For many of us, Seattle is that big city a few hills and 30 interstate miles away. With the distance comes a comfort, knowing that all of the benefits of big city life such as the arts, pro sports, shopping
and entertainment are within easy reach. At the end of each day, however, we can sit in our homes, watch the news, shake our heads and be thankful we’re not in Seattle.
Several of us undoubtedly did just that during the WTO conference
and “Battle in Seattle.” However, what happened in Seattle did affect us all, and
as a result of the conference, we’re all sharing a collective black eye.
Like it or not, when most people think of Puget Sound or Washington
state, they think of Seattle. This is true of any identifiable region in the
country. When they consider New York, most people think of New York City.
When they contemplate California, the first thing that comes to mind is San
Francisco or Los Angeles.
It’s the same thing up here; while we may feel hometown
identification with Snoqualmie or North Bend or Preston or Carnation _ or Skykomish,
Lynden or Tenino, for that matter _ most will still think of Seattle as the city that
represents us all.
Therefore, it is doubly unfortunate that the post-conference words and
actions of Seattle Mayor Paul Schell have added to our regional black eye.
Late last week, the FBI’s pre-conference threat-summary was released.
It indicated the FBI had warned the city of the potential for violence as early
as mid-November. Schell and his advisors refused to listen, and – after the
troubles did break out – expressed surprise at the vandalism and other acts of
violence. Who were they trying to kid?
Subsequent revelations of Schell’s profane attacks on Seattle police
personnel in advance of the WTO meeting and last week’s very public
confrontation with King County Sheriff Dave Reichert have added to the mix.
During the latter, Schell told the sheriff he would “personally destroy” him, and
accused Reichert of staging the heavily publicized film of him running
down looters in Seattle.
Notably, Reichert was one of the few senior police officials to
question both the lack of preparation and the mayor and Chief Stamper’s
post-conference excuses.
If anyone’s guilty of staging something, it’s Mr. Schell. He was
obviously in over his head from the time planning for the WTO conference started.
He and his staff mishandled security preparations downtown, refused to listen
to experts and analysts who tried to warn him what was coming, and then
added insult to injury by telling people everything was under control when it
wasn’t. After everything blew up, Schell started offering excuses while looking
for someone to blame.
There’s an old saying about the progressive stages of a project. The last
two lines go something like, “Praise for the guilty and punishment for the
innocent.” Apparently that’s the style of “leadership” Mayor Schell believes in.
Unfortunately, his actions and comments are an embarrassment to all of
us in this region, and will probably continue to be so for some time. However,
all of us in the Valley can be thankful he’s not
our mayor. For all the occasional hiccups in local government, we are usually spared the pompous
pronouncements, excuses and vacant “leadership” that Seattle is sadly undergoing.
Mark Morgan, Editor
