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Tacoma Berm Bums?

Though it might seem like a minor point, the issue of the Sound Transit heavy rail route design through the south part of downtown Tacoma is becoming the defining issue of the 2009 mayoral race and having regional impacts as...

Washington State Legislature's Opening Day
- #?!@ $$$$ Budget

I was in Olympia yesterday afternoon testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee about the budget. I repeat my concerns here for your edification. The attempt of Christine Gregoire to cut spending for Performance Audits in her submitted budget...

Waiting for the Viaduct, Waiting for Gregoire

Governor Christine Gregoire is expected to announce her decision on the single biggest civic discussion and capital project within Seattle proper in decades before the end of the year. Given the players involved and their involvement in national financial scandals...

Washington Mutual, the 'Law', and the 'business' of personal responsibility

It's amazing how much local business history remains a mystery. Consider the question of who actually controlled Washington Mutual. Was it the shareholders? - no. Was it CEO Kerry Killinger? - perhaps. Was it their law firm? - I think...

Obama's Stimulus Conundrum

President elect Barack Obama must begin to address the economic situation quickly. However the most 'experienced' hands in this arena are the very source of the problem, on both the right and the left. These problems go to the very...

Frank Chopp's Viaduct Proposal - Negotiating Genius?

The usual Downtown Seattle suspects are blasting at Frank Chopp's proposal for the Viaduct replacement, but, as usual, aren't coming up with the money for their preferred alternative. Chopp's ideas might be just the way to get them to put...

Mike McKay, the Port of Seattle, and the History of the US Attorney of Western Washington

Former US Attorney Mike McKay has just made headlines locally in his Port funded audit of contracting practices, done concurrently with a Bush administration DOJ criminal investigation. Seattle Times Story I'm going to be critical of McKay, and draw inferences...

The Meaning of Authority in Washington State's King County

On Wall Street and Capitol Hill we are faced with a crisis of leadership and, unfortunately, our local 'main street' authorities are not without complicity in these practices. Most notably the criminal lobbying activities of Preston Gates Ellis (Microsoft's Law...

A Toast, on the Titanic

Metropolitan planning organizations are another great idea - a federal requirement that local governments 'plan' federal expenditures. In practice, unfortunately, they may well be a local manifestation of the worst of both national political parties and their pork- nothing more...

Can Obama Beat City Hall?

Word has it Seattle's own Jim Diers was in Chicago the Saturday after the election for an 'Urban Strategy' session with Barack Obama. Hopefully this works out to be a good thing. His ideals are lofty, the idea he claims...

Main Street - Metropolitan Seattle aka 'Nickelsville'

Main Street in Metropolitan Puget Sound, Metropolitan Seattle, as 'they' would prefer is no longer 3rd Avenue. Main Street in this city-region is now I-5 or 405, with the various malls strong along it's length as our new 'main'...

Fannie, Freddie, and Kerry

An interesting trifecta of financial news this weekend - perhaps more significant than either 2008 VP choice, of the previous weeks. First, the feds announced a takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two competing federally created financial coroorations...

Legal Weather Report: Wither Foster, Pepper, and Sheffelman?

Foster, Pepper and Sheffleman is arguably the most powerful law firm in Washington State at the moment. They rose to prominence as counsel to the well run savings bank, Washington Mutual, I believe avoiding the scandals of the savings and...

Emerald City Antithesis (c), #3

Your status as a citizen in Seattle is the direct inverse of your ability to express your opinion to an elected local official. If you are able to significantly effect both positive and negative opinions, double the effect. If you...

Open Government & Business

My local paper, the Tacoma News Tribune, has an editorial on Open Government in this Sunday's edition. This is an editorial series of 12 this year celebrating the paper's 125th anniversary. This theme is also an important one within the...

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