“The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.”
Gaylord Nelson’s statement is a powerful standard by which to assess politics, and a revealing litmus test to apply to Seattle’s upcoming mayoral election. I don’t think it’s a stretch to concede that Joe Mallahan is aligning himself with interests that have it the wrong way around, while Mike McGinn’s core support comes from those who think like Nelson.
Seattle’s status-quo business establishment is lining up behind Mallahan—nuff said. Mallahan has also bagged the support of labor, but why? In large part because some union workers stand to make a pile of money building the deep-bore tunnel. A quintessential example of putting short term economic gain before long term ecological health.
Some worry that McGinn is too antagonistic (or something), and who knows, he could turn out to be a total disaster as Mayor. But one thing we can be sure of is that he understands and respects big picture sustainability, and that he will push hard for the kind of substantive change that reality increasingly demands.  It all starts with a strong vision.
To those who share McGinn’s values but are all caught up in hand-wringing over his possible flaws, a humble suggestion: Let go of your liberal instinct for equivocation and take a gamble. Make a choice and commit to it.
Which, coincidentally, brings me to the point of this post, that being, if you support Mike McGinn for Mayor, please consider actualizing your commitment by attending the upcoming Sustainability and Built Environment Fundraiser (details above). McGinn is up a against a wall of money, and his campaign depends on small, individual contributions.
BONUS: For all you navel gazers who want to know which green urbanist rock stars you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of at the fundraiser, you’ll probably want to get on over to facebook and start obsessively tracking the event’s guest list.