These are the rest of STB’s general election endorsements. We endorsed in races where one candidate clearly stood out. Part I is here.
We are deeply indebted to the Transit Riders’ Union, who shared their questionnaire results with us. We drew heavily from them.
Snohomish County Executive: Like all County Executives, Aaron Reardon has a lot of sway over staffing the Sound Transit Board. He is also one year into this his two year term as Chair of Sound Transit’s Board of Directors, which obviously makes him a leader on regional high capacity transit. He’s turned in a solid performance to steer Sound Transit through a period of steeply falling revenue and strife with Bellevue.
Tacoma City Council #7: David Boe is a retired architect who knocks it out of the park when it comes to land use and transit. His flagship positions view increased residential and mixed-use density as a solution to strengthen the local tax base and support expanded transit. Boe is also an urban design wonk who has written a column for the local Tacoma blog Exit 133.
Tacoma City Council #8: Ryan Mello is outstanding on our issues and is the kind of council member we love to endorse. He previously worked for the Cascade Land Conservancy and advocates for all of the transportation and land use beliefs we hold. Mello, along with other like minded council members, are pushing Tacoma forward as a regional leader in building sustainable and livable city.
Kirkland Council #2: Bob Sternoff supports a number of positions that align with ours, including Metro reform, expanded taxing authority and a strong understanding of the importance of land use in transit development. His involvement on the Regional Transit Committee as well as a few growth management boards indicates a dedicated track record that supports transit and better land use policies.
Kirkland Council #4: Jessica Greenway has basically sound pro-transit views by Eastside standards. She supported the $20 CRC to save Metro service and opposes I-1125. Her challenger, Toby Nixon, not only opposed the CRC but also believes Metro should raise fares to a 100% farebox recovery rate. This view alone is troubling enough to warrant an automatic endorsement for Greenway.
Kirkland Council #6: Dave Asher’s impressive knowledge of our regional transit system is well indicated by his positions, which include support for Metro’s Strategic Plan, broader promotion of ORCA, an alternative transit funding source to the sales tax, and repealing the 18th Amendment. On land use and density, he’s a strong advocate of smart growth and incredibly knowledgeable about the market forces associated with parking. Since our endorsement in the primary, Dave Asher’s opponent has withdrawn from the race.
Renton Council #5 : Robin Jones has some interesting ideas on how to improve transit in Renton. He wants to increase police presence at the Transit Center and put in more curb bulbs, both sensible, small-bore improvements for a city like Renton. His opponent is Ed Prince, who doesn’t seem to have much of a transportation platform. Jones is endorsed by Michael Taylor-Judd and Bobby Forch, both of which are transportation-oriented Seattle Council candidates we have previously endorsed.
Shoreline Council #2: Incumbent Chris Eggen has sound ideas about transit-oriented development and bus priority. His statements indicate deep understanding of the problems facing transit riders in Shoreline and strong awareness of broader transit issues in the County.
Shoreline Council #6: Robin McClelland has a regional planning background, is a regular transit user, and her positions are what one would expect. She understands the relationship of density to various regional goals and has deep understanding of the region’s long-range plans.
Shoreline Council #4: Janet Way supports upzones in major transit corridors, and is a strong proponent of bikeshare programs.
Federal Way Council #7: We don’t agree with everything Keith Tyler thinks about transit, but in the areas most important for City Council — land use and priority treatments for buses — he is absolutely correct. He’s interested in TOD, less surface parking, and more signal priority and bus lanes for RapidRide. His opponent shows no apparent emphasis on either subject.
I’m glad to see STB is endorsing Dave Asher for Kirkland City Council. I grew up in Kirkland, and know from experience that Dave is a dedicated community leader. He should absolutely be reelected.
I have a question though. I see that STB is in favor of the repeal of the 18th Amendment to the State Constitution, as is Asher. I understand that this would open up all kinds of funding opportunities for transit in our state. However, because the ferries are considered part of the highway system, is it reasonable to assume that a repeal of the 18th Amendment would have a negative impact on the fiscal health of the State Ferry System?
Here is the break down of WSDOT/WSF funding. $465 million of the 1.4 billion in operations and maintenance will go to WSF over the biennium (but brings in $313 million in fees) and 283 million out of 5.6 billion in capital funds go to WSF.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Finance/budget/2011-13ExpendituresTable.htm
So it’s a small part of the overall budget and operationally mostly self sufficient. I guess my response would be that if the legislature could actually get it removed, it would almost certainly be in the context of some large transportation funding package/restructure which would almost certainly have new monies for all modes.
