Comments on: New Sound Transit Board Members

By: A Brief Interview With Conrad Lee - Seattle Transit Blog

A Brief Interview With Conrad Lee - Seattle Transit Blog — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:32:12 +0000

[...] of Deputy Mayor just last week and replaces Claudia Balducci, who was recently appointed to the Sound Transit Board by Dow Constantine. With the new balance of power in the city council favoring more conservative [...]

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:19:02 +0000

Don’t be the troll people.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:17:49 +0000

From your keyboard to that karma of the universe!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:16:37 +0000

Your last commentary regarding Claudia Balducci is not just insulting it is also unwarrented. Councilmember Balducci is a person of integrity and a straight shooter. I may not always agree with her view on issues but when she says something you can bet on the it being her honest assessment after careful thought and consideration and her decisions are made without a hidden agenda. Bellevue has too long been without a voice on the ST Board and Balducci is a good additiona. I have long worked with Councilmember Balducci on several issues and have always found her to be an upstanding and honest person. Shame on you. What have you done to improve this issue besides sit at your keyboard?

By: Anc

Anc — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:21:07 +0000

Don’t feed the troll people.

By: Chris Stefan

Chris Stefan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:49:33 +0000

Not even close.

Not to mention that none of those are scheduled to receive any RapidRide service.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:59:57 +0000

None of those areas are really in the same market as Link.

By: Blue Swan

Blue Swan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:06:08 +0000

RapidRide is quickly devouring the market for the laggard LINK…which is costly and cumbersome.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/MetroTransit/TransitNow/RapidlyDeveloping.aspx

What’s happened so far

Metro released a report in January 2008 defining areas that are eligible to receive new transit service under Transit Now and identifying potential improvements in those areas (see Related documents at right for the report and two accompanying maps). The 12 areas named in the report are:

* Black Diamond
* Covington
* Duvall
* Enumclaw
* Issaquah
* Kent East Hill
* Klahanie
* Lakemont (City of Bellevue)
* Maple Valley
* Redmond Ridge
* Sammamish
* Snoqualmie

By: Chris Stefan

Chris Stefan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:34:06 +0000

Huh? You must not have been paying much attention, McGinn is a big Link fan. Even if he was inclined to “shelve link” he’d have to convince a majority of the ST board to go along which is unlikely. If Link was “shelved” the line to the UW would be completed as it is already past the point of no-return. ST would continue to collect taxes which the state wouldn’t see a dime of.

As for RapidRide, there are Federal grants to cover some of the capital costs but it isn’t 100% and it doesn’t include operating costs.

By: Blue Swan

Blue Swan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:16:51 +0000

Great, now Mike McGinn can live up to his promise to stop the tunnel and consider shelving LINK and using bus RapidRide (completely funded by the Feds) instead.

These things will save Washington State the billions needed to balance the budget.

By: Martin H. Duke

Martin H. Duke — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:09:40 +0000

Drago actually has a much longer pro-rail track record than McDermott does. From a narrow transit perspective I’m happy how this turned out.

By: Martin H. Duke

Martin H. Duke — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:08:54 +0000

ST Board members don’t really have “districts” so it doesn’t really work that way, although it always helps if you’re a constituent in their real job. As a Kirkland resident you’re probably left with just Constantine.

By: Mickymse

Mickymse — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:34:59 +0000

Too bad Dow wasn’t willing to tell von Reichbauer to vote for Joe McDermott as his replacement or lose his seat on the Board…

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:32:15 +0000

Guys, do you know which one of these board members I should contact if I have questions specific to Kirkland? I used to work with Mary Alice in the past…

By: Seattlite10

Seattlite10 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:41:52 +0000

For tranist users this is such an important board.. sounds like good news to me! :)

By: AJ

AJ — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:03:27 +0000

“And let’s spare a moment to think who the appointees might have been had Susan Hutchison won.”

Let’s not.

By: Bernie

Bernie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:26:58 +0000

Claudia Balducci will be an excellent addition to the ST board. I think she understands the issues surrounding light rail and she certainly understands Bellevue and our politics. And see, it pays to keep a Democrat on the council ;-) The Seattle Times had previously reported that Bellevue had never had an appointed ST board member. I should know to fact check the Seattle Sometimes. Former Bellevue Mayor Connie Marshall, replaced by Patsy Bonincontri and unseated by Kevin Wallace was on the ST board [side note: Kevin Wallace's mother chaired one of Connie Marshall’s campaigns]. It’s too bad Ms. Balducci is so beholding to the Democratic party that she was compelled to go on record endorsing a perennial challenger to the incumbent in the last council race. That sort of faux pas is not soon forgotten.