Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 6, Issue 12, December 2002

Copyright 2002 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

POLITICALY SPEAKING By James Bush

State voters still talking:
Is anybody listening yet?

"Initiative 776 will pass in every county. Referendum 51 will be rejected in every county," boasted Mukilteo initiative maven Tim Eyman, prior to the November elections. "The reason? Voters don't like broken promises."

This ambitious prediction, delivered last month to a decidedly unfriendly CityClub luncheon crowd, is typical Eymanarrogant, insolent, and more-or-less correct. Oh, San Juan County voters voted to approve R-51 and four counties (including King) rejected Eyman's tax-cutting I-776, but Washington state voters basically cast a Nov. 5 vote for traffic backups and cracked pavement.

A lot of that cracked pavement will be in North Seattle. The one-two punch delivered at the ballot box blunts R-51's promise of new state revenue, while I-776 cuts county funding for roads within city limits. Seattle must now pare some $39 million from next year's proposed budget, freezing repaving proposals for 35th Avenue Northeast, Leary Way Northwest, and North 50th Street, and halting the reconstruction of the crumbling Fremont Bridge approaches.

On the bright side, we'll probably be able to ride the monorail from Crown Hill to West Seattlein 2009. But that single victory for transportation was accomplished by restricting the franchise to the tax-loving citizens of Seattle. Even then, the well-funded, volunteer-powered monorail campaign still just won by a nose.

You didn't have to be a psychic to see R-51's fall coming. A hefty tax boost will always be a tough sell at the height of a recession. The Puget Sound-dominated project mix alienated rural voters and the overall focus on road-building our way out of traffic congestion enraged environmentalists. Much of the funding was slated to start projects that would take billions of dollars more to complete.

No matter that Governor Gary Locke ditched his usual cautious approach and threw some of his (supposedly) ample political capital behind R-51a state ballot issue with vocal opponents on both sides of the political spectrum was doomed at the polls.

Let's go back to the second part of Tim Eyman's statement"voters don't like broken promises." His specific claim is that Washington residents voted three years ago to mandate a $30 flat fee for auto license tabs, but legislative sleight-of-hand protected extra tab charges in several counties, including those levied by King County and Sound Transit. There's some truth to thateven if the Sound Transit charge is the sort of voter-approved tax Eyman claims to support.

But, like any good politician, Eyman speaks in statements that allow his listeners to fill in the blanks. What images go through your mind when he talks about government's "broken promises?" Has a politician you supported ever let you down once in office? Have you ever heard a public official make a promise, then not deliver? Have you ever observed or read about examples of extravagant government spending? Do you feel you pay plenty of taxes right now?

The answer to one or more of these questions is certainly "Yes."

The R-51 campaign came armed with 11 pages of endorsements from labor, business and construction industry groups. The proposed $7.8 billion tax boost was backed by 54 City Councils and dozens of elected officials. But all the establishment support in the world couldn't overshadow the serious attitude problem R-51 boosters brought to the table. "We all know that sooner or later we'll have to pay higher taxes to improve our transportation system," stated one pro-R-51 campaign document.

Think again, folks.

The assumption that tax increases are inevitable has been retired. The notion that R-51's promised "mandatory audits" and "progress reports" constitute accountability won't wash. And, the call by some for the Legislature to get tough and overrule the voters by passing a gas-tax increase anyway is both wrong-headed and ridiculous. Let's face itthe public has figured out the concept of using the initiative process as a check on higher taxes. We can't go backward.

But how can we move forward? Try slowly.

Set aside the statewide approach for now. Don't rush the proposed three-county (King, Pierce, and Snohomish) regional transportation package to the ballot. Ask for a significantly smaller tax increase. Focus on safety and maintenance over new freeway lanes. Set aside the mega-projects for now. Pick proposals that are popular with the public, not some politician's pet project. Bring the environmentalists on board with added money for public transit. Completely fund all the projects you include and build them before you ask for more money.

And, most of all, wage the pro-transportation funding campaign without a single speech by a public official, a union leader, or any executive director. Have citizens make the speeches.

Remember, if you can't find enough unelected and unconnected backers to fill the speaking berths, your package probably isn't worth putting on the ballot.