Dunk-the- mayor idea a good one

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Every once in awhile, a great barometer of our city comes along and our leaders are tested.

A little more than a year ago, it was the WTO.

A couple of months back, it was WTO Redux.

Now we have Initiative 54, which would, among other things, require the mayor of Seattle - whoever that may be come Nov. 30 - to endure 30 minutes in a dunk tank.

At last! Something we can all embrace. A low-cost, man-woman-and-child-pleasing unifier. No fuss. No endless reviews or audits. Just a tank, some water, a few softballs and political power soaked to the skin.

This bit of civic hope comes to us from Ben Livingston, a 21-year-old "computer geek," and is gathering steam - and hundreds of signatures.

While some see a spoof, Livingston sees Seattle rounding a corner from a long road of political angst and self-puffery to a downhill scream on a roller coaster.

"Politics are a bit boring these days so we are going to liven them up a little," said Livingston, a systems administrator for a local Internet-service provider.

His vision was hatched after protesting the World Trade Organization talks in 1999 and heading back downtown last November to mark the anniversary.

"I thought, `This is really silly. Why not have a party instead?' " he told me. "We should get away from the standoff mentality."

Early drafts called for Nov. 30 to be declared "Freedom to Peaceably Assemble Day," with Pine Street cordoned off for a street fair.

A sure vote-getter. But not much splash. So to speak.

So Livingston tossed in the dunk tank, thinking that dousing the mayor "is something that people can get behind." Profits would go to Northwest Harvest.

Not that he asked me, but Paul Schell would be well-advised to embrace this venture.

Parking it over a pool of water and taking all comers is American politics at its best. Plus, Hizzoner could use a boost: In a December Elway poll, six out of 10 respondents gave Schell a negative rating. Only one in three gave him positive marks.

"Working hard," is how 7 percent described Schell's tenure.

"Just like what he is doing," shrugged 13 percent.

And what is that, exactly? Well, when I called the other day, Schell was on his way to a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and then to a Sound Transit exercise in futility. He was unavailable to comment on the tank, the state of politics in Seattle, or his own sink-or-swim future.

"As far as I know, he hasn't seen the initiative," said D'Anne Mount, a spokeswoman. "But he did say we should have thought of a dunk tank ourselves. We are always looking for new ways to raise funds."

Said Livingston: "It's not about Paul Schell. We believe future mayors will also deserve the occasional dunking."

This being Seattle, plenty of people felt compelled to voice a serious opinion about the cheeky initiative.

One man suggested the tank be filled with Jell-O. Another argued against closing Pine Street.

"But none of them said to get rid of the tank," Livingston said. "They just want to change what it's filled with or move it."

Me, I think we should be more expansive in our thinking.

City Attorney Mark Sidran could use a cold dip.

Bill Gates, if Microsoft hackers weren't doing it for him.

Boeing chief Phil Condit, for putting the fear of God in the entire city of Renton.

Anyone else? We've got enough water - and blowhards - to keep the tank full for weeks.

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 206-464-2334 or at nbrodeur@seattletimes.com. Does she have to wear a suit?