State of the City

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels delivered his State of the City speech Monday in the midst of a political climate that sees him more or less untouchable in the next election. Nickels has so far been the chief political benefactor of a city repairing itself after the tumultuous reign of Paul Schell and appears set to ride his position far into the future, for better or for worse.

The speech, which can be watched here, was a celebration of Nickels's financial feats of the past three years, although many question just how much credit is due to the Mayor for the city's burgeoning recovery.

In a move that surprised even the SPD, Nickels vowed to increase the force by 25, bringing the total number of Seattle police officers to 1,274--which would be the most the department has ever had, despite a 10-year period where violent crime in the city has dropped by 75 percent. Seattlest suggests that you relax in the warm hug of the new Seattle Police State, and don't ask any questions about how the new hires will be funded now that the city budget is $120 million less than when Nickels was elected.

Nods were also made in the direction of the Kyoto Protocol during the speech and Nickels announced a future announcement regarding the city's plans to address global warming. This is an issue that the City Council has been working on for years, without, it must be said, much attention from the mayor. Prepare for another unfundable proclamation from the mayor addressing city environmental efforts.

Seattlest is of the opinion Nickels is priming himself for national politics and a lot of rhetoric about Kyoto will go a long way towards greening his image outside of the city. On the outside (the rest of the country) a successful Seattle mayor will need to be perceived as progressive on environmental issues. Shrewd, Mr. Mayor. Shrewd.

There was some mention of transportation issues and Seattle's pathetic public school funding, however, no grandiose promises were made in regards to either.

City councilman, Richard Conlin, said of the speech, "It felt like he doesn't know much about what has been happening in the city." Seattlest thinks that that's probably about right. YOU know a lot about what's happening in the city, though, and Seattlest would like to hear your State of the City address.