Nickels helps spread energy policy ideas in first convention

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels: Mayoral PhotoDENVER - After 37 years in local Democratic politics, dating back to his time as the state president of the Young Democrats, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is finally attending the Democratic National Convention.

"I never felt passionate enough about one of our candidates to want to displace someone else who was," Nickels told PolitickerWA.com. "I knew someday I'd have a candidate I felt that way about and with Barack Obama this year I decided I wanted to be a delegate so I am sort of soaking in the moment.

"I spent most of the [convention] with the delegation yesterday on the floor listening to dozens of spellbinding speeches and obviously the Ted Kennedy moment was very poignant for everyone...so that was an amazing moment."

A lot of the time Nickels is soaking inn is being spent among fellow Democratic elected officials talking about environmental policy and climate change mitigation. Today he sat in on a forum with the likes of Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) discussing a new energy economy.

"It is part of how we are going to solve the global warming crisis," Nickels said of the strides American are making on creating green jobs. "It is a combo of just enjoying a lifetime of passion for politics but also pushing some of the issues I care deeply about."

Still, he didn't expect energy policy would get into the specifics of tonight's convention speeches, where the theme is "Renewing America's Promise", but mentioned that there is a lot of talk about it going on all around Denver this week, including a meeting of United States mayors he had attended yesterday.

"Its one of those underlying themes, I think, but might not be one that is prime time at the convention on the podium," the Seattle mayor added.

Thinking locally, Nickels said he was most excited reducing the city's electricity use by twenty percent over ten years and the Seattle Climate Action Now campaign, which includes the new grocery bag fee and Styrofoam container ban. They are "just small things that people can make a change in their own life and then have a light bulb go off and say, ‘you know what, we as a community, as a society can change and we can do this thing.'"

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