VIDEO: Sound Transit 3 supporters make a West Seattle-specific pitch

West Seattle hasn’t seen much bigtime campaigning this election season, but that changed today, as three elected officials headlined a media briefing today at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, making West Seattle-specific pitches for approval of Sound Transit 3. (Our video shows the entire 12-minute event.)

Mayor Ed Murray, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, and State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon all repeated the point that our region shouldn’t repeat the mistake it made 40+ years ago by rejecting measures that would have led to a major transit system. Herbold noted that while some in West Seattle are unhappy that ST3 won’t bring light rail to West Seattle until 2030 (here’s our coverage of the June vote finalizing the measure) – three years earlier than the first draft of the measure projected – it does include other improvements in the meantime, including more RapidRide bus service. Fitzgibbon said that while everyone wishes light rail could get here before 2030, if ST3 is defeated, any future replacement proposal won’t get it here any sooner. Supporters also have been warning that a downsized measure might not include West Seattle at all. We asked the campaign manager Abigail Doerr afterward why they’re saying that; she says the West Seattle line is projected to have less ridership than Ballard, so if one had to go, it would likely be us (the final say, of course, would be up to the Sound Transit board).

The only other person to speak at the news conference was David Bestock (above), who manages Youngstown, saying he’s excited about making West Seattle more accessible via light rail, and about its affordable-housing component. And Mayor Murray – after mentioning his West Seattle roots – said that light rail has been a “lifechanging experience” for his current neighborhood, Capitol Hill.

You can read the full text of the measure, plus pro/con/explanatory statements, on this page of the King County Elections website – assuming you haven’t voted already. Doerr told us many have, citing new stats showing at least a third of Seattle voters already have turned in their ballots.

Ron Swanson November 3, 2016 (3:43 pm)

Just put my ballot I’m the drop box, proud to have voted yes on ST3. It isn’t perfect, but it will create a tremendous amount of capacity to move people in and out of West Seattle without worrying about fish trucks, presidential motorcades, pickups fishtailing over barriers, or the many other things that snarl the bridge.

Sure, it takes a while to get here, but as the saying goes, “a society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in”

AmandaKH November 3, 2016 (3:48 pm)

Wait, what? West Seattle would be cut because the ridership is less. That is a false statement. All Ballard numbers include through ridership from Downtown. West Seattle might be cut after the vote? Seriously?

WSB November 3, 2016 (3:51 pm)

No – maybe cut if ST3 is rejected and a new, smaller package is drawn up.
- AmandaKH November 3, 2016 (3:55 pm)
  
  Oh whew, thanks for clarifying TR.

Gene November 3, 2016 (4:02 pm)

Just put my ballot in the drop box & am proud to have voted no on bloated ST3.

KM November 3, 2016 (4:58 pm)

Would you say you “bloated” no?

plf November 3, 2016 (4:30 pm)

Proud to have drop my ballot as well, NO, bloated and way to expensive …this won’t solve the problem but it will raise your property taxes even more than the huge increases over the last year

Get your hand out of my wallet

West Seattle Hipster November 3, 2016 (4:32 pm)

I am voting yes and wholeheartedly support ST3 despite Murray’s support.

clark5080 November 3, 2016 (5:05 pm)

Nope from me send a smaller package next time

Q November 4, 2016 (5:42 pm)

You read the part about West Seattle being left out of a smaller package, right? So if ST3 is rejected, and they come back and pass a smaller package that excludes West Seattle, then we’all be paying more taxes than we are now but won’t get anything for it. Bad plan.

Diane November 3, 2016 (5:08 pm)

oh jeez; so disappointed to see more of this being pushed by the $3.5million marketing campaign for ST3; I did my homework, talked to transportation experts; voting NO; but sadly, the massive marketing for the yes campaign will likely win; ST3 will not reduce traffic; and ST2 which we’re already paying for is building out light rail for another 10 yrs; plenty of time to go back to the drawing board and come up with way better proposal, and less cost burden via property taxes (which gets passed on to rent increases) and car tabs and sales tax; just say no to this

WSB November 3, 2016 (5:22 pm)

Just in case anyone misreads your comment, this was not a paid marketing event. Certainly paid staffers were there but it was a go-or-don’t-go news conference. Invitations were clearly sent to organizations around the region, though it was billed as a West Seattle-specific pitch; we were the only WS news org there, and we were joined by at least three regional TV crews. We haven’t had any paid political advertising on WSB this season, for or against this or anything/anyone else. Meantime, if “no on ST3” has an event, we’ll cover that too. The other 99% of our coverage related to this was coverage of the process leading up to the final vote, as ST decided what would or would not be in the measure – TR
Erik November 3, 2016 (7:08 pm)

The property tax is $250 on a $1,000,000. That’s the least regressive tax WA uses.

ellipses November 3, 2016 (5:16 pm)

It’s a yes from ellipses

Diane November 3, 2016 (5:26 pm)

thanks for clarification TR; no, I just meant the yes campaign has a war-chest of $3.5 mil for commercials/ads everywhere

Kyle Smith November 3, 2016 (5:35 pm)

It will cost around $5000 per propert owner in taxes and maybe more. Most of us will never even get to ride it! VOTE NO !!

