Seattle mayoral candidate McGinn backs off tunnel position

Mike McGinn — who has made his opposition to a waterfront tunnel central to his campaign for Seattle mayor — said Monday he'll go along with the tunnel if elected.

His statement came after the Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to approve an agreement authorizing the city and state to move ahead with the $4.2 billion tunnel project and sea-wall replacement.

McGinn won the August primary on a platform of opposing the plan, eight years in the making, to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel. He talked about it in candidate forums, interviews and on his Web site. He sent out mailers that vowed: "I will stop the tunnel." He promised in an April campaign video: "If elected mayor, I will not authorize the use of Seattle taxpayer money to build this tunnel."

In the general-election campaign, McGinn has continued to use his pledge to fight the tunnel as a way to distinguish himself from his opponent, Joe Mallahan, who supports the project.

At a brief meeting with reporters Monday outside City Hall, McGinn said he still opposes the tunnel and insisted he is not "softening" his position. But he said it's the mayor's job to follow through on city commitments.

"If I'm elected mayor, though I disagree with this decision, it will be my job to uphold and execute this agreement," McGinn said. "It is not the mayor's job to withhold the cooperation of city government in executing this agreement."

By dialing back his promises to stop the tunnel, McGinn removes the biggest barrier to mainstream support for his campaign. As a community and environmental leader, he is more well-known than Mallahan among city power brokers, but many people said they couldn't back him because of his tunnel opposition.

Mallahan said in a statement McGinn is "changing his position because he's seen the poll numbers and is fighting for his political life. My opponent has shown he is willing to say whatever voters want to hear. His flip-flopping clearly demonstrates that voters have a choice between a political opportunist or a principled leader and effective manager, like myself, to lead this city and our economy forward."

McGinn, a former Sierra Club leader, has called the tunnel a "backroom deal" between legislators and city leaders that lacks voter support.

Seattle taxpayers cannot afford the $900 million-plus they are committed to spend on the project, McGinn has said, and he believes the tunnel would contribute to global warming. Instead, he supports improvements to transit and to Interstate 5 and surface streets to help move people through downtown once the viaduct is removed.

McGinn said he still believes the tunnel is too expensive, but Monday shifted the focus of his opposition to cost overruns. In the current state law, Seattle-area property owners who benefit from the tunnel are responsible for cost overruns.

McGinn cast himself Monday as the candidate who would fight those overruns.

"There is a clear choice in this election," he said. "My opponent has refused to ask or answer any hard questions about the tunnel."

Mallahan, though relatively unknown in political circles before his run for office, has won the backing of many of Mayor Greg Nickels' supporters — largely because of Mallahan's support for the tunnel project. He has the endorsement of city business leaders and unions, as well as political leaders, including Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Mallahan, too, has said he would go to Olympia if elected and try to renegotiate the language that calls for Seattle to pay cost overruns. Many legislators agree that provision isn't enforceable.

In recent weeks, Mallahan has been much more likely than McGinn to bring up the tunnel, accusing McGinn of being an obstructionist and a one-issue candidate.

House Transportation Committee Chairwoman Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, and a member of Mallahan's advisory team, said Monday she believes McGinn's change is "politics."

"He's used the tunnel as long as it's worked for him," Clibborn said.

McGinn supporter Kevin Fullerton, who opposes the tunnel, said he believes McGinn's change in tone was good politics.

In the primary, Fullerton said, an adamant position was a good way to "stand out." But now a more nuanced position will reassure voters who are concerned about a protracted battle.

"There are a lot of people out there who still think that building something is better than building nothing, and they think that electing Michael just means basically electing a couple years of lawsuits. That's going to be a big turnoff for them," Fullerton said.

"Now ... it's not an ideological position that he's taken. He's saying, 'I'm going to be an economic steward and an environmental steward and I'm going to be in a position to steer it.' "

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com Staff reporters Jonathan Martin and Mike Lindblom contributed to this report.