The story updates an earlier version with coverage of Tuesday night’s Seattle Human Services Coalition forum and a listing of mayoral candidate Mike McGinn’s human services supporters.
Seattle Mayoral candidates Joe Mallahan (left) and Michael McGinn (right) at a Seattle Human Services Coalition forum at Miller Community Center Tuesday night.(Seattle PostGlobe)
Lobbed generally softball questions Seattle’s mayoral candidates Michael McGinn and Joe Mallahan continued their tour of the city Tuesday night, each taking the opportunity at a Seattle Human Services Coalition to portray themselves as having the same progressive values as the social services advocates in the room.
The forum at Miller Community Center was important. In a campaign that’s focused on the future of the viaduct, removing the city’s head tax on employees, and cutting consultants and political appointees from City Hall, it was an opportunity to challenge the candidates about what they’d do about the poorest in society. The two have been squaring off at a number of debates including one on Monday sponsored by City Club, as reported by the Seattle P-I and Publicola.
At the same time, social services leaders said they have only vague ideas of the candidates and the impression neither are particularly knowledgeable about issues like homelessness.
Instead of many specifics, though, the candidates stuck to generalities like the importance of preserving affordable housing around light rail stations even as the line raises property values.
And even though neither has highlighted the issues of the poor on the campaign trail -- shining a brighter spotlight on whether or not to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel – the candidates said they shared personal stories trying to prove they do care.
McGinn, an environmentalist and an attorney, said his father, an Irish immigrant, had been helped by settlement houses in New York.
“I’m glad someone gave my dad the helping hand in a time of need to help him become the man and the father that he came to be,” McGinn said.
Mallahan told a story about being a community organizer in Chicago, who had supported the creation of a social services facility in his neighborhood, though other neighbors did not want it in their backyard.
Being a Seattle progressive has been a subtext of his campaign as Mallahan battles an image people may have of him as a T-Mobile executive, rich enough to spend $230,000 on his campaign.
Mallahan spoke of coming from a working class family in South Everett who has Seattle progressive values of social justice and ensuring opportunity.
“I’m not a business guy trying to achieve business achievements” he said.
The stories—told in at a King County Labor Council forum when both were again playing up their liberal credentials -- did cast more flesh on the candidates who advanced to the general elections as relative unknowns after Seattle voters apparently ready for a change rejected incumbent Mayor Greg Nickels and longtime City Councilwoman Jan Drago in the primary.
In a largely tepid forum, the closest the candidates came to fireworks was when they were asked about the role the mayor should play in education.
Mallahan said McGinn would take over the city’s public schools. “I think we should figure out how to clear our streets before we take over city schools.”
McGinn said that misrepresented his position. “I’m guilty of nuance, which is a difficult thing in a political campaign.”
And indeed, he said in an interview with the PostGlobe about his stance on issues unrelated to the viaduct that he’d raise the idea of taking over the schools after working to improve them first.
The candidates, though, may face more detailed questions next week at yet another forum , this one sponsored by the Seattle-King County Coalition on Homelessness.
Candidates for City Attorney – incumbent Tom Carr and challenger Peter Holmes – faced tougher questioning, however. Both were asked if they’d support tougher restrictions on panhandling.
Holmes said there already seems to be laws on the books that prevent aggressive handling
Carr, though, said, his office has not prosecuted any cases involving panhandling during his tenure in office and that he does not support criminalizing homelessness. Carr also noted that he worked out an agreement to allow tent cities to continue operating.
Both Mallahan and McGinn have scored some endorsements from social services leaders. McGinn released a list late Tuesday afternoon. They include, former 37
th District State Rep. Kip Tokuda; Timothy Harris executive director of Real Change; Candace Inagi, deputy director of One America; Mark Okazaki, executive director of Neighborhood House; former Dorli Rainey, Women in Black, Veterans for Peace, and ANSWER coalition; Al Sugiyama, executive director of the Center for Career Alternatives; Linh Thai, executive director of Vietnamese Community Activity Center (WA); Michael Neguse, a refugee and African immigrants advocate.
However, most prominent social services advocates say they haven’t yet decided who they will support.
Original story
When Seattle mayoral candidates Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn appear Tuesday night at a forum sponsored by the Seattle Human Rights Coalition, they’ll be asked to begin filling in the details on an issue that’s largely taken a backseat in the campaign.