::: rubs eyes :::
Am I reading correctly?!? 100% farebox recovery??
Bet everyone on here knows how he would feel if we tolled roads at 100% cost recovery ;)
Thanks, Michael: I assume you are talking about my opponent, Toby Nixon. If you want to be even more shocked, you should read his letter to the King County Council in which he says that taxpayers should not subsidize doctors, lawyers, and well-paid government workers who take the bus. He also said this in public at a hearing about the temporary $20 car tab fee held at Kirkland City Hall by the County Council.
As an elected official, I know that many Kirkland citizens depend on the bus as their only means of transportation. We talk about creating jobs and we should also talk about making sure people can get to jobs. A good transportation system is an economic development tool.
And, you hit the nail right on the head when you point out how taxpayers subsidize roads. We need a complete transportation system with choices that fit everyone’s needs.
Thanks for commenting. Jessica Greenway, Kirkland City Council
No problem. Wish I was living in Kirkland so I could vote for you. As it stands, I’m in Pierce County and still suffering from a devastating service elimination.
Never thought I would see someone running for office comment on a blog like this (back where I’m from in Virginia, that is completely unheard of)
Best of luck :)
Yes, I read the letter he wrote and he reminds me of a person back from my home of Virginia who shall remain nameless who is just as oddball
“Never thought I would see someone running for office comment on a blog like this (back where I’m from in Virginia, that is completely unheard of)”
Let’s face it, if she were running for an office even as big as King County Council, she wouldn’t be doing it. Hell, maybe even Seattle City Council.
Yes and no I dunno. I’d like to see the conversation be held. I’m sure it wouldn’t be pleasant if gas taxes were changed into tolling.
In Toby’s defense, he’s a good man. A great president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government working to pry data out of government to make government work better for all of us.
That said, I can see why you guys don’t like Toby’s idea of full farebox recovery for all but the poor… :-)
I like Toby a lot, too, but why doesn’t he object to subsidizing the commutes of doctors and lawyers who drive on publicly-subsidized roads?
Good question.
No love for the Redmond city council races? Positions 1, 3, 5 and 7 are up for election this year. With the redevelopment of the Overlake area for East Link as well as all of the changes that are happening downtown to make it into a more viable place for car-free (or car-reduced, at least) living, I think it’s important to have pro-transit people on the city council as well.
Are they running, though?
Not quite sure what you mean but I am a Redmond resident and the positions I listed are on my ballot.
Who did you vote for in those races? How are they good on transit?
Adam,
Positions 1 and 3 have candidates running unopposed and I didn’t have any write-ins so I just voted for the default candidates.
For Position 5 I voted for Tom Flynn because quite frankly his opponent Joel Wright opposes red light cameras entirely. I don’t, and hope the city keeps the cameras in school zones where they have actually been shown to be effective once the pilot program ends. I also kind of fear that Joel Wright is kind of a closet ultra right-wing nut but that fear may be unfounded. Wright says that he will, “support extending Sound Transit’s rail line into downtown Redmond to the extent the cost is commensurate with the long term benefits received.” It sounds kind of like when McGinn flip-flopped on the tunnel to me; just something to pull undecided voters into his camp. I do like that Flynn is concerned about the environment and he seems more enthusiastic about development both downtown and in Overlake.
For Position 7, I voted for David Carson because he was the only candidate that mentioned transit at all, and he favors more investment in developments in downtown and Overlake.
Overall, I’ll admit that I probably didn’t do as much research as I could have but I made the best judgments I could based on the candidates’ websites and the King County Voter’s Guide.
For Position 7,
Ignore that last little ‘For Position 7’ bit at the end of my last post, that shouldn’t be there.
Many thanks to STB for your endorsement of my campaign. Unlike my opponent, who is lucky enough to work in the same city as she lives, I am a regular commuter who has worked in Bellevue and Seattle. I know firsthand the experiences of riding Metro and ST to work and back. Federal Way is widely recognized as a commuter town, and the daily capacity occupancy in the FWTC garage is a testament to the importance of transit to our community. At the same time, our city has much progress to make in catching up to the transit-oriented trend.