At the risk of stirring the pot, if Ceis doesn't think a member of the Seattle City Council can weigh in on a $60,000 pay increase--while implying that the Mayor's Office is willing to look the other way at any Council staff salary-plundering so long as Hizzoner gets the staff he wants--we will personally sit down with Ceis and explain why we think that's a terrible, terrible precedent to set. You could argue that it's the polar opposite of the example we might hope from city leadership, though ironically, his quote does point to the need for a good communications director. (This mutual respect for autonomy seems to apply only to personnel decisions, given the city's attempt to raid the Council's tenant relocation fund.) more ›

Downtown's Southern-esque restaurant Sazerac had the misfortune to open in 1997, which meant its decor ten years on -- velvet drapes and cushy banquettes -- looked as dated as a Google-cached snapshot of your homepage. In its review, the Stranger sharpened its claws on the surroundings: "There is some evidence in the tea-dark interior that the decorator was going for a New Orleans-inspired elegance, but somewhere along the way he or she got waylaid at Mervyn's. Light fixtures from Kandinsky's notorious 'game board' period shed wan light on the open dining room." more ›

You may not agree with his conservative politics, but if you like the Mariners, you owe an elaborate tip of the cap to ex-U.S. Senator Slade Gorton. more ›

After all, the Seattle P-I's got a story on the recent street violence, the Seattle Times has coverage of the war zone and the thug factor. And although three of the four incidents since June occurred after 10pm, it's easily worth the $500,000 the city will spend over the next four months to keep lunch hour safe in Westlake Park. We were there, and we've never felt more secure -- which was great because we couldn't find any bike racks in front of Westlake Mall and had to lock our bike to a trash can. more ›

The advisory vote on the Viaduct is in and a crushing defeat has been issued to the “No and Hell No” campaign by write-in candidate “Hell No and No.” With strong turnouts in West Seattle, Magnolia and Capitol Hill, voters voiced their opinion on the mayor’s tunnel: as of 11:30pm, 69.88% responded in the negative to a tunnel-surface hybrid--a dramatic “Hell No” in our book. And voters rejected the elevated structure alternative with a less emphatic 55.48%-44.52%--a definite “No” by our reckoning, but definitely not a “Hell No.” Remember the scene in Dumb and Dumber when Dumb takes a one in a million shot to be good news? “So I have a chance!” We’re going to hear from Dumb regarding this 55%. more ›

On Tuesday monorail advocate Peter Sherwin filed suit against March's advisory vote on the Viaduct. He claims that there really isn't enough information about the tunnel, and no one has really signed off on the option. more ›

Tim Ceis from the mayor's office recently sent a letter to Northwest Seaport basically telling them to get their rotting piece of Wawona the hell out of Paul Allen's park ASAP or it's going to be hauled out to the middle of Lake Union and shot. The Wawona is that giant hull near the Armory and Center for Wooden Boats at the southern tip of Lake Union, tucked away behind the Swiftsure. If you've been down there for a Wooden Boat Festival or something it's the one with big tarps over it that you've never been able to board because no one in their right mind would insure it. more ›

Seattlest (like much of Seattle) likes to ignore the Viaduct's continued existence. Sure, we're as happy as anyone to propound our right-thinking solution to a disinterested audience, but the weather's been very nice. We've had other things on our plate. more ›