Originally published November 9, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified November 9, 2007 at 12:52 PM
Nickels pushes Sound Transit for '08 vote
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is urging Sound Transit to go back to the ballot in 2008, to take advantage of a larger and younger group of...
Seattle Times transportation reporter
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is urging Sound Transit to go back to the ballot in 2008, to take advantage of a larger and younger group of voters.
His comments come after the failure this week of Proposition 1, which would have funded light-rail lines and road lanes. Voting patterns aren't yet fully understood, but this was an off-year election, when a low turnout traditionally favors older, anti-tax voters.
"In this case, the projects will take five, 10, 15 years to build, and young people understand that having a project in five, 10, 15 years still has a benefit," he said at a transit-board meeting Thursday. In actuality, the light-rail lines promised by Proposition 1 — to reach Tacoma, north Lynnwood and Overlake near Microsoft — were to be finished in 2027. Partial segments to reach Northgate, downtown Bellevue, and Kent-Des Moines Road could open in 11 to 13 years, Sound Transit estimates.
At some point, Sound Transit intends to propose another ballot measure.
Joni Earl, the agency's chief executive officer, said her staff has enough information on cost estimates and ridership to prepare by next year. But Chairman John Ladenburg, also the Pierce County Executive, suspects that the state would block a re-vote until at least 2009. This week, Gov. Christine Gregoire and legislative leaders said they want to focus intensely on funding a Highway 520 replacement bridge.
Nickels recalled that Sound Transit lost its first attempt to pass a regional package in 1995, revised its plan, then won in the 1996 presidential year. (President Clinton, the Democratic incumbent, defeated Republican challenger Sen. Bob Dole.)
Nickels hasn't decided whether to back another combined roads-and-transit plan, or transit only. This year's measure would have spent $38 billion through 2027 to add 50 miles of light rail, 186 miles of road lanes, and other projects in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.
Meanwhile, an exit poll indicates that at least 6 percent of voters opposed Proposition 1 because of concerns about global warming. They are a new bloc of "pro-transit defectors," said pollster Thomas Riehle of Washington, D.C.-based RT Strategies, which surveyed 5,000 voters for the Sierra Club. If they voted yes, the contest would be a dead heat.
The Sierra Club, which opposed the plan, promised to help craft a transit-heavy alternative. However, among those who voted against the plan, the poll found higher taxes played a bigger role than environmental issues.
Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
New laws help tenants evicted due to foreclosure
Researchers stunned by inmates' success raising endangered frogs
Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
Federal Way group on trail of missing pets
Must Metro commuting at Northgate be so chaotic?

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Shooting unveils very different sides of McNair
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Quincy Jones remembers "the biggest entertainer on the planet": Michael Jackson
- Confessions of an Idol Addict | "American Idols" on tour: Live coverage from opening date
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
247 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
172 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
135 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
125 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
112 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
103 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
100 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
68 - Seeking your questions
53 - Mariners did their part, now they need help
44
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen
- Toyota's Toyoda scolds execs for emulating U.S. car companies' mistakes
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Outdoor-theater season kicks off at Volunteer Park
- Seattle safety project: A snake shelter on Beacon Hill









