GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Michael McGinn

Michael McGinn, the former chair of the local branch of the Sierra Club and founder of the Seattle Great City Initiative, in the past hour announced he will take on Mayor Greg Nickels this November.

McGinn, 49, lives in North Seattle and is a former president of the Greenwood Community Council. He joins one other candidate for mayor, political newcomer and executive recruiter Norman Sigler.

If elected, McGinn said, he would have three priorities: improving the Seattle's public schools, making the Internet more widely available, and upgrading bus service.

As for the schools, if the school district doesn't improve within two years, McGinn said the city should take it over.

McGinn said Seattle City Light should provide Internet service to everyone as a utility, and that he would work to improve bus service, which is run by King County.

McGinn said he opposes replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel and supports a 20-cent per bag fee for bags in grocery, drug- and convenience stores. The measure is expected to be on the ballot Aug. 18.

Even though Nickels proposed the bag fee, McGinn criticized Nickels' broader environmental record.

It's not clear what McGinn's entering the race means for two other well-known candidates who are considering a run against Nickels, who is considered vulnerable.

Local business owner and 1980s Sonics player James Donaldson is expected to make an announcement soon. Former City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck says he'll make a decision by mid-April. Steinbrueck has said he won't run if another candidate he considers viable enters the race.

UPDATE: A video of McGinn's announcement is here.