What will the next mayor do about the city’s poor and homeless?
In a campaign, in which Mallahan has talked about his “progressive” values and emphasized his management experience as a T-Mobile executive, and McGinn has become known for his opposition to replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel, there’s been scant attention to what’s a major issue to many Seattle-ites.
The last KING5.Survey USA poll showed the candidates to be in a dead heat, with about a quarter of respondents unsure about who they will support. Among them are human services advocates like Julia Sterkovsky, executive director of the Seattle Human Rights Coalition. “The campaign hasn’t focused on human services, “she said. “Everyone I’ve talked to hasn’t made up their mind.“
Bill Kirlin-Hackett, director of the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness, said he and other social services leaders met with Mallahan before the primary election and have a second meeting scheduled this weekend. They also met with McGinn last weekend, he said.
“One concern that remains is that both are relatively uninformed about housing and human services. The question is who’s initially going to be utilizing some good (city) staff, willingness to learn and learn quickly.
“I think they’re vague about the details and a little more vague about how they’d approach the issues,“ he said,
Kirlin-Hackett was annoyed neither candidate showed up at a legislative breakfast Tuesday morning on the 10-year plan to end homelessness. He said House Speaker Frank Chopp and City Council candidates David Bloom, Sally Bagshaw and Mike O’Brien were there.
Indeed, the lack attention being paid to issues of poverty was one of the reasons why State Senator Ed Murray considered a write-in campaign for mayor.
Both candidates support renewing the city’s housing levy. But Allison Eisinger, director of the Seattle-King County Coalition on Homelessness, said there are a few other concerns. Continuing “the good stuff,” she said, noting that Mayor Greg Nickels budget proposal largely leaves intact services for the poor. However, advocates are upset Nickels is cutting funding for organizations that advocate and lobby for funding for the poor, like the human services coalition. Advocates also want the city’s sweeps of homeless encampments to stop and for the next mayor to find funding for housing and other social programs.
McGinn has unveiled a series of policy papers in recent weeks, in an attempt to broaden his image beyond just being the anti-tunnel candidate. Some have touched on issues that deal with those living in poverty, but he hasn’t delved into homelessness in depth.
Asked about Nickelsville, the homeless encampment that’s been pushed from state property to a Port of Seattle park, and now staying temporarily at a Wallingford church McGinn said permanent tent cities are no solution and he believes in “finding a more appropriate place for homeless by staring to create better shelter, encourage development of rooming or (Single Room Occupancy) hotels that have essentially been eliminated.”
On restrictions of aggressive panhandling -- especially in areas around ATMs being considered by Councilman Tim Burgess, McGinn said he didn’t want to prejudge the proposal before it is completed. He said, though, that he was skeptical and “I have not come forth with a proposal.”
Mallahan campaign spokeswoman Charla Neuman did not return an email asking about the issues.
Mallahan, though, has won the personal endorsement of Hyeok Kim, executive director of InterIm CDA, a community development non-profit that works for low- and moderate income people in the International District.
She said, “I think Joe Mallahan would admit that he’s fairly green to politics and how city government works.” But Kim said she was concerned about McGinn’s “opposition to the tunnel eclipsing other issues, especially in the first couple of years.”
Most City Council members support the tunnel plan, and Kim said McGinn “is going to have a fight on his hands, not only with the state legislature but with council members. If you have a fight internally and a fight externally, how much time are you really going to have to focus on public safety issues and the disintegrating safety net?”
Mallahan has also recruited Bob Santos, InterIm’s founder to be on a campaign advisory board. Santos said that because both candidates are green on social services issues, he wanted a role in lending advice. Santos was attracted to Mallahan, saying he has shown the ability to “think outside the box” at T-Mobile. “That’s the way I was at HUD,” Santos said. “I’d think outside the box and wait for someone to tell me I was doing it the wrong way, but no one did.”
Still, most advocates for the poor were like Tony Lee, the longtime social services lobbyist, now advocacy director for the advocacy organization Solid Ground. “My sense is people (in the social services community) don’t know much about the candidates and haven’t made up their minds.”
Human Services Candidates Forum
Please RSVP at shsc@shscoalition.org
Seattle, WA 98112
330 19th Avenue East
Miller Community Center
Tuesday, October 6th; 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
