Seattle mayoral candidates, from left, James Donaldson, Jan Drago, Joe Mallahan and Michael McGinn shake hands after a forum Tuesday at the Labor Temple in Seattle. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/www.smbphotography.net)

A coup le of surprises at Tuesday’s forum, where Mayor Greg Nickels and six candidates running to wrest the office away from him appeared together for the first time. Elizabeth Campbell, the Magnolia activist who is trying to launch an initiative opposing the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel, turned heads with another transportation stance. “I think there’s a war on cars and I don’t support it,” she said. It was a marked departure from the pro-green stance the candidates took at the event, put together by five Democratic district organizations at the Labor Temple in Belltown. Nickels played up the opening of Sound Transit’s light rail line in July. Drago vowed to personally lobby for more transit funding. Mike McGinn, a former Sierra Club political director, continued to oppose the tunnel plan, arguing the money was better spent on transit when Metro is planning cuts to bus service. T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan opposed the plan to fix the Mercer Mess, which would link South Lake Union and Queen Anne by connecting streets crossing Aurora Avenue, but would not improve traffic. But taking on a Charlie Chong-like contrarian role in the race, Campbell complained there’s less room on the roads for cars, with all the new bike and bus lanes. “They put in bikeways that get in the way,” she said. “They put in bus ways that get in the way.” Her point was that efforts to get people out of their cars shouldn’t result in a reduction in the ability of streets to carry cars. Incumbent mayors are generally a shoe in to survive the September, leaving other candidates to vie for the other spot in the run-off. But a milder surprise was that Nickels’ rivals refrained from attacking each other to position themselves as the candidate best suited to take on the mayor. Drago made a reference to having ‘institutional knowledge” to understand the impact that cuts to the police gang unit would have youth crime. It was a reminder of one of the longtime City Council woman’s strongest traits, her experience working on city issues. But she made no reference to the fact other candidates haven’t served in office. By the same token, the other candidates didn’t question whether Drago can differentiates herself from Nickels, with whom she’s agreed on issues like the viaduct. Instead the candidates went after Nickels, often in strong terms. Drago said it was time to “push the reset button,” arguing that under Nickels’ leadership, the city had lost respect around the state. She pointed to the recent legislative session, in which the city did not receive much of the state funding it sought. She blamed that on Nickels, saying, “the mayor’s ‘Seattle way’ turned out to be the hardball politics of the Chicago way.” The line was in reference to Nickels campaign slogan eight years ago. And though Nickels stresses he is a Seattle-ite virtually his entire life, he was born in Chicago. Mallahan, who’s trying to lay stake as the outsider by stressing his business experience, took Nickels to task for the city’s inability to clear snow during last year’s storms. He mentioned a couple of the few specifics he’s laid out thus far, saying that scrubbing the streets better would reduce harmful runoffs into Puget Sound. McGinn questioned Nickels priorities by pointing to the Viaduct project, saying, “We are losing transit but building a tunnel.” Campbell spoke of seeing the homeless in the University District and said she wanted to bring a “renaissance of Seattle kindness.” Donaldson, the former Sonics center, had the best line of the night. He towers , even when sitting over the other candidates. But standing to his full 7’ 2”, he said, “the city of Seattle deserves someone who stands head and shoulders over the rest of the crowd.” Donaldson highlighted his community work with at-risk youth. He and Norman Sigler, unlike the rest, refrained from attacking Nickels. The mayor meanwhile, said several times he was proud of his accomplishments in office. Nickels, who was assailed over his support for light rail eight years ago, highlighted the project, which will open in July. The debate’s tone wasn’t necessarily an illustration that the challengers believe that Nickels may be tossed out in the primary, so the candidates were vying for the second spot. Drago said afterwards it might be too soon for the challengers to start vying for the second spot. (Stephen Brashear/www.smbphotography.net)

A couple of surprises at Tuesday’s forum, where Mayor Greg Nickels and six candidates running to wrest the office away from him appeared together for the first time.

Elizabeth Campbell, the Magnolia activist who is trying to launch an initiative opposing the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel, turned heads with another transportation stance.

“I think there’s a war on cars and I don’t support it,” she said.

It was a marked departure from the pro-green stance the candidates took at the event, put together by five Democratic district organizations at the Labor Temple in Belltown.

Nickels played up the opening of Sound Transit’s light rail line in July.

Drago vowed to personally lobby for more transit funding.

Mike McGinn, a former Sierra Club political director, continued to oppose the tunnel plan, arguing the money was better spent on transit when Metro is planning cuts to bus service.

T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan opposed the plan to fix the Mercer Mess, which would link South Lake Union and Queen Anne by connecting streets crossing Aurora Avenue, but would not improve traffic.

But taking on a Charlie Chong-like contrarian role in the race, Campbell complained there’s less room on the roads for cars, with all the new bike and bus lanes.

“They put in bikeways that get in the way,” she said. “They put in bus ways that get in the way.”

Her point was that efforts to get people out of their cars shouldn’t result in a reduction in the ability of streets to carry cars.

Incumbent mayors are generally a shoe in to survive the September, leaving other candidates to vie for the other spot in the run-off. But a milder surprise was that Nickels’ rivals refrained from attacking each other to position themselves as the candidate best suited to take on the mayor.

Drago made a reference to having ‘institutional knowledge” to understand the impact that cuts to the police gang unit would have youth crime. It was a reminder of one of the longtime City Council woman’s strongest traits, her experience working on city issues. But she made no reference to the fact other candidates haven’t served in office.

By the same token, the other candidates didn’t question whether Drago can differentiates herself from Nickels, with whom she’s agreed on issues like the viaduct.

Instead the candidates went after Nickels, often in strong terms.

Drago said it was time to “push the reset button,” arguing that under Nickels’ leadership, the city had lost respect around the state. She pointed to the recent legislative session, in which the city did not receive much of the state funding it sought. She blamed that on Nickels, saying, “the mayor’s ‘Seattle way’ turned out to be the hardball politics of the Chicago way.” The line was in reference to Nickels campaign slogan eight years ago. And though Nickels stresses he is a Seattle-ite virtually his entire life, he was born in Chicago.

Mallahan, who’s trying to lay stake as the outsider by stressing his business experience, took Nickels to task for the city’s inability to clear snow during last year’s storms. He mentioned a couple of the few specifics he’s laid out thus far, saying that scrubbing the streets better would reduce harmful runoffs into Puget Sound.

McGinn questioned Nickels priorities by pointing to the Viaduct project, saying, “We are losing transit but building a tunnel.”

Campbell spoke of seeing the homeless in the University District and said she wanted to bring a “renaissance of Seattle kindness.”

Donaldson, the former Sonics center, had the best line of the night. He towers , even when sitting over the other candidates. But standing to his full 7’ 2”, he said, “the city of Seattle deserves someone who stands head and shoulders over the rest of the crowd.”

Donaldson highlighted his community work with at-risk youth.

He and Norman Sigler, unlike the rest, refrained from attacking Nickels.

The mayor meanwhile, said several times he was proud of his accomplishments in office. Nickels, who was assailed over his support for light rail eight years ago, highlighted the project, which will open in July.