Just a Minute!

Mayor Nickels has some options (8/21/09)

     Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, invited to take a hike by voters this week, has no idea what he’ll do when his term ends. It’s a difficult decision for someone who has been a career politician. But the mayor-pro-tem does have options. Here are a few:

      + Tunnel-toll taker. Factoring in the standard delays that occur whenever Seattle spends large sums of money, the Michael McGinn Cheap Bore Tunnel will open when Greg Nickels is 91 years old. Nickels will only have to suck fumes for a year if he opts for early retirement, but to collect his full Social Security benefits he will have to take our nickels till he’s 97.

     + Streetcar operator. The Seattle Streetcar system, which currently allows dozens of people to avoid walking a mile between downtown and south Lake Union, has big expansion plans. It will provide good transitional training if Nickels ever plans to re-enter politics, because when you’re piloting a streetcar it’s impossible to lose your way.

     + Snowplow driver. Nickels already knows his way around a snow job. He got a “B” in it last December. Since he grades pretty easily, he should be on the “A” team in no time.

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