Last days of the Monorail

The new, interim executive director of the Seattle Monorail Project comes to the job as a transportation fixer. But at this point, the monorail needs more than a savior. It needs a leader who can fairly assess if the project can be built as promised.

From everything known so far, the answer is no. The project should be scrapped. Continuing to collect nearly $1 million a week from taxpayers becomes more of a losing proposition every week. Monorail board members are thrilled to have a top transportation consultant, John Haley, who served as troubleshooter for the Las Vegas monorail after it shut down last year. He oversaw correction of specific problems on a line already up and running.

Is he the right person to help make the broader decision in Seattle whether or not to continue a bigger, more-complicated project?

The Seattle monorail has a significant revenue shortfall and unworkable financing plan. Chopping the monorail into pieces, as some enthusiasts have suggested, to build something — anything — is not a wise course.

Haley's consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, will be paid handsomely, $38,000 a month through November. This hiring continues the burn rate of monorail funds.

From the beginning, the monorail suffered from arrogance and a tendency to spend taxpayer money. Salaries for top officials were high.

The bottom line on the monorail is the bottom line. Monorail revenues at one time were coming in 30-percent lower than anticipated. State Treasurer Mike Murphy says the current level of tax is not sufficient to do half the project.

Some monorail board members are still waiting for a monorail messiah, someone who can make the project work.

Mayor Greg Nickels has given the monorail board a Sept. 15 deadline for crafting a monorail plan asking voters if they favor a shorter line or increased taxes to finance the existing plan. The city also can kill the project itself by denying right of way.

The wheels are coming off the Seattle Monorail Project. The project needs a decommissioning expert more than fixer.