Robert Rosencrantz sees in his own neighborhood what happens when different levels of government don't communicate with each other and it's one of the reasons he's campaigning against Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver in Sept. 20's primary election.

Rosencrantz lives in the Montlake area near Husky Stadium. State Route 520 runs east and west along the edge of the neighborhood. The highway is to be altered when the Evergreen Point Bridge is replaced.

Rosencrantz is upset that there seems to be no coordination between the Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit, which plans to run its light-rail line north through Montlake on its way to the University of Washington. The light-rail station will be a third of a mile from the highway.

"We need leadership to bring connectivity to transit," he said.

Rosencrantz calls himself "the affordability candidate." He's concerned because he sees the city's general fund budget get bigger each year. He offers no list of specific programs or items he would cut, but he is certain the budget can be reduced.

"You find ways to create affordability and get it done," Rosencrantz said.

Rosencrantz opposes the $4 billion "cut and cover" proposal to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. He vowed to fight building a lidded trench along the downtown waterfront, which is the method recommended by the mayor and state and city departments of transportation.

Regarding the monorail, Rosencrantz thinks there have been enough public votes on the project. He opposes shortening the 14-mile Green Line and favors ending the project if shortening its length is the final recommendation.

"Let the City Council show some leadership," he said.

Rosencrantz ran for Seattle City Council two years ago in the campaign that knocked off Councilwoman Judy Nicastro. He survived the primary election but lost the final election to former newspaper columnist Jean Godden.

This time around, Rosencrantz criticized McIver's attendance record at City Council meetings. The incumbent also has been absent from about half of the meetings of the Sound Transit board of directors, of which McIver is a member.

"Leadership doesn't just take the path of least resistance," Rosencrantz said. "It means meeting problems head-on early."

The city ought to provide wireless broadband connections to every household in Seattle, Rosencrantz said. Making it wireless would greatly reduce the cost by not having to wire separate Internet connections to every residential address in the city and it could be done within the existing capacity on the city's fiber-optics system.

Besides saving money, providing broadband in every neighborhood would enable more people to work at home, meaning fewer cars and trucks on highways at rush hour, he said.

"Our infrastructure needs an infusion," he said.

Rosencrantz grew up in the Madrona area. He suffered from a limp as a boy and had to use crutches for much of his childhood. But he overcame his physical problems and became a competitive race walker.

He attended Franklin High School and the University of Washington.

He opened a Haagen-Dazs ice cream store in Beaverton, Ore. in 1981 and later expanded to four ice cream stores.

He and his wife and four children moved back to Seattle in 1983. Rosencrantz took a job selling apartment buildings and now he and his wife own four apartment buildings.

He ran the Northwest Association for Housing Affordability for a while. He said that he met a personal goal of building 1,000 more units of low-income housing while working for the association..

Carrying his interest in housing to this summer's City Council race, Rosencrantz thinks the city ought to encourage affordable housing be built around transit stations.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.