The City Council finds the upcoming referendum vote to be irrelevant to their decision to build the tunnel, but Mayor McGinn urges them to acknowledge the political weight of the election. “It is a referendum on the tunnel. Those people who went out to collect signatures want to protect Seattle. ‘Protect Seattle Now’ is the name of their campaign, and that’s why people signed the referendum and that’s why people put it up for vote.”

The Mayor continues to have strong concerns about cost overruns on the tunnel project. “I’m not going to put Seattle at the risk of cost overruns without permission from the voters,” he says. Additionally, McGinn expresses his concern over the benefits of a tunnel. He argues that the expense of the project is unjustifiable, given the amount of use a new tunnel would receive. “It’ll be used by 38,000 cars, less than the Ballard Bridge. There are no downtown exits…If we’re going to spend money; we should spend money on something that will actually deliver results.” McGinn also argues that while the state says it will fund the project, it does not mean that the state currently has the financial wherewithal to back up its promise.  He says, “The state doesn’t even have all the money; they don’t know that they can raise money for it.”

That’s only one of the exciting topics discussed on the latest episode of Ask the Mayor! Check out the whole episode http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3011105.  And be sure to call 206-684-8821 with your question on Tuesday, June 28^th, 7 p.m. or email askthemayor@seattle.gov anytime.

Council President Conlin, says Referendum One’s wording will prevent it from making an impact on the City Council’s final decision. He states, “What we have is two sentences from a 140-page ordinance that’s on the ballot. And the two sentences basically describe the process whereby the council will make a decision… I don’t know how you interpret that process decision as a referendum for or against the tunnel.”

Host C.R. Douglas presses Conlin further on the issue. “The mayor says he’ll listen to this vote [on the referendum]. If the people say yes to the tunnel, he’ll drop his opposition. He is challenging you to say if the people vote against this tunnel, you ought to drop your opposition to him. Will you abide by this public vote?”

Conlin replies, “The mayor said during his campaign that he would not stand in the way of the tunnel that had been adopted by the council and [former Mayor Greg Nickels] as the preferred alternative. I guess the answer to that is, ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.’”

Councilmember Burgess says the voters should also understand that the Mayor’s preference for a surface/transit alternative has drawbacks, saying, “I think that it’s very important for the people of Seattle to understand what [the Mayor’s] position is. And that position is that we should take down the viaduct and do nothing else, and replace ten lanes of traffic with just four lanes of traffic. That is going to lead to massive gridlock in our city and ruin downtown as a pedestrian destination.”

The council believes its support of the tunnel comes from a thorough ten year investigation of alternatives, and that the tunnel option is the only realistic choice remaining after researching a large number of options. As government officials elected by the people of Seattle, they maintain that they are acting in the best interests of their constituents. Conlin says that they are fulfilling their “responsibility to do what [they] think is right.”  Councilmember Bagshaw echoes this statement by saying, “We are listening. We are voted by the people to make decisions, and that is what this council is doing.”

Watch the full episode now: http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3341106. Send your questions for the next City Inside/Out: Council Edition to contact@seattlechannel.org.

We ask our guests: Will the August referendum on the tunnel plan make any difference to the viaduct’s replacement? What Council seats are in play this fall? How is new Seattle Police Chief John Diaz doing? And we get answers to these questions and more from The Seattle Times’ Editorial Writer Joni Balter, KIRO TV Political Correspondent Essex Porter, Crosscut.com’s Publisher David Brewster and Publicola’s Editor Josh Feit.

Fun! Knowledge! Political Brawls! on City Inside/Out, Friday, June 17, 7:00 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or right here on http://www.seattlechannel.org/. Did you see our program about Sound Transit’s light rail? Watch it now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.

This doesn’t mean that the mayor has changed his mind about tearing down the viaduct. He explained, “The fact of the matter is we know it’s unsafe.”

