I voted Joe Mallahan for mayor even though his opponent Mike McGinn is the hipster favorite and I, because I am a conformist, usually vote for whoever the leading rock musicians or the leftist local media tell me to.

McGinn has the support of the music community and leftie rags like the Stranger and its misbegotten progeny Publicola. He even got some grunge-era musicians to play a benefit for him at a yuppified grunge-era nightclub (Crocodile, Sept. 30) ... but, strangely, I remain unimpressed. I love Dave Meinert and Krist Novoselic and all those politically-active Seattle music folks more than the next person, depending on who that person is. And I voted for Dow Constantine and I always vote to raise taxes for schools and other institutions of common concern. I’m a progressive. But here’s the problem: I don’t like Mike McGinn. I’ll go even further: I believe he is unlikable.


I met candidates McGinn and Mallahan at a Belltown Business Association-sponsored early-morning forum and pastry feed back on October 16; the BBA likes their sit-downs at the crack of dawn because that keeps the riff-raff out. And I decided to vote for Mallahan long before their tedious interchange had concluded. Joe seemed genuine; McGinn was harried – like a bitter hippie. And he never smiled. I can understand McGinn not being a morning person: I’m never human before 3pm and many days I’m not human at all. Still, if you want to be an effective mayor you have to connect. You have to be a people person if you hope to motivate and inspire. Watch an important billionaire businessman walk into a room – day or night – and feel his glow, his emanating waves of power and confidence. Did I mention McGinn was wearing hiking boots with his suit? I’m too old for that shit.

Not a morning person. Trying too hard to impress Seattleites by having no fashion sense. All the charisma of a sleep-deprived brewery rat. Paunchy. That to me is McGinn.

And my man Mallahan? A corporate guy. Worked on the Obama campaign. Has no political experience. Sounds good to me: that was a selling point for Obama, if I remember. Mallahan told the Belltown audience that hiring people that are smarter than him is how he’s been an effective manager. I dig that humility.

Mallahan will win and then a year or two from now there will be some riots or maybe a global warming-spawned snowstorm and he will curse the day he decided to take on the thankless job of Mayor of Seattle, and I will be right there not thanking him. Until then, he’s got my solid endorsement.