High court allows measure to recall monorail onto Seattle ballot

By Mike Lindblom
Seattle Times staff reporter

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A court commissioner this afternoon decided against giving the Seattle Monorail Project the emergency hearing it requested this week. The monorail agency wanted to halt Initiative 83 before it hit the ballot.

The deadline is Friday for the Seattle City Council to forward the measure to King County so elections workers have enough time to print voter guides and pamphlets in time for the Nov. 2 election.

City Council members are scheduled to consider the proposed ballot placement tomorrow. Six of the nine members have said in interviews or public meetings this summer they would not obstruct the initiative if the courts deemed it legal.

Council president Jan Drago had no immediate comment when told about the latest ruling, saying she would first consult with attorneys.

The estimated cost to add I-83 to the ballot is $890,000, in Seattle city funds.

Even assuming the measure reaches the voters, it is possible the Supreme Court could declare it illegal at some future hearing.

Supreme Court Commissioner Geoffrey Crooks, who is a gatekeeper for the court, said in his two-paragraph ruling today that because of looming election deadlines, "there is insufficient time to engage in the deliberations that a case of this magnitude demands."

His decision clears the way for what should be an intense, seven-week campaign over whether Seattle should continue its voter-approved attempt to build the nation's longest monorail line.

As long as the initiative remains alive, monorail officials have said in court papers that it would be more difficult to sign a proposed billion-plus dollar construction contract or sell bonds for the 14-mile Green Line, which would connect Ballard, Seattle Center, downtown and West Seattle.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com.

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