AMD November 3, 2016 (7:25 pm)

That’s REALLY cheap considering it will make it feasible to stop driving to work altogether. Not to mention the savings the next generation will get from it. Very happy to say I voted yes.
Erik November 3, 2016 (7:30 pm)

The median adult will pay $169 a year. That means half the adults in the area will pay more, but also half will pay less than $169/year for Prop 1.
- Your Mom November 4, 2016 (8:43 am)
  
  Eric, I hope we don’t get to find out how incredibly false you are about the $165 a year figure. I will keep voting no on these “packages” until we have adults creating them that don’t lie to us about their motivations. There are better, faster and more cost effective ways to handle the situation. Improve the roads we have now. I am not saying add or widen, just improve. Lets get some road signs and lane markings. I believe move Seattle was suppose to address this, but I sure have not seen one road improved. Well, not one improved anywhere on the west or south side. Maybe in the mayors neighborhood though. We are getting so completely hosed and most people just don’t care.

Kathy November 3, 2016 (6:09 pm)

We needed grade separated light rail yesterday. Waiting for a better package? If we don’t support something now, we may be behind the door again if/when Federal Assistance becomes available A no vote in the 70s caused us to lose federal funding support and delayed the start of our fledgling mass transit system. So now we have gridlock. Your buses, even if we can get dedicated lanes for them, will be blocked by desperate drivers trying to get around a sea of parked cars.

I may not live to use light rail in West Seattle, but I care enough about future generations quality of life, the environment and climate change to vote Yes on ST3 and if it passes, I will tighten my belt to pay for it. If taxes go up so much I can’t afford them, I’ll apply for tax relief.

Les November 3, 2016 (6:15 pm)

I will be dead before this project is completed. Seattle will not have a middle class if we continue to approve HUGE tax increases like ST3

Erik November 3, 2016 (7:34 pm)

Transportation is a huge part of people’s budget. A good transit network can allow some people to drive less for work, school, errands and more. Many people are reliant on public transit and they should have a better bus network and more trains.

Marine Transit November 3, 2016 (6:31 pm)

While I whole heartedly support light rail, and think ST has built the most effective and efficient transit system this city and county have ever accomplished, I’m voting no. For some unexplicable reason, transportation leaders refuse to acknowledge that Seattle is surrounded by water on the east and west. Marine transit is a less expensive option that doesn’t rely as heavily on infrastructure and frees up limited land and road capacity.

The West Seattle Water Taxi is an impressive, efficient transit alternative that is sadly under utilized, but substantially faster way to head downtown or connect with land based transit options. Until we have leaders with enough vision to incorporate marine transit into the master plan, I say no, and perhaps they should go see the Ferry in San Fran which serves commuters from downtown to Marin County. Marine transit offers the ability to connect Seattle to Bellevue, without lanes on bridges, and local connections from Ballard, Magnolia and even neighborhoods encompassing Burien and Federal Way.

This city was built with the Misquito Fleet, they figured it out, over 100 years ago. Playing catch up with outdated land use based transit that we blew 50 years ago when we had land, is not visionary – or good planning.

Erik November 3, 2016 (7:17 pm)

Ferries are much more expensive and slower than either trains or buses. They also burn a lot of fossil fuel.
Ron Swanson November 3, 2016 (8:12 pm)

Marine transit is incredibly less cost effective. Kitsap is voting on foot ferries this year, and forecasts a $30-40 round trip cost per passenger. Light rail is an order of magnitude more cost effective in operations cost.

Heather November 3, 2016 (6:35 pm)

It won’t cost $5000 per property owner… unless you mean from now until 2030. I believe the correct figures vary based on value of home and income but it should be around $169-300 per person per year or about $500-700 per household per year. The Stranger gave a very clear breakdown in their vote issue.

Your Mom November 4, 2016 (8:47 am)

You are citing The Stranger….

