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Greg Nickels
Greg Nickels was the 51st Mayor of Seattle and a long-time member of the King County Council. He was a Democratic candidate in the 2012 election for Washington Secretary of State. He lost in the "top-two" primary election on August 7, finishing third behind Kim Wyman (R) and Kathleen Drew (D), who squared off in the general election on November 6, 2012.[1] Incumbent secretary Sam Reed retired from office at the end of the term.
Biography
Nickels was born in Chicago, but grew up in Seattle with his five younger siblings. He attended Seattle Prep and then went on to pursue higher education at the University of Washington, where he began his public service career at age 19 with the City of Seattle. Nickels became legislative assistant to then-City Councilmember Norm Rice in 1978, and remained in the position until 1987, when he was elected to the King County Council.[2]
Nickels served two terms as Mayor of Seattle, and sought a third, but was defeated in the primary. Since then, he taught a semester at Harvard and served a one-year term as a special representative to the United Nations.[3]
Education
- Seattle Preparatory School
- University of Washington
Political career
Mayor of Seattle 2002-2009
Greg Nickels was Mayor of Seattle from 2002-2009. He lost his re-election bid for mayor in the 2009 Democratic primary. Nickels was a popular mayor for the better part of his two terms, making substantial strides in promotion of environmental conservation, public safety, and public transportation. His defeat came as a surprise; It was widely speculated that his sinking approval ratings leading up to the election were the result of poor handling of the city during an exceptionally snowy winter, and the loss of the Seattle SuperSonics.[3]
King County City Council 1988-2001
Nickels was elected to the King County City Council in 1987, and from 1988-2001, until he was elected Mayor of Seattle.[4]
Elections
2012
Nickels ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2012. He faced 6 other candidates in the August 7 blanket primary election, in which he will needed more votes than at least 5 of his opponents, regardless of party preference, to advance to the general election in Novemeber.[5] He finished third, behind Kim Wyman (R) and Kathleen Drew (D), who will square off in the general election on November 6, 2012.[6] Incumbent secretary Sam Reed is retiring from office at the end of the term.
| Washington Secretary of State, Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kim Wyman |
39.8% | 528,754 | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Drew |
21.7% | 289,052 | |
| Democratic | Greg Nickels | 15.9% | 210,832 | |
| Democratic | Jim Kastama | 13.9% | 185,425 | |
| Constitution Party | Karen Murray | 3.8% | 50,888 | |
| No Party Preference | David Anderson | 3.3% | 44,276 | |
| Human Rights Party | Sam Wright | 1.6% | 20,809 | |
| Total Votes | 1,330,036 | |||
| Election results via Washington Secretary of State (dead link)' | ||||
Issue Positions
- Voting
On his campaign site, Nickels discussed his commitment to raising voter awareness and participation in Washington elections. As secretary of state, he said he would achieve this increase in participation by expanding DMV license registration programs, exploring youth pre-registration programs, and cooperating with the legislature to ensure eligible voters encounter as few obstacles to casting their ballots as possible. In addition, he said "I pledge to spend one day a week in a Washington State public school classroom talking with students and teachers about the importance of civics."[7]
- Campaign contributions
On his official campaign website, Nickels addressed the role of Citizens United and the recent Ninth Circuit Court ruling to overturn Washington's campaign contribution limits in state elections. As secretary of state, Nickels said "I will work to try and curb the influence of special interests in our elections while reforming our initiative process to make sure it remains a tool of citizens to better give them a voice in how we govern."[7]
- Initiative Process
Nickels said he wanted to use the office to enhance the integrity of the state's initiative process by keeping it in the province of voters rather than corporations and special interests, and suggested raising the filing fee. On his campaign website, Nickels said "There are numerous proposals before the legislature that seek to curb the abuse of our democracy this and I think the Secretary of State’s office needs to work with legislative leaders and strike a balance between toughening requirements while ensuring citizens still have the ability to use this very important tool."[7]
- Business growth
Nickels said he wanted to expand on the secretary of state's role as an agent for growing the small business culture in Washington through recruitment and opening markets. "I plan to travel throughout the state to meet with local business owners to help figure out how we can remove existing barriers and continue to make Washington a great place to live, work and do business."[7]
Endorsements
Nickels received endorsements from several Union organizations and local elected officials, including but not limited to:
| Click for endorsement list[8] | |
|---|---|
|
King County Democrats 38th District Democrats (Everett) NARAL Pro Choice Washington PAC Seattle Gay News American Muslims of Puget Sound Washington State Labor Council American Federation of Teachers Washington, AFL-CIO Washington State Council of Fire Fighters UFCW Local 21 SEIU Healthcare 775NW OPEIU Local 8 Joint Council of Teamsters No 28 Teamsters Local 117 ATU Local 587 King County Building & Construction Trades Council Martin Luther King County Labor Council recommended endorsement to WSLC Seattle Firefighters Union - IAFF Local 27 Roofers Local 54 Asbestos Workers Local 7 Sheet Metal Workers Local 66 IBEW 46 IBEW 483 Elected Officials: Michael Bruce, Mayor of Westport John Marchione, Mayor of Redmond Larry Gossett, King County Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess, Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden, Seattle City Councilmember Charley Royer, former Mayor of Seattle Karen Vialle, Tacoma School Board Member and former Tacoma Mayor Bryce Seidl, former Vancouver Mayor Mike Cooper, former Edmonds Mayor Claudia Thomas, former Mayor of Lakewood Tom Weeks, former Seattle Councilmember Barbara Bichsel, former Tacoma City Councilmember Curt Pavola, former Olympia City Councilmember Carver Gayton, former Seattle School Board member Irene Stewart, former Seattle School Board member | |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Nickels currently resides in West Seattle with his wife Sharon and their two children, Jacob and Carey.
See also
- Washington Secretary of State
- Current Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed
- Washington secretary of state election, 2012
External links
- The Seattle Times, "It's official: Ex-Mayor Greg Nickels enters race for secretary of state," February 23, 2012
- Politics1.com
- Greg Nickels for Secretary of State
- Nickels on Facebook
- Follow Nickels on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Results," August 7, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Harvard University Institute of Politics, "Greg Nickels," accessed February 24, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 My Northwest.com, "Greg Nickels will run for Secretary of State," February 24, 2012
- ↑ King County Local Voters Pamphlet, "Greg Nickels," accessed July 31, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Top 2 Primary: FAQ," accessed May 17, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Results," August 7, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Greg Nickels for Secretary of State, "On the Issues," accessed July 31, 2012
- ↑ Greg Nickels for Secretary of State, "About Greg-Endorsements," accessed July 31, 2012
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