Sign in

JR Mayer

@jrmayer.bsky.social
483 followers 501 following 284 posts

Starry-eyed realist, anti-racist, transportation policy wonk, Mom to 2 boys, wife to an amazing woman.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by JR Mayer
Jerome Alexander Horne @jahorne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Selfishly, part of my "why" in urban planning is personal: when I grow older, I want to preserve my independence, dignity, and mobility. By building better cities with abundant transit and housing, we create an accessible world—not just for our future selves, but for generations yet to come.
27714
Reposted by JR Mayer
Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The major platforms—Facebook, YouTube, and X—are all refusing to show the trailer for the upcoming documentary that eviscerates the ridiculous pest Elon Musk. So I guess we have to do our part to make sure it is seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_8...
youtube.com
Musk | Official Trailer | Bleecker Street
YouTube video by Musk
23858473958
Reposted by JR Mayer
Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Here's my coverage of the full timeline (based on documents and contemporaneous messages, not a comment in a meeting), which shows that the vast majority of the delay was due to SPD personnel who put out no information for many hours after posting about a mass shooting. publicola.com/2026/09/04/m...
publicola.com
Messages Show SPD Primarily Responsible for Information Gap After Bite of Seattle Shooting - PubliCola
The messages also reveal that Mayor Wilson was indecisive about going to the scene of the shooting while advisors…
0456
Reposted by JR Mayer
HistoryLink.org @historylink.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#OnThisDay in 1972, King County voters approved the creation of Metro Transit. historylink.org/File/1998
0407
Reposted by JR Mayer
Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
179140416443
Reposted by JR Mayer
Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
YES THIS IS AMAZING DO IT NOW. Also, it should include landmarked streets not necessarily located in historic districts (such as Queen Anne Boulevard, where the Landmarks Board rejected a fully funded safe routes to school project). @alexis4seattle.bsky.social
29410
Reposted by JR Mayer
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” —FDR, 1944
10340241356
Reposted by JR Mayer
Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 11/09/2026
Just did a quick look around and I don't see very many headlines about the President of the US making people pledge allegiance to him personally while telling everyone to commit election fraud and "cheat like hell" to support his party. Seems like it should be a story?
5758191881
Reposted by JR Mayer
Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In which WSDOT plans to add bike lanes to just 0.8 miles of a 2.75 mile repaving project and "defer" the rest, in spite of the 2022 Complete Streets mandate. Why? Because the department doesn't want to touch the existing lane configuration.
Map of SR 525 with a bike lane just at the southern end
613821
Reposted by JR Mayer
Goldy @goldy.horsesass.org · 31/08/2026
The article mentions the area was once home to dozens of strawberry farms owned by Japanese immigrant families who were dispossessed of their land during their WWII internment. It fails to mention that Freeman's grandfather founded the Anti-Japanese League that advocated for internment. Weird.
seattletimes.com
Bellevue's retail core is for sale after 80 years of family ownership
A whopper is hitting the real estate market: The Bellevue Collection, a 5.5 million-square-foot mixed-use complex in downtown Bellevue.
12341124
Reposted by JR Mayer
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I wrote about Dolly Parton in my latest @nytopinion.nytimes.com column. Thank you. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Greatest Story Dolly Parton Ever Wrote Was Herself (Gift Article)
She didn’t see herself as a saint; she identified as something we needed even more: a writer.
662583647
Reposted by JR Mayer
Stan Oklobdzija @stano.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
If your state is controlled by Democrats, there is no reason that they shouldn't pass legislation allowing direct-to-consumer vehicle sales to put a significant source of Republican donations out of business for good.
221727307
JR Mayer @jrmayer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
One of my closest friends is dealing with a recurrent brain tumor and has been unable to work for the past 6 months. I know there is a world of need out there right now, but if you have any dollars to send her way, it would ease this difficult time. www.gofundme.com/f/rallying-f...
gofundme.com
Donate to Rallying for Wen: Help Her Face This Challenge, organized by Jennifer Mayer
This fundraiser is for the indomitable Wen Minkoff. Wen had surgery earl… Jennifer Mayer needs your support for Rallying for Wen: Help Her Face This Challenge
000
Reposted by JR Mayer
Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Another perspective on former police chief Shon Barnes: www.theurbanist.org/op-ed-police...
theurbanist.org
Op-Ed: Chief Shon Barnes Wasn’t a Martyr; He Was the Status Quo
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes wasn’t a martyr; he embodied the status quo, and Mayor Katie Wilson was right to oust him and push for true police accountability, argues Cliff Cawthon, a longtime com...
27614
Reposted by JR Mayer
Sean Keeley @seankeeley.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My $0.02 if you're voting in Seattle today: I found The Stranger and the Washington Progressive Voters Guide to be, at best, center-left and, at worst, moderate, in some of their choices. If you want a true progressive voting guide, I recommend the Lefty Cheat Sheet: electioncheatsheet.org
electioncheatsheet.org
Lefty Cheat Sheet — Aug 2026 Primary
A quick guide on how to vote lefty using sources YOU trust!
