What’s Next for 2045 Seattle?

Some of us are already discussing what’s next for 2045 Seattle while others are taking much deserved naps, but we’re all wondering the same thing: where do we go from here? The reality is that it’s all up for debate, but when there is a consensus but no voice, when it’s something that’s clearly worth fighting for, that’s when 2045 Seattle will kick back into action. So, we’ll be talking to our friends and neighbors, we’ll live our lives like we normally do and something will emerge that will once again start a fire in us all.

What Will Happen to the Website?

All of the monorail content will be archived, but still available and we’ll replace it’s front and center location with some general information about the group, our past work and how to get involved in our future.

Fashionable Mayor Gridlock T-Shirts Available

Mayor Gridlock t-shirts are now available from The Stranger and they’re going quick at the low price of $10. Head on over to The Stranger if you want one.

A Serious Thank You To You All

From wetsuits to races to protests and enduring long government meetings, everyone here deserves a long appreciative hug for fighting for something they believe in. 2045 Seattle started pretty simply: with shared concern among a group of friends that a voice was not being heard. In the months that followed, we grew into a genuine community of progressive, like-minded people. Seattle is an astounding place to live, but it’s clear we can make it better. It’s our city, and with the exception of those pesky laws of physics, there’s no limit to where we can take it.

The Stranger was kind enough to let us get our hands on their fantastic cover design. We’ve resized it for a standard sheet of paper, so print them out and paint the town Mayor Gridlock.

Remember, inkjet prints run in the rain, so use a laser printer or a photocopier for your posters.

Download the Mayor Gridlock Poster

Months ago, we got a quote in the Seattle Times which included “Mayor Gridlock”. We thought that was a big win.

The Stranger has redefined our sense of ‘big’.

Check out their series of articles about our battle for rapid transit in Seattle and, if you haven’t already, check out MayorGridlock.com.

Mayor Gridlock by Josh Feit
What Went Wrong? by Erica C. Barnett
A Chilling Effect: An Interview with Monorail Board Chair Kristina Hill
All Torn Up: An Interview with Monorail Board Member Cleve Stockmeyer
A Failure of Leadership by Dan Savage

Let the words Mayor Gridlock spring to the lips of every man, woman and child every time they find themselves stuck in Seattle’s traffic.

Update: It sounds like they’re might be t-shirts coming.

It’s important to take a look back at everything we did. With most of us extremely new to this sort of thing, it’s important to take a look back at everything we accomplished.

We started with buttons, a website and a message. I don’t think anyone thought it would grow like it did and involve so many people in their community in a way they had never experienced before.

We sent letters to our representatives. We called the Kirkland Chamber of OnTrack the mock organization they were on KUOW. We got news stories on Q13 Fox and Komo 4 News. We managed to get quotes and comments and letters in the Seattle Times and Seattle P-I. The Stranger called us idealists.

We made sure the blogger community was involved. We launched a Google Adwords campaign. Boingboing wrote about how cool they thought our posse stickers were.

We tried to inject new solutions into the debate. We fought to give people ways to support the project with a bricks and bonds campaign. We brought a progressive and constructive voice to a very serious debate.

We reminded people that this wasn’t just about getting from point A to point B. We reminded people that this was about the health of our community, the cleanliness of our air and water, the desire to spend more time with each other instead of in traffic. We reminded people that it’s time stop talking about our ideals and start living them.

We designed and distributed 10,000 amazing brochures. We flooded our neighborhoods with posters that reminded our communities why clean rapid transit is so important and showed bus riders just how much better transit can be.

We criticized the mayor with the weight of his own words. We called him Mayor Gridlock to make it clear the legacy he’s leaving us. We were invited by subversive supporters to confront the mayor face to face and we jumped at the opportunity.

We staged a race between a dog, a runner, a car and the monorail. We joined with other groups to march the length of the green line. We marched around in wetsuits to remind people that West Seattle shouldn’t have to swim to get downtown.

We even attended insanely boring government meetings. Sometimes we even spoke at insanely boring government meetings. At one point, we had 25 people down to a monorail board meeting (a first for most) hoping to show the press that there was support for the project.

We made sure to have an honest and articulate message. We tried to figure out how a lot of people each with only a little time could be a part of the process. Not a single one of us was paid for our time. We were all volunteers contributing our energy and ideas and time.

We should thank each other for all of these things. It took a lot of people, each giving something big or small, to make 2045 Seattle into something more than an email between friends. We started with words and ideas and concerns, and we turned them into something real.

We gave people hope. We had the right message. The only thing we didn’t have enough of was time.

Cleaning Up After Ourselves

It’s important that we clean up the remains of our work. If you dropped brochures at a local coffeehouse, go get them to free up the space. If you postered your neighborhood, grab a bag and retrace your steps to make room for someone else’s words.

We’re Not Letting Mayor Gridlock Off the Hook

If Nickels thought we were going away or that MayorGridlock.com was going anywhere, he’s in for a surprise. Ever heard of a Googlebomb? Add a link to your blog, website or whatever like so:
<a href="http://mayorgridlock.com">Greg Nickels</a>

If enough of us do this, whenever someone searches for “Greg Nickels” they’ll find themselves at MayorGridlock.com

Not Helping Those That Harmed Us

The opposition spent a lot of money over the years to get the result they wanted. They had paid employees. A lot of private business interests contributed, but one of the largest was Washington Mutual.

Make an example of them. Don’t do business with those companies that don’t support the future of our city.

Where We Go From Here

In a few days, 2045 Seattle’s website will transform to a new phase, a meditative one. All of our monorail content will be preserved for posterity. We’ve already begun talking about what the next thing might be for our little group. When a consensus arrives, we’ll take everything we’ve learned and fight again for a better Seattle.