Well, now I’ve seen everything.

wetone November 3, 2016 (6:42 pm)

People need to read fine print of this proposal. Home owners get ready for big bump in property taxes and renters need to realize this will raise your rent to cover landlords property tax increases. Car owners need to realize increased tab fees may go up to 3x’s, along with many other hidden cost. So much money for a system that is outdated before it’s started. Bright side is Sound Transit will have open check book to piss away money for 40+yrs and Sound Transit employees will have job security for the next 40+yrs. Very bad deal and will force many to move from area. Hope your income raises as fast as Sound Transit takes it, and old patchwork Murray has not even exposed next proposals to cover fixing roadways in need, or $$$$ for homeless and heroin issues………………

Erik November 3, 2016 (7:16 pm)

The license tab increase is an increase of 0.8% to 1.1%. That’s $165 total RTA tax on a car with an assessed value of $15,000.
- chemist November 3, 2016 (9:02 pm)
  
  Yeah, but the MVET depreciation schedule for cars is odd and based on MSRP, vehicle class, and years only.
  
  http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=82.44.035
  
  That $15k valuation would be a 5 year old Toyota Camry Hybrid (27k msrp) or a 15+ year old Tesla Roadster (because WA MVET evaluates trucks as depreciating to zero while cars can only go to 10%, nomatter what condition or mileage).
- dsa November 3, 2016 (9:21 pm)
  
  Well, that’s 165 more reasons to vote no. I thought this was a property tax only item.
Your Mom November 4, 2016 (8:49 am)

I am pretty sure that is what “Move Seattle” was sold as… Fixing the roads. or was it for bikes, i don’t remember.

T-Rex November 3, 2016 (6:48 pm)

Mixed voting happened in our household. On the one hand transportation won’t be any cheaper in the future, on the other hand this is going to cost us more than we would ever get out of it and it is the city’s excuse for wanting to destroy Fraimount Springs.

TheKing November 3, 2016 (7:07 pm)

I would rather see that type of money spent on underground power lines, water that won’t come out of my faucet brown, repair roads…..infrastructure. Waaaay too much money on a blank check. I am sure if they sit down and figure out exactly where tax money is going they can save like I do to get what I want.

dsa November 3, 2016 (7:40 pm)

It seems like every time I see Murray he has his hand out. Sorry my pocket is closed to ideas that do not serve the majority.

justme November 3, 2016 (8:11 pm)

Very well put Wetone

bob November 3, 2016 (8:12 pm)

no way. property tax increases r so unfair. we will never see return on this. way to expensive.

Chuck November 3, 2016 (8:15 pm)

Well, dang. I wish they’d have come hat-in-hand just a few days earlier–I might have changed my NO vote already sent (not!). Too much tax for too little representation. Or put another way, I’m not giving them a blank check for an incomplete plan. You can bet costs are going to soar and soar and soar. Bring me a smaller plan, one that I can actually benefit from in my lifetime (and I’m in my fifties!) But really, it won’t matter. This thing will sail through. It’s what Seattle does best.

Ron Swanson November 3, 2016 (9:36 pm)

Soaring costs like all those ST2 projects that have come in on time and on budget?

Evil Twin November 3, 2016 (8:23 pm)

Hey all no voters. Let’s take the ST3 money and buy a time machine, travel back to 1968 and 1970 and vote no on mass transit again just for good measure! If only the people before us would have planned for the future. But they didn’t want to have more people move here. Oops…… I’m sure Atlanta thanks them for their light rail we could have had.

chemist November 3, 2016 (9:13 pm)

Fun fact, those forward thrust measures required 60% approval and neither Sound Move or Sound Transit 2 would have passed with that as a requirement (and both of those were revamped from measures that lost at the ballots the year prior).

East coast cynic November 3, 2016 (8:46 pm)

A smaller package? If a smaller cheaper package results in west seattle left out of light rail, are y’all willing to live with increased traffic congestion due to massive population increase and static infrastructure without the light rail option to get out from under it? There will always be traffic, but light rail gives people the option to get out from under it. The package will ruin the middle class?? The middle class won’t be able to get to work if we continue to neglect right of way transportation in the face of massive population increase. For those Roger Miller “car huggers”, there’s no more room for road expansion. We can adapt by not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good and support a light rail package that will help some of us avoid traffic or we can boil in worsening traffic conditions just because we didn’t get a perfect nor a cheap plan.

Azimuth November 3, 2016 (9:28 pm)

That felt so good to vote yes for Prop 1 I think I’ll do it again!

Megan November 3, 2016 (9:30 pm)

Traffic is horrendous here. If we don’t vote yes now who knows how long it will take to get a mass transit system! All you NO voters are doing is ensuring traffic will just get worse and worse. We need to get with the modern times and have a transit system like every other big city. I realize it will take a while and even I will be close to retirement when it’s done, but I will still pay for future generations to take advantage of it so they don’t suffer like we all are now, just trying to get from point A to point B.