1346
Reposted by JR Mayer
Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Good framing.
rawstory.com
Kindergarten girls targeted for invasive exams by new GOP-led ballot measure
Washington State voters will decide the fate of a ballot initiative that would require girls from kindergarten through high school to undergo sex-verification testing before playing school sports — a ...
498103452996
Reposted by JR Mayer
Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Going through my political mailers and Rep. Santos in #waleg sent one out claiming her priorities include “public transit & pedestrian street safety". Here is what she was primary sponsor of in 2025-26 session which does not show that focus: app.leg.wa.gov/bi/report/Bi...
app.leg.wa.gov
Bills by sponsor - Washington Legislature
1113
Reposted by JR Mayer
Robert Cruickshank @robertcruickshank.com · 01/08/2026
Now this is an excellent, fair, independent story covering the events this week in a way that is comprehensive and informative. TV and corporate media could learn something from this!
04410
Reposted by JR Mayer
Robert Cruickshank @robertcruickshank.com · 01/08/2026
Danny Westneat joins the Seattle Times in full scale war against Mayor Katie Wilson, which is no surprise but another example of the Brandi Kruse-ification of local establishment media. They've gone from providing independent reporting and analysis to using their perches for a partisan agenda.
seattletimes.com
Seattle City Hall rarely runs smoothly. This week it hit new lows
The spectacle of the neophyte mayor and the frequent flyer police chief, both failing at their jobs when they were needed most, is not going to pass lightly.
1017818
Reposted by JR Mayer
mweinstock.bsky.social @mweinstock.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
(Free access) Many of the workers voted for Donald Trump, believing his vow to halt offshoring of U.S. manufacturing. But billionaire hedge-fund owner John Paulson — a Trump adviser and one of his biggest fundraisers — had other ideas, closing the Ohio facility and moving its operations to China.
wapo.st
The last day of an American factory
A Trump donor called for an end to offshoring. Then his company moved much of this plant’s work to China.
45723
Reposted by JR Mayer
Crystal Fincher @finchfrii.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Black Panthers Had It Right — Feed All Kids
southseattleemerald.org
The Roundup: Black Panthers Had It Right — Feed All Kids
In this week's edition of The Roundup, Mike Davis talks to Councilmember Dionne Foster and Mayor Katie Wilson about free meals for schoolchildren.
29728
Reposted by JR Mayer
Robert Cruickshank @robertcruickshank.com · 13/07/2026
Shrinking it to save $12 a year in sales tax, meaning no new transit service and thus costing people hundreds of dollars a year or more in gas, would be a genuine act of madness by the Seattle City Council.
1355
Reposted by JR Mayer
Steve Horton 🚀 The Comic Book Story of Space Exploration @mst3k.fan · 12/07/2026
My grandmother had a saying: "And Magda Goebbels made a great strudel." For years I didn't understand it, until my mother explained that some glossy magazine once ran a puff piece on Magda Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda queen - complete with her strudel recipe. My grandmother, who despised the Nazis with every ounce of her soul, used it as shorthand for the way media will sanitize evil by focusing on something trivial, domestic, or charming while ignoring the atrocities staring us in the face.
2754971722
Reposted by JR Mayer
Eric Ansley Díaz 🏳️‍🌈 @geekboyeric.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
RIP Bonnie Tyler. And RIP Tandi Iman Dupree. This remains the best stage entrance by a drag queen of all time, even some 25 years later, and the best use of Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” ever. youtu.be/IHQA5vqn6rw?...
10778112900
Reposted by JR Mayer
KimBo @zapperfan7.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
GET A GRIP Ireland is building a battery that contains no lithium. No cobalt. No rare-earth metals. Instead, it stores energy using carbon dioxide. The project is designed to hold 200 megawatt-hours of electricity, making it one of Europe’s largest long-duration energy storage systems.
603191995340
Reposted by JR Mayer
Michael Smith @mesmith35673.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Seattle was electric during the World Cup. To support 750,000 visitors, the city pedestrianized streets, activated public spaces, and removed parking. Rather than revert these changes, city leaders should identify what worked and make those changes permanent. seattletransitblog.com/2026/07/09/s...
seattletransitblog.com
Seattle won the World Cup, what did we learn?
Waterfront Park was a popular destination over the past month, especially on July 6. (Michael Smith) Over the past four weeks, Seattle hosted six World Cup matches featuring teams from eight differ…
211339269
Reposted by JR Mayer
Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Why did Greenwich Village become the heart of New York City's bohemia? Because it was home to a woman's court and prison, which brought gender non-conforming women - many of them queer and/or trans - to the Village from every other corner of the city www.gothamcenter.org/blog/village...
gothamcenter.org
How Greenwich Village Became America’s Bohemia — The Gotham Center for New York City History
How Greenwich Village Became America’s Bohemia By Hugh Ryan These women’s prisons believed there were only three legitimate jobs a woman could have: wife, maid, or nursemaid. For any of those jobs...
