… at least that’s what Mayor Greg Nickels suggested at a recent luncheon. Nickels states:
The Puget Sound regional economy makes up 67 percent of the state’s economic activity. [...] If we were a country, [our economy] would be just a little smaller than Thailand. We would be larger than Colombia, Venezuela. We are held back because our state and federal government still believe our economies are driven by wheat farms and timber logging. [...] Our region should declare its independence.
The mayor was speaking as part of a round table with Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger and Redmond Mayor John Marchione.
Nickels continued:
I am serious when I say we ought to talk about independence [...] We have rural legislators making decisions on things like the viaduct and whether we can keep our city safe.
According to Marty McOmber, the spokesman for Mayor Nickels, the mayor’s comments “were meant to be tongue-in-cheek” and that the mayor was merely “venting his frustration after the state opposed transportation projects and gun-control legislation he wanted”. So… “I am serious” must be code for… “just Kidding!”
While the three mayors agreed on many things, it is unclear if Degginger and Marchione would go along with a regional secession.
Hmm… a Puget Sound nation… Seattletopia? Seattlestan? The Republic of Seattle? The Democratic Peoples Socialist Republic of the Puget Sound Region? I think getting people to agree on a name would lead to more secessions in the end…
Seattle Times article here.
Fine, if [he] wants civil war…BRING IT. I’m a Washington resident, and trust me, I’m ready to fight ANY C********* LIKE THIS!! HE CAN GO F*** HIMSELF!!
What a joke.
Seattle (which is part of King County) in a sense pulled away from the rest of the state long before Mayor Nickels came into office. Just ask Eastern Washington, and Snohomish County oh and Thurston County and Pierce County- pick a county any county.
Threating to pull out of the State is an empty hallow threat ( and a HUGE joke ) to those of us who live here because Seattle, which is the Jewel In King County’s Crown (http://www.kingcounty.gov/About.aspx),hasn‘t exactly been part of the family for years.
Nickels knows that.
It’s a regional thing.
Anita From Snohomish County, WA
While Seattle is possibly ideologically and socially separated from the rest of the state, it still funds much of the state. 70% of state tax dollars come from the Seattle area. It would dramatically impact the region if Seattle were to become independent of WA state or the USA. To think otherwise is a sheer lack of understanding of how the state works. Although, the likelihood of such an occurrence is more than 1 billion to one – it would still be interesting to follow. Also, Nickels would need Bellevue and Redmond to join in for the move to be worth while. Which is not likely to happen – but if it were to occur you can bet it would dramatically impact the region and your life – things would not be as they are now where Seattle is merely not “part of the family”.
bad idea…seems like we tried that once down here in georgia like a hundred or so years ago…trust me…bad idea…
It raises an interesting question about the amount of power given to local governments – where there should be a lot of power one would think, since that’s where you find the most effective democracy.
Yeah, let’s hear it for the Mayor and the great city of Seattle–”why can’t we all get along?”