Mayor Nickels stands firm on monorail deadline

In today's Times

Mayor Greg Nickels stood firm Monday on his demand that the Seattle Monorail Project decide what to do with itself by Sept. 15, keeping the pressure on the beleaguered monorail agency to come up with a salvage plan.

After an hour-long meeting described as a "frank and open discussion" with the new monorail director, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said "the deadline exists and (monorail Director John Haley) intends to meet it.

"We did not change the mayor's position," Ceis said. "They will give us something by the 15th." If the monorail doesn't do that, Nickels has said the city could refuse to grant permits the agency needs to build the line -- effectively killing the project.