crosscut.com : Port of Seattle

Sausage Links, ice cream man edition

Crosscut — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:22:01 PDT

Despite the near-record temperatures predicted for the weekend, officials from around the state are asking agencies to "freeze." Last week, Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered a hiring freeze for state employees in an attempt to ease Washington's mounting budget deficit. Yesterday, the Snohomish County Council ordered a hiring freeze for all of their county's agencies. Not to be outdone, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels proposed a $5 million spending freeze for the City of Seattle yesterday. On a related note, Seattle's fleet of ice cream carts are expanding their service around the city, in a move experts say could result in widespread brain freezes. ...

Seven premonitions you can take to the bank

Crosscut — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:00:01 PDT

Predictions at mid-year regarding sweet deals for developers, a Sonics boon, the precarious viaduct, a Boeing handout, Sound Transit, Pat Davis, and cleaning up Puget Sound.

Rah, rah for the home team

Crosscut — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Home-grown sports teams, airplane builders, and banks are reeling from competition and free trade, and the local mood is to beat up on the outsiders. Tempting, but is it smart?

Will Seattle follow Singapore in a blogger crackdown?

Crosscut — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:00:01 PDT

Seattle officials have long had a love affair with Singapore, that efficient, prosperous, and oppressive Pacific Rim city-state where spitting and gum chewing are illegal and officials wield the cane. After a famous (and notorious) junket there in 1998, local politicians and business leaders returned raving at the way the place was run and saw it as a model for Seattle and metro Puget Sound. Some of those junketeers might be thrilled to learn that Singapore is now cracking down on bloggers who insult public officials.

The need for cruise control

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:00:01 PDT

An environmentalist explains why better federal regulations are needed to police polluters among the world's fleet of cruise ships: State and local authorities can only do so much. Over six months this year, Puget Sound will see 211 big ships bearing 835,000 passengers call on Seattle.

Why governance reform for local transit would not work

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A governor's commission suggests fixing our transportation problems by changing the governing board to a directly elected body, as in Portland. A skeptic says such a reform would be slow, reduce accountability, and probably make our transportation planning worse.

Maybe it's not so easy keeping factories in Seattle

Crosscut — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:00:01 PDT

I'm a big fan of the Puget Sound Business Journal, which this week has a story about four high profile factories that might leave Seattle. A lot of media attention has followed efforts to keep Korry Electronics, which was looking at the Port of Seattle's Interbay site. (I refuse to call it North Bay.)

Olympia's feared watchdog: Brian Sonntag

Crosscut — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:00:01 PST

He's got even more authority now, thanks to a voter-approved initiative that provides for evaluations of public-agency performance. The state auditor is effecting change inside institutions like the Port of Seattle.

Our economy's secret sauce: the weak dollar

Crosscut — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:02:01 PST

The Northwest economy continues to surge, while the rest of the country struggles, and it's tempting to think it's because of all the smart folks out here, cooking up new companies. Doubtless that's partly true. But a bigger factor is the weak dollar. Washington state, for instance, leads the nation in exports as a share of state output. Those exports are booming because of the weak dollar, which translates into bargain prices offshore. Michael Parks, editor of the invaluable Marple's Pacific Northwest Letter, tallies up the figures for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, and finds the export totals hitting new all-time highs for the fourth consecutive year. Total exports last year for the region ($92.5 billion) were up 20 percent over 2006, about twice the national increase.

Obama and Clinton shift the debate to free trade

Crosscut — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:42:01 PST

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ended their televised Austin, Texas, debate last week on a high note. But, since then, their campaigns have been outrightly confrontational. The tone is likely to carry over into their Cleveland, Ohio, debate late this week and into March 4 voting in Ohio, Texas, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Clinton, facing elimination from the race, has adopted an angry campaign persona and Obama is not turning the other cheek. Ironically, the hottest debate has been over an issue where both candidates have been trimming and grandstanding: the North American Free Trade Agreement and international trade (see below).

Taking the long view, the Muni League investigates the Port of Seattle

Crosscut — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:39:01 PST

After the devastating state auditor's report [PDF], an ongoing Justice Department investigation, and the Port of Seattle's internal review of its own operations, the Municipal League's announcement that it, too, will study port governance may seem like overkill. But appearances can be deceiving, said Bruce Carter, a Seattle Municipal Court judge pro tem who will lead the league's works.

Tim Eyman's great year

Crosscut — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:00:01 PST

You might love to hate him, but the populist initiative king is having a banner year — and even liberals are finding some areas where Eyman's laws are helping. Maybe you should send him a thank-you card.

How to fix the Port of Seattle: Splitsville

Crosscut — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:00:01 PST

The core reason for all the mismanagement is an antiquated structure, argues a former Port Commission candidate. A restructured port needs to serve a multi-county region. And we need to split up the fundamentally different businesses of seaport and airport.

Port in a storm of its own making

Crosscut — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:00:01 PST

The state Auditor's new report on the Port of Seattle finds rats in the rat's nest of local governments.

Post-Proposition 1, Tacoma starts dating other regional friends

Crosscut — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:07:01 PST

Regionalists are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again, after the defeat of Proposition 1, which was a blow to the effort to think regionally, act boldly. One key figure is Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, who heads the Sound Transit board and other regional committees. In an interview last week, Ladenburg noted one consequence of the defeat of Prop. 1 may be the creation of a rival regional grouping, combining Pierce, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties. That would be a new kind of Hanseatic League, yoking the booming cities of Tacoma, Bremerton, and Olympia. If it happens, it might be a needed shock to get Seattle's attention.

No, really, this is a watershed election

Crosscut — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:00:01 PST

Beyond the pettiness of the campaign just ending lies the potential emergence of a whole new mood in Seattle-area politics. It would start with a muting of the cultural wars that have bedeviled Seattle politics ever since 9/11. Call it the revenge of the center.

Political direct mail: That other guy is a kissing cousin of Karl Rove!

Crosscut — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:00:01 PDT

In Seattle, election messages have been sharpened for mailboxes, and not just any mailboxes. Here's how a direct-mail campaign works — or how it's supposed to work.

The fact is, there's not enough money in politics â�� really

Crosscut — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:00:01 PDT

Campaign-contribution limits are hurting democracy because candidates can't raise enough money to effectively reach the electorate. Here are some examples — important races that deserve more exposure.

Escaping Scandinavia

Crosscut — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:00:01 PDT

Newly displayed at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle, the Leif Erikson statue reminds us of those brave though seemingly sullen souls who fled Norway so many years ago. Of course, it should be pointed out that they fled what today is the highest-rated, most-livable country in the world.

Some significant signs in a little-noticed election

Crosscut — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:00:01 PDT

Dialing for more dollars, Jane Hague's poor showing, how to read the Seattle results, liberal bias, how to spin your win, the dangers of a low-key approach: In an evolving thread, Crosscut's writers analyze Washington's first August primary, an election that was on almost no normal person's radar.