Monorail recall initiative qualifies for November ballot

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

King County Elections today certified that Initiative 83, sponsored by Monorail Recall, had gathered the required 17,229 signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

But it's still not clear that it will survive challenges by pro-Monorail backers. The Seattle Monorail Project, with pro-monorail environmentalists and landowners, is continuing to fight the measure with lawsuits.

One suit asserts that city-issued permits to build the monorail are land-use decisions that cannot be overturned by an initiative. The agency is also trying to void the first 9,600 initiative signatures because they were collected before a judge reworded the petitions for greater clarity. That complaint is heading to the state Court of Appeals.

Earlier this week the Monorail Recall campaign turned in an additional 7,309 signatures, giving them more than double the required number to qualify for the ballot.

If approved, I-83 would block or revoke city permits to construct the planned 14-mile, $1.75 billion Green Line linking Ballard, Seattle Center, downtown and West Seattle.

Two years ago, a monorail tax passed by 877 votes, after voters had approved two previous initiatives to write a Monorail plan.

"Now that I-83 has been certified, the hundreds of volunteers who helped gather signatures will be turning their attention to the November election," said Liv Finne, co-chairwoman of the Monorail Recall committee.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More local news headlines...