Urge to speak shows the politics of Cascadia

It's speech-giving season -- Cascadia's city politicians included. The way they handle themselves shows differences in the region's politics.

President Bush gives his State of the Union next week and Canada has its throne speeches. Now Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, capitalizing on a centralized local government, has adopted the tradition by giving the first such speech by the city's mayor that anyone can remember.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter used his address to outline a long-term vision for the city. The speech was well received so Willamette Week added a small bit of controversy by asking popular former mayor Vera Katz what she would say. The result? A call for more specifics and support for charter revisions that would streamline city government and make planning decisions easier.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels hasn't scheduled his speech yet. But it's already been upstaged by members of the city council, who are elected citywide and consider themselves mini-mayors -- a structure that hamstrings decision making. This year they even decided to make mini "State of the City" speeches highlighting their goals for 2007.