Wholesomeless in Seattle

Mayor Mike McGinn thinks his power extends to what we eat, or don't eat;

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn's bid to hold up a large West Seattle real estate development because he doesn't think Whole Foods pays employees enough raises a question: Is this legal?

No, according to longtime Seattle land-use attorney Elaine Spencer, who thinks McGinn's move is unprecedented. She doesn't see anything in the city's policies that would let the mayor attempt this.

But the mayor says what he is doing is legal and that Seattle should expect more of the same if he wins a second term this fall.

Vote for Mike; he can kill jobs! 

McGinn is urging his staff to recommend denial of the alley vacation that the developers of the West Seattle project need. His reasoning: the 340-unit project at Fauntleroy Way Southwest and Edmunds Street does not provide "adequate public benefit," and falls short of his "overarching commitment to just and sustainable development."

Spencer, the Seattle land-use lawyer who practices at Graham & Dunn, is incredulous over the mayor's reasoning. She said that official city policy dictates that land-use decisions such as vacating alleys and streets be decided on the basis of transportation-related factors. Will closing an alley, for instance, negatively affect circulation in the area?

Workers of the world, unite: Today an alley, tomorrow the world!