Seattle Mayor hogs power, council claims

Seattle P.I. reports:

Seattle City Council members have griped for years that Mayor Greg Nickels is a political bully -- marginalizing the council with his stubborn ways.

If so, has Nickels finally pushed too far?

Council President Nick Licata has accused Nickels of autocratically ignoring some council laws and directives. The balance of power at City Hall is out of whack -- with too much power influenced by one man's agenda, constituents and backers, Licata complained.

"The mayor is ignoring (a) cherished principle of our democracy: the separation of powers. No executive, whether they are President George W. Bush or Mayor Nickels, can ignore legislative authority, particularly when it comes to the administration of something as fundamental as equal justice under the law," Licata wrote in a recent editorial in the West Seattle Herald.

Can you name the political party Mayor Nickels belongs to since the Seattle Post-Intelligencer can't seem to mention it?