Interesting issue, indeed. Seems like there is something in there for everyone & we’ll be making big taxation & public policy decisions primarily for our kids & not ourselves…don’t they call that Taxation without representation?!

Seattle Times Op-Ed_________________
Sims won’t follow others down this long, expensive road

In the politics of the monster-sized roads-and-transit package on the November ballot, only one kind of behavior is permitted: chirpy, bobblehead-like support.

It is unkosher, almost verboten, to be a civic leader and say something derogatory about the $18 billion package. (I know, it’s either $18 billion or $38 billion, depending on who and how you ask.)

That makes it all the more extraordinary that the executive of the largest county, with some of the largest projects and largest sums of cash to be raised, announces today that he opposes the plan.

King County Executive Ron Sims will not support Proposition 1, the road and Sound Transit expansion project, though he was one of the biggest boosters of earlier Sound Transit light rail. He has thought long and hard about the proposal and decided to vote no. (See Sims’ commentary on the adjoining page.)

Most “goo goos” (good-government types) in three counties — King, Pierce and Snohomish — rally around the proposal with arguments as underwhelming as, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”; “It’s the best we can get”; and, “We’ve simply got to do something.”

Zagging while others are zigging, Sims says he can’t live with himself if he doesn’t say what is on his mind. Last week, Sims said he was neither for or against the proposal. The truth is, he opposes it and has felt that way a long time.

Hooray for Sims for having the guts to come out and say something daring and different in a regional culture that promotes silence and boosterism, and has little use for contrariness.

The largest tax package in state history has surprisingly few people willing to put their face on it. King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson is hawking it. Gov. Christine Gregoire supports it. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels sent a letter supportive of the plan to other mayors.

Many other politicos seem to be holding their breath, shrugging their shoulders, bobbing their heads yes, but in a way that says, “We’ll just see if voters buy this thing.”

Not Sims. Not today.

“This plan is inadequate,” he writes. “We need to focus on bold solutions that offer immediate relief and a better tomorrow. … Until we have real transportation solutions, I’m a ‘no’ vote.”

Sims began describing his concerns about the package last summer. He held back because he didn’t want another regional spat like the huge city-state imbroglio over the Alaskan Way Viaduct. But he is out now, ready to accept the fallout.

“I know the rules regarding speaking out. I know what is going to happen to me,” Sims said. “There is no free lunch in this town so I am going to get hit really hard.”

Sims’ opposition follows three general tracks. First, he worries more than two dozen road projects and plans for light rail do not mesh with his enormous concerns about global warming. He is truly, deep down, troubled that he speaks nationally on the topic and then might be considered a silent supporter of this tax measure.

“I’m not against roads, I am not against transit,” he explained in an interview. “This package will not help fight global warming.”

Sims also calls the .6 percent sales-tax increase to 9.5 percent in King County, (10 percent in bars and restaurants) regressive and harmful to poor people.

Additionally, Sims says some light rail is being built in the wrong place, specifically from Sea-Tac Airport to Tacoma, at a very high cost per passenger.

Sims is a big supporter of congestion pricing, which, he believes, really does address global warming because it changes motorists’ behavior.

Personally, I am still considering Proposition 1. If I had to vote tomorrow, I would vote no, because of affordability. In the effort to create a package that attracts more than 50 percent of voters, good proposals have been added to other good proposals. Packagers, I fear, had to add too much — the proposal is just too darn big.

Last year, Seattle voters approved $365 million in taxes for roads and bridges. King County voters agreed to spend $50 million a year for 10 years to expand bus service. It is not exactly as if we are tightwads. In the process of a lot of agreeing to these and other voter-approved measures, however, we are pricing the middle class out of our cities and suburbs.

Instead of railing against Sims, thank him for his candor and outspokenness on the most important local public-policy decision of the year — yes, even if you are the biggest booster in town for the project.

Sims has an informed, important position he is willing to share. To me, that is called leadership.

Joni Balter’s column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is jbalter@seattletimes.com; for a podcast Q&A with the author, go to Opinion at seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

Not that anyone asked, but here’s what I think:

I totally agree with Ron Sims’ opinion article that extending the line to Tacoma is not worth the massive costs. Ultimately, I’m opposed to the idea that we’d spend all that money to continue making Tacoma a huge bedroom community for Seattle workers. I have several smart, educated, 30-something friends who love Tacoma and its housing market, but can only find good jobs in Seattle and have to waste hours a day in their cars. I bet we all know people like that.

What really needs to happen is that more and better jobs come to Tacoma, because it’s the lack of those jobs that has plugged up roads in the first place. We have plenty of smart people down here, and we want to keep them here, not pay billions to shuttle them up to Seattle on a cute, slow train. If we took half the money we’re considering spending on the Roads & Transit tax measure and invest it in local streetcars to get people from homes to jobs in downtown Tacoma, and improve other options like telecommuting, and just make a few job-growing road improvements to trucking corridors around the port, we’d be a happier and less-indebted region!

Please check out our blog for more details on both the Tacoma City Council issue and Ron Sims’ view of the Roads & Transit package: http://on-ramp.blogspot.com

Certainly both extremes are taking shots at the roads and transit package — I hope that’s a good and not a bad sign for its prospects of passing. Despite what many opponents say, the road part of the bill doesn’t focus on new roads — it’s focused on replacing and slightly expanding existing roads. It adds a couple stretches of new highway (like 167, which will be good for traffic and probably for restoring better access to the Puyallup River), but most of the money goes toward needed repairs and expansions (mostly 520 and 405). It would have been good for Tacoma and the local environment if 405 had never been built. But it’s there, and its congestion is such that even to have an effective HOV or bus lane it needs another lane.