6412129
Reposted by JR Mayer
Lauri Donahue @lauridonahue.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
futurism.com/future-socie... lol
As one New York financier told Financial Times journalist Gillian Tett, new hires who were seen as “AI natives” are turning out to have alarmingly shallow ideas. So much so, the anonymous finance worker admitted, that his firm now actively avoids seeking out AI-literate STEM graduates, and opts to comb through humanities students instead.
178105252958
Reposted by JR Mayer
@iamashleystearns @iamashleystearns.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
What a great idea!
424654
Reposted by JR Mayer
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
What could you create/make by next summer to lessen suffering in some part of your world? Let that question be your guide and hold yourself to making something of whatever size and impact by that time. Hold yourself to the commitment. No one else needs to know but you will.
6731285
Reposted by JR Mayer
Tamoor Hussain @tamoorh.com · 03/07/2026
Incredible moment where Fox News puts up a graphic with all the reasons it opposes the DSA and why people should be afraid of them
765259777164
Reposted by JR Mayer
Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Anyway, if you'd like to read a story actually providing some context to the claims raised at the hearing, I have you covered. www.theurbanist.org/misinformati...
theurbanist.org
Misinformation Runs Rampant as Seattle Council Considers SEPA Appeal Changes
A public hearing on a proposal to remove an avenue to appeal land use changes that has significantly delayed past Seattle zoning updates drew around 75 people to City Hall Wednesday. Opponents are rai...
0354
Reposted by JR Mayer
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 02/07/2026
Folarin Balogun, who is a US citizen because he was born here, scores a go-ahead goal for the US team in a knockout game. Score one for birthright citizenship.
191175682759
Reposted by JR Mayer
Climate.us @climate.us · 26/06/2026
We got a big bump in traffic yesterday when people learned about us on NPR. Thank you to @npr.org for covering our launch and bringing our story to people's attention! And thank you to all our new followers. We can do this together! 🌍️🧪💪 #ClimateAction #ClimateForUs #ProtectScience
222462899
Reposted by JR Mayer
Adil Haque @adhaque.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
“I will be one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights. And I will stand firmly against bigotry aimed at Jews. Those are not two different jobs. They are the same job,” Brad Lander said.
2751431055
Reposted by JR Mayer
Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
What is a street? A place for cars, parking, and traffic? Or a place for children, greenery, and civic life?
1183
Reposted by JR Mayer
Simon Brew @simonbrew.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I keep being reminded of this question and answer: "What is the problem that AI services are being built to solve?" "Wages."
17848357
Reposted by JR Mayer
Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Pope Leo: "Every boat that arrives does not bring only migrants; it brings with it a question: what world have we built, if so many brothers must risk death to seek life?"
232820812
Reposted by JR Mayer
Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Democrats should be the party of the Statue of Liberty. Open the golden door. If Americans want to vote for xenophobia there’s already a party for that. Xenophobia lite has no constituency.
517641
Reposted by JR Mayer
Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 09/06/2026
Anyway, "didn't want to offend QTS" They already built the data center. It's THERE. What are they gonna do, pick up and spend millions more to move it because of a fine? FINE THEM.
725312
Reposted by JR Mayer
Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
A new @pewresearch.org study finds that infill housing near jobs, stores, and transit costs governments ~$21,000 less per home to serve, cuts long term infrastructure maintenance costs in half, and generates 13% more in annual property tax revenue per acre than sprawl.
332198
Reposted by JR Mayer
Fietser Brandon @americanfietser.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Europeans: *Dining by canals Americans:
5576
Reposted by JR Mayer
A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
If you're a wheelchair user or someone with a disability, come join this inclusive roll event in Seward Park on Sunday! rollingwashington.org/roll-the-par...
Roll the park
13920
Reposted by JR Mayer
#TeslaTakedown @teslatakedown.com · 05/06/2026
After tens of thousands of people said "Hell no," the S&P reversed course on its plan to force SpaceX into everyone's retirement and college savings accounts. We still need the Nasdaq and FTSE to reverse course, but this is a huge win. #TeslaTakedown www.cnbc.com/2026/06/05/s...
cnbc.com
SpaceX blocked from early U.S. benchmark index entry as S&P reaffirms existing rules
S&P Global said Thursday it was not changing the requirements for entry into its major indices, dealing a setback to the IPO plans of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
321180364
Reposted by JR Mayer
rondezvousWA @ronpdavis.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Time to bring a land value tax to WA through the Vibrant Cities Act. It will make our property taxes more progressive--taxing the rich more and lower earners less. And it will punish land speculation and encourage homebuilding.
1377
Reposted by JR Mayer
Devin Silvernail @devinsilvernail.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Excited to launch this tomorrow w/ @nondriver.bsky.social. A peek behind the curtain: We've been recording a ton of episodes with people from across North America & we're excited to be sharing their stories, weekly, starting tomorrow. See ya then.
0103
Reposted by JR Mayer
Sarah Tuttle @niais.cryptoanarchy.network · 03/06/2026
This is another heartbreaking loss. It is so easy to break things, and so hard to build them back up.
0249