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.

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.

As was said many times over, our truth is still valid. Our city needs solutions. We need ways to get around our city without paying $3 a gallon. We need solutions to the gridlock that steals from our lives. 2045 Seattle was born out of the frustration of seeing so little being done and it’s hard to imagine we’re going to go away any time soon.

In the days ahead, we will take a look at how the vote went down, take a look back at what we did right and wrong to learn from our experience. We’ll start to think about what 2045 Seattle becomes from here.

We have a collection of like-minded people. We’ve learned how much fun it can be to cause some trouble. And, finally, there’s no shortage of good things that are worth fighting for.

For now, we all deserve some rest. So everyone, grab a nap, stay tuned, and we’ll all figure out what’s next for our band of troublemakers.

The Seattle 2045 Pro-Monorail Cheat Sheet

Seattle Proposition No. 1
YES (allows for phasing of monorail)

Seattle Proposition No. 2
YES (majority elected board)

Monorail Board Member
Position 8: Cindi Laws
Position 9: Cleve Stockmeyer

Seattle City Council
Position 2: Paige Miller
Position 4: Jan Drago
Position 6: Nick Licata

Call (206) 296-VOTE if you have any questions
Be sure to bring proper identification

Easy Election Results Links (will be updated starting at 8 pm)

City of Seattle Results Page 1
City of Seattle Results Page 2

Keep Postering, Bannering and Sign Waving

Don’t let up on your usual efforts. Make sure your banners, posters or whatever other initiative you’ve undertaken is alive and well on this crucial day.
If you haven’t had a chance to volunteer up to this point or are looking for a last minute way to help, there will be sign waving at Denny and Western on Tuesday morning from 7-8:30am and Denny and 1st Avenue West Tuesday evening from 5-6:30 pm courtesy of Brian Smith. He’ll have spare signs if you don’t have your own.

Party Tonight!

We’ve been out there working like crazy, so come by and grab a drink on us and meet your fellow tireless workers. There will be food (including vegetarian options) and refreshments. Hope to see you there.

Trattoria Mitchelli
84 Yesler Way (north side of street, between 1st and Post)

Directions to Trattoria Mitchelli

There is no more obvious pro-monorail voter than a current bus rider. They already rely on and value public transit, but they experience the frustrations and limitations that exist with our current bus system from buses that arrive way off schedule to those that get stuck in gridlock.

Elections are all about getting out your base and in that spirit may we present our final publication. Monday and Tuesday, get out the base by showing Seattle’s bus riders what a difference it makes not to get stuck in traffic. Post this flyer near every bus stock you can get yourself to.

Download the Bus Schedule vs. Monorail Schedule Poster

As if you didn’t already know, Tuesday is election day. Other than showing up to vote, it clearly means we have a great excuse to drink on a school night.

2045 Seattle is joining in with our fellow believers at Transit Over Roads, Cleve Stockmeyer’s reelection campaign and Cindi Laws’ reelection campaign for a night of celebration. We’ve been out there working like crazy, so come by and grab a drink on us and meet your fellow tireless workers.

There will be food (including vegetarian options) and refreshments. Hope to see you there.

Trattoria Mitchelli
84 Yesler Way (north side of street, between 1st and Post)

Directions to Trattoria Mitchelli

We’re in our final push this weekend, so keep getting the word out.

Update: The Seattle Times wrote up our work. Also, there’s a possibility they showed some footage on Q13 last night. Anyone catch it?

One way or another, the viaduct is going to come down and when it does it will split our city in two leaving West Seattle as an isolated island and making traffic even worse across the entire city.

A yes vote for the monorail can give us relief and an alternative during viaduct construction and keep our city whole. Without the monorail, the only other alternative will be wetsuits. To drive this point home, both Chase and Molly have volunteered to stick on wetsuits to demonstrate downtown.

Place: Westlake Center
Time: 2-4 pm on Thursday

Come by to help hand out brochures or if you have a wetsuit, feel free to slap it on and join in the fun.