Seattle's Own Guiliani: Meet Mark Sidran.

"I guess I'm a Democrat with my head screwed on straight," says three term Seattle city attorney and current mayoral candidate Mark Sidran. Asked to handicap this year's race, Sidran downplays the ideological differences between the candidates: "The real issue is going to be, Who's most likely to be able to deliver results?"

But the "results" mantra is more practical than strictly true. Sidran takes a much more hard-bitten approach to politics than his very gummy Democratic opponents in this one-party town. Stump speeches and interviews are sprinkled with references to the "hard choices" to be made and the "challenges" and "tough issues" that need to be wrestled to the ground. It's as if he's telegraphing a message to the Seattle establishment: Gravity works; deal with it.

Sidran's lobbying of the city council to enact a series of "civility laws" — which now prohibit open boozing, public urination, sleeping in parks, aggressive panhandling and loitering — was condemned by the far-Left Seattle weekly The Stranger as "a bourgeois attack on civil rights." His controversial decision to impound the cars of those driving with suspended licenses has drawn the charge of racism. And Sidran's attacks on Seattle's violence-prone dance clubs elicited cries of racism and prudery.

The thing that infuriates his opponents — a famous Stranger cover depicted him as the devil — is Sidran's unwillingness to concede the principle. His battles with the prosecutors union are legendary and in the current campaign he has already filed two lawsuits. Asked about his record on liberties, Sidran launches into a series of jagged pirouettes.

"[I]t's [not] a civil right to deny other people their civil rights in the name of the First Amendment."

"I don't believe that violence in nightclubs — regardless of the color of the clientele or of the ownership — is something that is somehow a civil right; or that one confuses the sound of gunfire for the sound of music."

"[P]reserving the quality of life in Seattle for everybody and doing something about inappropriate and illegal behavior on the street — whether it's public drinking and public urination or aggressive panhandling and other behaviors — I don't see those behaviors as civil rights issues."

In a recent article in the bimonthly Washington Law & Politics, columnist Mark Matassa wondered if Seattle, "a city with the statue of Lenin in one of its favorite neighborhoods and a City Council that seems to visit it for inspiration," could ever elect as thoroughgoing a law and order candidate as Sidran to the mayor's office. Conclusion: In light of recent events, this outcome is not only possible, but likely. Whether it be the WTO anarchy, or the recent Mardi Gras race riots — in which one person died -, or the loss of the Boeing corporate office to Chicago, or the recent civil uprising over alleged racial bias in a police shooting, the city is suffering from a crisis of confidence.

And Seattle limousine liberalism, personified by the incumbent, Mayor Paul Schell, seems ill-equipped to address the problems. In a recent interview, Schell allowed of the WTO uprising that at least "my values are intact about letting everybody be heard." The mayor slept through the Mardi Gras riots and recent campaign ads feature him — I am not making this up — hugging a tree.

In a normal election year, even these incompetencies might not put Sidran over the top. The Seattle media would normally close ranks to block such a challenge to the comfortable consensus and the city employees would rally round the mayor and get out the vote to insure job security (according to a report in The Seattle Weekly, precisely one city employee has contributed to Sidran's campaign thus far).

But this isn't a normal year: Schell's solidarity with the newspaper unions in the recent strike has turned the management of the two dailies against him. The Seattle Times made national headlines and embarrassed the mayor by threatening to bolt the city if the city zoning bureaucracy didn't call off the dogs.

All of which should make Sidran a shoe-in for their endorsements this fall because one of his civility laws was explicitly aimed at cracking down on aggressive pets.

For all my fellow Washington State-ers. I would like to point out to those not familiar with the "no public urination" law that these winos were doing more outside the public building than just urination. They seemed to have decided that the outside of some of Seattle's public buildings were convenient toilets and used them as such. I considered it a health issue (along with it just being gross).

The question is: Are they peeved at him for being a gutless (aka "sensitive") incompetent boob? Or are they mad at him because he sided with the strikers (and refused to talk to Times reporters) during their recent strike? Or both?

I guess it is not that suprising that they could endorse Sidran--after all, they endorsed Bush (it was funny reading the letters to the editor after that came out).

Being that Seattle has become a liberal cesspool, it is hard to imagine a "mean spirited" person such as Sidran winning. Even if he is a democrat. Stranger things happen though.

I live in new york city from the end of kotch threw the years of horror of david dinkins (2200+ found murdered in one year..notice I said FOUND. People in the rivers and dumped in NJ do not count). None can be like Guiliani with the exception of his decency comission (never did anything once) I have to say thank god for a real mayor. Too bad the other republicans or any for that matter can be like him. I am buying a shotgun because once he leaves office its war.

My take would be because of the strike. I don't think the Seattle Times would be that peeved because he was incompetent. Democratic mayors normally aren't the most competent; but that never stops liberal newspapers from endorsing them.

I guess it is not that suprising that they could endorse Sidran--after all, they endorsed Bush (it was funny reading the letters to the editor after that came out).

I was reading the letters to the editor yesterday, in the Sunday edition, and someone had written a letter chastising the paper because they couldn't seem to find one positive letter to print about their endorsement of Sidran. You would think that since they endorsed him, they would make an effort to find some support among the letter writers. (Or, perhaps, this being Seattle, their were no supporters.)

Being that Seattle has become a liberal cesspool, it is hard to imagine a "mean spirited" person such as Sidran winning. Even if he is a democrat. Stranger things happen though.

Yeah, I just love Greg Nickels' ads that refer to Sidran's "negative" campaigning. I find Sidran's ads rather amusing --- however, perhaps they hit a little to close to home for Nickels (and Schell).

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