Moved up to include the video:
Last week, I joined a panel discussion at Town Hall that took up issues surrounding the ever-controversial deep-bore tunnel planned for downtown Seattle. Here’s who joined me:
- Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn
- Seattle City Council member Mike O’Brien
- Drew Paxton, Move Seattle Smarter ballot initiative
The panel was moderated by Dominic Holden, news editor of The Stranger, who authored this excellent piece on the tunnel, and who has been bird-dogging the issue relentlessly.
If you follow the tunnel’s politics at all, the debate may look a bit one-sided: all of the participants are, in fact, on record as opponents of the tunnel. That’s not by design. It’s because no official supporters of the tunnel would agree to participate—not one of the eight other city council members, no one from the state department of transportation, and no one from the governor’s office. That’s a huge disappointment because this panel takes place during the critically important public comment period, the time when you would think that officials would be most interested—even obligated—to engage in open dialogue. What a shame.
