand promises that he has made, and Michael has called Nickels’ bluff. Michael, at his campaign announcement last week, said, “[W]hen you commit to the Kyoto Protocol and go around the country and sign up hundreds of other mayors, it’s really important that you actually meet the Kyoto Protocol.” Paul Schell, not Greg Nickels, is the mayor who devised most of the programs to make City Light carbon neutral. continue reading »