If it was a serious roads package, pave-the-world types like Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman would be supporting it rather than teaming up with strange bedfellow Sims to try and kill it.

And building light rail to Tacoma will be a great deal for Tacoma, as it will make Tacoma a viable job center for people living between Tacoma and Seattle. As much as cities like Tacoma and Seattle dream of having all their workers living in the city limits, it’s not going to happen. Tacoma needs good inter-city transit to be a major employment hub.

Finally, areas around light rail stations tend to get major retail and residential development. This will be great for the south downtown area and downtown on the whole. Having Tacoma better linked into the rest of Puget Sound will also probably make developing intra-city rail (streetcars) easier, as it will making investing throughout Tacoma make more sense than it would if Tacoma remains relatively inaccessible due to bad freeway traffic and limited transit options.

Today, Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg appears to second the Tribune’s opinion that Sim’s opposition to Proposition #1 is due to Seattle effort to shortchange Tacoma and Pierce County:

We’re asked to support projects such as the Alaska Way Viaduct, the Highway 520 floating bridge and light rail from Seattle to the airport because they are issues of regional importance.

We understand it doesn’t do any good to fix a bottleneck down here just to have it appear somewhere else, so we do the right thing and pitch in. Unfortunately, there are those up north who don’t share that sentiment.

…

It’s obvious where the money should go. Sounds like another example of a leader from up north knowing what’s best for us down here.

Pretty well said. It’s a good thing we have local artists to explain this dynamic.

Another great source for information on Proposition #1 will be the showdown between Julie Anderson and Stenger this Tuesday at the Tacoma City Council meeting with their opposing resolutions. What a great way to bring an issue to a head.

I am sure the other council members will weigh in as well.

Anderson, Sound Transit Board member and Governor Greogire’s senior policy advisor for the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development make the case for Proposition #1 well and explain some of the history and complexities of the issue.

Stenger, a former Pierce County Deputy prosecutor will certainly make the case against Proposition #1 as well with alot of passion.

Plus, Anderson is a fan of South 5 so much so that she had the clip played before the Tacoma City Council and placed on the city cable channel for a time. Very appropriate as much of the Proposition #1 issue appears to be a regional conflict.

Not sure which way I will vote but you know someday there will be light rail from Tacoma to Seatac. We can pay now or pay more later.

Stenger, a former Pierce County Deputy prosecutor will certainly make the case against Proposition #1 as well with alot of passion

This is interesting because Stenger is also on the board for Pierce Transit… along with Ladenburg.

I’m still not sure how I feel about the package. I love the rails part … but am still unsure about the highways.

That said, I probably will end up voting for it because when it comes to all projects like this I believe one thing is true: it’s always cheaper to build it now then to build it later. And we’ll eventually need them.

Gregoire speaks on the issue today:

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Gov. Chris Gregoire, disagreeing with fellow Democrat Ron Sims, said Monday that public safety and the Puget Sound economy could take a big hit if the region’s voters don’t approve a tax package for transit and highways.

they will not be voted on tonight but will be discussed. the reason described was a late response for information from sound transit.

does anyone else think that crossing a track right through Pacific Ave is a bad idea??? Not only for all the reasons that we’ve talked about but think of the traffic caused by the train on Pacific….talk about backups…….and isn’t Anderson in a conflict of interest here???? she’s on the board, but yet she’s on the council and is suppose to do what’s best for the city…..yeah right…….since when has the council or mayor done anything that’s good for this town……….the only one bringing any ideas to the table about a vision or the future is the city manager……

I say increase the sounder service to a normal commute rail…running every 30 min or so during the whole day……why do we need to build another service…expand what we already have……spend money on that….not creating another slower service….

Erik S. — As much as we’d both like to have rail get to Seattle more quickly to see the indie rock shows that happen way to rarely in Tacoma, light rail to the Tacoma Dome is about more than just getting to Seattle. It’s about getting to the airport and allowing the suburbanites between Seattle and Tacoma another reason to choose Tacoma as a place to work instead of Seattle. If they can hop on the light rail and get to either city in half an hour, Tacoma won’t be at the disadvantage it would otherwise be at.

Plus, light rail will run 20 hours a day — BNSF is not going to let that happen on the tracks the Sounder uses, and that ride is only 7 min. faster than light rail will be from Tacoma to Seattle.

I see this as one piece of the puzzle — since we’re about 50 years behind a lot of other metro areas we’re going have to keep investing in a whole range of transit options for a while.

Can’t wait to take the Link home from the 2027 Sonic Youth reunion tour when I’m 55 and they’re 70.

I’ve ridden in one of those buses from Seattle to Tacoma.

It’s like speeding down I-5 in a plastic bento box.

I’m just glad I survived to talk about it.

The buses are indeed bumpy and the shocks on some of them are very soft. I often put my bike in the bike rack on the front, and I’m amazed it hasn’t flown off yet.

Whatever happens with Prop. 1, WSDOT needs to do more to get ST express buses out of traffic. Buses should take less time than the one hour Sounder train ride, but they often don’t during the peak commute (i.e., 6+ hours a day).