Will the mayor surprise you with his answer to your question? You can only find out by calling 206-684-8821 on Tuesday, June 28, 7 p.m. and talking to Mayor McGinn and SEATTLE CHANNEL host C.R. Douglas. Or email your question by replying to this email or writing to askthemayor@seattle.gov anytime the inspiration strikes you. You can also send the mayor questions on SEATTLE CHANNEL’s Facebook or TWITTER accounts.

Also watch past episodes now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/AskTheMayor/.

This episode of City Inside/Out: Council Edition features Councilmembers Nick Licata, Mike O’Brien and Jean Godden answering your questions. And you can be sure that host C.R. Douglas will have a question or two of his own!

Whatever your question is, if you want it answered on TV, you have to email contact@seattlechannel.org. You can also submit your questions or watch past episodes by visiting the City Inside/Out: Council Edition website, http://www.seattlechannel.org/CouncilEdition/.

Don’t miss this opportunity to put your issues before the City’s lawmakers! Email right now! Then tune in Wednesday, May 11, 7:00 p.m. on SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21, to get answers.

 This week, City Inside/Out delves into the legal debate over the “tunnel votes.” Will the courts rule on the ballot measures’ legality before or after a vote by the people? Can the state’s tunnel be stopped by Seattle voters? How much of the tunnel project can go forward before the final environmental-impact statement is completed this summer. We hear the points-of-view of Governor Chris Gregoire, Referendum 1 spokesperson Drew Paxton, City Council President Richard Conlin, Initiative 101 sponsor Elizabeth Campbell, Environmental Attorney David Bricklin and others.

Smarter than Court TV, more fun than reading legal briefs: City Inside/Out, Friday, April 22, 7:00 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or right here on  http://www.seattlechannel.org/. Did you see last week’s program about ex-offenders’ problems finding housing and jobs? Watch it now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.

 Whatever your question is, on Wednesday, March 30, 7:00 p.m., call 206-684-8821 and talk to Mayor McGinn and SEATTLE CHANNEL host C.R. Douglas. If you can’t call then, call 206-684-8821 anytime (right now for instance!) and have your question recorded for the show. Or email your question by replying to this email or writing to askthemayor@seattle.gov anytime the inspiration strikes you. Be a part of Seattle’s civic conversation!

Also watch past episodes now by visiting: http://www.seattlechannel.org/AskTheMayor/

Whatever your question is, on Wednesday, January 26, 7:00 p.m., call 206-684-8821 and talk to Mayor McGinn and SEATTLE CHANNEL host C.R. Douglas. If you can’t call then, call 206-684-8821 anytime (right now for instance!) and have your question recorded for the show. Or email your question by replying to this email or writing to askthemayor@seattle.gov anytime the inspiration strikes you.  Be a part of Seattle’s civic conversation!

Also watch past episodes now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/AskTheMayor/.

 On Friday, January 7, City Inside/Out‘s C.R. Douglas interviews three legislators from the Emerald City to get their thoughts on the upcoming legislative session. Our guests are northeast Seattle’s state Senator Scott White, southeast Seattle’s state Representative Eric Pettigrew and northwest Seattle’s state Representative Reuven Carlyle. In addition to the budget crisis, we’ll ask legislators about vital transportation issues such as funding problems at King County Metro Transit and paying for any cost overruns for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Remember the state Legislature convenes on January 10, but C.R. is in session every Friday, 7:00 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or right here on www.seattlechannel.org ! Did you see our in-depth interview with Governor Christine Gregoire? Watch it now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.

But wait, there’s more! Some of Seattle’s top journalists join us to take a look back at 2010. We ask: Who are this year’s top political winners and losers? What’s the most undercovered story of the year? And The Seattle Times’ Joni Balter, KIRO TV’s Essex Porter, SeattlePI.com’s Chris Grygiel and PubliCola’s Erica C. Barnett give their insightful and surprising answers.

Don’t miss City Inside/Out’s final show of 2010! Friday, December 17, at 7:00 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or right here on http://www.seattlechannel.org/. Have you seen last week’s show about the City’s response to Thanksgiving’s snowstorm? Watch it now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.