Mary Hurley spent four hours poring over the manual given to each member on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee. She printed out the 68 pages of minutes from the first meeting Dec. 13 and the comments submitted with them.

"That's not a half-hour of light reading with a glass of chardonnay," she says.

Hurley owns Best Regards, a stationery and gift store she opened on Northwest Market Street 14 years ago. Rolls of wrapping paper behind the counter hang in neat rows and columns, each unfurled to the same display length.

She says the merchandise for her store, delivered by UPS, USPS and FedEx, comes over the viaduct.

"That's called freight mobility," she says. "Every single business in the area will be affected by what they do to the viaduct. If I have any bias, as a small business owner, that's it."

Hurley, who lives in a condominium on Northwest 59th Street, has lived in Ballard since 1989. She just finished two years as president of the Ballard District Council, after serving four years on its executive committee. She was on the Ballard Chamber of Commerce board for six years and is currently president of the Ballard Merchants Association.

"As a district council person, I had to deal with government all the time," she says. "On issues such as sidewalk repair, transit hubs and the monorail, I know what they can and what they can't do, what their realm is."

Does she feel she represents Ballard businesses on the viaduct committee?

"Yes and no," says Hurley. "I could represent the economic part as a small retail owner. But the economic-specific organizations will speak to the economic interests."

She emphasizes the committee will not decide what will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. "We're not meant to take a vote. We're looking for a solution that a majority of the stakeholders can buy into. We are trying to find a proposal that might work."

Hurley didn't attend the first meeting, Dec. 13. With two days notice, in the middle of the Christmas retail season, she couldn't find someone to watch the shop.

She's been reading to catch up. Hurley says she owes it to the group to listen to all the proposals, read all the comments, see all the statistics - for herself.

"I'll try to come to the committee without my mind set," says Hurley. "How many other people will do that?"

Mahlon Clements, the second representative from Ballard-Fremont to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee, did not return phone calls.

Matthew G. Miller may be reached via ohwseditor@robinsonnew.com