Big wins for parks, regional trails, zoo

Two King County parks levies, one to maintain existing county parks, the other to enlarge and develop parks and support Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, were winning handily at the polls Tuesday.

Each of the levies will raise an estimated $108.5 million over six years, for a total of $217 million.

"We're lucky we're in a community that really values parks and trails and values its Woodland Park Zoo investment," said County Executive Ron Sims, who convened a task force that proposed the levies.

The parks levies were among the top issues facing voters in a low-key election that also included primary battles for Seattle City Council and King County Prosecutor.

The election may have been most notable for when it was held.

Never before had local voters gone to the polls in August, and candidates often expressed frustration that picnics and baseball took precedence over civic engagement.

In previous years, the primary took place in mid-September.

In the prosecutor's race, Democrat Bill Sherman easily outpolled rival Keith Scully for the right to face Republican Dan Satterberg in the Nov. 6 general election.

Satterberg, the interim King County prosecutor, ran unopposed in his primary.

Seattle City Council incumbents Jean Godden and Sally Clark ran well ahead of their rivals as elections officials counted poll votes and absentee ballots. The second-place finishers, who also will advance to the November election, were less certain.

Venus Velázquez and Bruce Harrell were the top two candidates for the council seat held by Peter Steinbrueck, who did not seek re-election.

As of midnight, the King County elections office said roughly 135,000 ballots had been counted — about 45 percent of the total ballots county officials had expected would be cast.

In the parks levies, Proposition 1, which was passing easily, will renew and enlarge a levy approved by voters in 2003 to keep the county's rural and regional parks open in the face of a massive revenue shortfall.

The "renewal levy," which widened its lead Tuesday night, will add money to restore maintenance to 2002 levels and begin repairing 75 bridges and trestles on county trails.

The original four-year levy kept parks open as the county made large budget cuts, gave many parks and pools to cities, and developed new entrepreneurial revenue sources.

Among the parks and trails that will benefit from continuation of the levy are Marymoor Park, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and parts of the Burke-Gilman Trail outside Seattle.

The levy of 5 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in the first year will cost the owner of a $400,000 house $20. The total amount collected will rise with the consumer price index.

The levy will raise $16 million in the first year.

Proposition 2, the "expansion levy," which will cost property owners the same amount, sends three cents of every nickel collected to King County to buy open space and build regional trails, one cent to Seattle and 38 other cities for parks acquisition and development, and one cent to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo for education and capital projects.

A parks task force that proposed the levies specified the highest-priority trail projects under the expansion levy: completing the East Lake Sammamish Trail, connecting the East Lake Sammamish and Sammamish River trails, and extending the Soos Creek Trail north to the Cedar River Trail. The task force was convened by Sims.

County Parks Director Kevin Brown said the renewal levy will allow the county to return lawn mowing, restroom cleaning and trash pickups to 2002 levels.

Although there was no organized campaign against the levies, County Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Kathy Lambert opposed the expansion levy, saying other priorities for increased taxes were more urgent. Seattle City Councilmember Richard McIver objected to both levies as an improper use of city tax dollars to support parks in the rural areas.

Supporters countered that county trails and parks are regional facilities that draw more people from Seattle and other cities than from the unincorporated areas.

The Woodland Park Zoological Society, the nonprofit that runs the Woodland Park Zoo, contributed half of the $240,284 campaign fund for passage of the two levies.

County Councilmember Larry Phillips said proceeds wouldn't be used to buy BNSF Railway's Renton-to-Snohomish rail line but could contribute to building a trail there.

Staff reporter Alex Fryer contributed to this report. Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com