Sound Politics: "Nickels Campaigns on Your Dime"

July 06, 2006

"Nickels Campaigns on Your Dime"

Kudos to Josh Feit at The Stranger for busting Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and his inappropriate use of city funds to produce campaign materials for the proposed $1.8 billion transportation levy.

Josh's post last Friday broke the story: "Nickels Campaigns on Your Dime". In yesterday's post, Josh follows up and calls Nickels' defense of the expenditure "Unconvincing"

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 06, 2006 11:28 AM | Email This

Comments

1. The folks over at Goldy's blog complain about Dave Reichert (SP?) putting out campaign materials in the form of letters to his constituents. If that's true, then be fair Stefan: if Dave's using tax dollars to campaign, then criticize him for doing it. Don't just single-out Nickels for criticism.

Posted by: Libertarian on July 6, 2006 11:54 AM

2. Yeah, kudos to JF on this one. That guy'll surprise you. He does think clearly about some things (that monorail jag he was on still has me scratching my head though . . .).

We all can hope that all this blogging will bring some accountability to the government leaders around here. Sure can't hurt. Think about it, this stuff used to go on and even if someone wanted to call foul there was no way to do it. With any luck blogs will start changing some behavior from those whose backsides are in the few seats of power around here.

Posted by: Feit Club on July 6, 2006 12:03 PM

3. The best part of that link was the comment below:

You know what on that flier is false advertising? That picture of the Five Cent Piece, about 70 pounds and 10,000 gray hairs ago. How about an accurate, current pic of Fat, Old Mayor Nickels, plz.

He got owned.

Posted by: Marmstro on July 6, 2006 12:32 PM

4. From what I know about the printing business, I'd guess that the cost Nicklebag cited for the brochure is for just the printing itself. The design of it was at least that much or maybe 200% more depending on who did it (in house Seattle city art department or an outside design firm).

Posted by: G Jiggy on July 6, 2006 01:30 PM

5. Stefan

What is your definition of normal communications w/ constituents versus campaigning, and where does one draw the line?

Some of the roads and infrastructure in Seattle do need to be replaced. Unfortuneately Mayor Nickels, Schnell, Rice, and Royer have squandered tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money that should have gone to basic street maintenence on typical Seattle Silliness

My major concern w/ rebuilding is that the traffic department makes it worse, ie 4 lane roads reduced to 2 lanes and on street parking slots removed

If you look at the I-5 expansion from SR527? to Everett, they should be adding 2 lanes and breakdown lanes versus just one.
In addition the off ramp from Broadway use to be 2 lanes from the left (which is a poor design) and now it's just 1 lane from the right

Posted by: Green Lake Mark on July 6, 2006 02:20 PM

6. Libertarian: ALL incumbents send letters or newsletters or "reports to the district" or "session updates" which trumpet their achievements. I've got one from Dr McDermott right here, and my Democrat state legislators do it, too.

I don't like it, either. But there IS mail that legislators have to send out that is obviously official business, and who is to say when such mail becomes campaign literature? Should a Congressman sitting in the far-off District of Columbia not be allowed to write his constituents and tell them what he is up to?

But when the government sends out mail advocating one side or the other in an upcoming referendum, that is obviously campaigning.

Posted by: Legast on July 6, 2006 02:24 PM

7. Legast, since McDermott is your Congressman, would you know anything about Reichert's mailings? Did McDermott send you six glossy, full-color mass mailings with his pictures plastered all over them?

Posted by: Ben Diamond on July 6, 2006 03:08 PM

8. Actually it is worse than you allude to. The News Buffoon reported that Tacoma will spend $276,000 maintaining residential streets this year!!!! What they should be reporting is that the City has budgeted NOTHING for residential street maintenence for at least the last ten years and now (if we round the City's populationdown to 200,000) wants me to get all excited about the aproximately $1.33 per resident that will be spent this year. WTF, wake up people, is what I have to say.

Posted by: JDH on July 6, 2006 04:05 PM

9. It could be worse--he could be eating on your dime. Then we'd be talking municipal insolvency, not just misappropriation of funds.

Posted by: Organization Man on July 6, 2006 05:57 PM

10. Remember when Pierce Counties own...John "Chambers Creek" Ladenburg...got caught with his hands in the "PUBLIC COOKIE JAR" with his use on county taxpayer bucks for Prop 1 a few years ago. What did the P.D.C do...that right nothing! The taxpayers best friend in Pierce County could have faced a $10,000 fine and Five years in Lock-up but all he got from the P.D.C was a slap on the hand and a "NON -NOW JOHN" you should have know better.

WINK WINK, NOD NOD, SAY NO MORE!!!

Posted by: Pacific Grove Phlash on July 6, 2006 09:42 PM

11. Legast wrote, "I don't like it, either. But there IS mail that legislators have to send out that is obviously official business, and who is to say when such mail becomes campaign literature?"

Just take a look at the mailings Reichert has been sending out, then make your comments. These blatantly cross the line. Furthermore, Reichert has spent $500,000 on them, and $261,000 in just the last 6 months.

Posted by: Daniel K on July 6, 2006 09:56 PM

12. Daniel K,

Who is Reichert?

Posted by: Amused by liberal morons on July 7, 2006 09:15 PM