Getting to Know Norman Sigler, Mayoral Candidate
Norman Sigler is running for mayor. If you didn't know that, you're not alone. Before chatting with SW yesterday over beers at the Eastlake Zoo, the 41-yer-old Mobile, Alabama native had yet to utter a single quote to local media. When he's mentioned in articles about the mayoral race, he's referred to as "executive headhunter Norman Sigler"--and that's about it. The most exhaustive coverage of his candidacy to date has been a brief post on the blog of his collegiate alma mater, Washington & Lee, which is in Virginia.
Unlike his competitors, Sigler hasn't retained the services of any paid staff or consultants. Nor does he necessarily intend to--Sigler showed up at the Zoo with a three-person volunteer entourage, one he hopes will become an army in the months proceeding his official kickoff party this coming Thursday at Buckley's in Belltown.
Sigler has a matchmaking business on the side called Date Life Coaches. He and Julie Life, his partner in that venture, recently celebrated the engagement of their first clients. "As mayor of Seattle, I want to bring people together who normally wouldn't come together," says Sigler, dressed in a bright green shirt, designer eyeglasses, and blue jeans. "I think my experience as a matchmaker will help me out."
Before moving to Seattle six years ago (he currently rents in Interbay), Sigler lived in Charlotte and Chicago. He says he's "always wanted to be mayor of a city" and, had he stayed in Chicago, would have eventually challenged Mayor Richard Daley. Longshot that he is, Sigler's no single-issue kook, instead focusing on a well-rounded platform that seeks most specifically to address the economy, transportation, and education. Unlike fellow candidate Mike McGinn, who came out of the blocks calling for a City Hall takeover of Seattle Public Schools, Sigler says the city can improve schools by enacting tighter zoning regulations around them.
"In your nicer neighborhoods, schools are in beautiful residential areas," he says. "Why can't every school be like that?"
While 7'2" mayoral challenger James Donaldson dwarfs Sigler by a foot, both men are African-American, sport shaved heads, are single, and live in or very near Magnolia. Of Donaldson, Sigler says with a smile: "He'll be a great ambassador for me when I become mayor."
1 comment(s)
Hank Fuselier says:
Good luck Stormin'!!!
Posted On: Tuesday, Apr. 21 2009 @ 11:13AM