Meyer November 3, 2016 (10:01 pm)

Yes vote from me. Its about time

Neighbor November 3, 2016 (10:31 pm)

Or a lot more of you could ride a bike. Save money, doesn’t burn fossil fuel, requires less road/infrastructure build and maintenance costs, makes you healthier, and sets a good example for others. What’s not to love about it? Except for the car drivers who want to run you over.

Diane November 4, 2016 (1:50 am)

ST3 will not reduce traffic https://youtu.be/zhnM8vZMYLs

Q November 4, 2016 (5:40 pm)

It will for the people sitting on the trains

Diane November 4, 2016 (2:06 am)

listen to the former WA State Transportation Secretary explain all the
details from Sound Transit docs & data; educate yourself, and then
go vote; I am voting NO; we can do much better; we are already paying for ST2 ($18 billion) which is building out light rail for next 10 yrs; we have plenty of time to
come up with much better plan than this $54 billion ST3 https://youtu.be/kDyOXU-I1W4

Diane November 4, 2016 (2:32 am)

“Q: Would ST3 reduce congestion? A: It would not.” By Mike Lindblom, Seattle Times
transportation reporter http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sound-transit-3-proposal-down-to-the-wire/

Diane November 4, 2016 (3:21 am)

“Car-tab tax; Sound Transit now charges 0.3 percent, or $30
per $10,000 of vehicle value, in car-tab taxes until that tax expires in 2028.
ST3 would tack on a permanent $80 per $10,000 in value, bringing the total rate
to $110.” and “To complicate matters, the official “value” for tax purposes is
usually higher than what you might get by selling your car, or find in the Kelley Blue Book. Your car depreciates faster in real life
than it does in the Legislature. That disparity is a vestige of the 1990s, when
the state inflated its car-depreciation charts to rake in
more dollars for ferries and revenue sharing with bus agencies, cities and
counties.”

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/heres-what-youd-pay-to-build-bigger-sound-transit-network/

Diane November 4, 2016 (3:23 am)

“West Seattle-downtown light rail”, “Route would replace
RapidRide C bus”, “likely demolition of houses or businesses” “Completion: 2030” http://projects.seattletimes.com/2016/st3-guide/

Diane November 4, 2016 (3:42 am)

Why I’m Voting No on ST3, “Cannibalizing bus routes;
“Unfortunately, for many of these, the train stations don’t complement the bus
service, they cannibalize it — forcing riders into a time consuming transfer.
Consider the neighborhood of High Point, the most densely populated part of
West Seattle. Right now, if you want to get from High Point to downtown, you
can take the Metro 21 directly there. In 2030, when a new bridge is built over
the Duwamish and trains run overhead through the Alaska Junction, riders will
be forced to get off the bus and wait for the train.” https://www.seattletransitblog.com/2016/10/26/why-im-voting-no-on-st3/

AMD November 4, 2016 (8:25 am)

King County Metro is in charge of the buses. They are responsible for the choices they make regarding bus service once light rail is implemented. Their long-term goal is a system of express service through major corridors with local service from neighborhoods to the express routes. This is for the whole Metro system, not just areas with a light rail station. If you don’t like this vision of bus service, King County Metro is who you need to direct your comments to, not Sound Transit.

Also, can we please stop pretending the Seattle Times’ reports on anything (not just ST3) are completely objective and unbiased?
- Commentator November 4, 2016 (9:07 am)
  
  Check what has happened for routes from north Seattle. The riders have to go to Montlake and transfer to the train.
  - AMD November 4, 2016 (9:32 am)
    
    What I’m saying is that’s Metro’s goal for the future. It’s not something Sound Transit forced and saying no to the train isn’t going to change that. However it’s possible that Metro can change their vision for the future and keep local buses that also run downtown in addition to the light rail.
    
    The two systems work with one another, but they are still two separate systems so voting down one to stop the other doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Ron Swanson November 4, 2016 (8:27 am)

Diane, if you think West Seattle is going to get a better deal out of ST3 failing, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you, it’s full of buses clogged up in traffic…

Commentator November 4, 2016 (8:28 am)

Atlanta’s rail system is no role model. The Seattle area has more transit riders. Forcing riders to transfer from bus to rail is no fun for people who have mobility challenges, or families with kids. It is a big hassle.

wetone November 4, 2016 (10:31 am)

If Seattle government and state of Wa. really wanted to help traffic issues in Seattle area they would move the Convention Center and double decker I-5 with on expressway only type by-pass through Seattle area for starts. Doing so would allow area on ramps leading to I-5 not to back up as they do today. Instead they are doing just the opposite with the enlarging of CC, along with talks of capping I-5 ($$$) in downtown area, along with pushing more traffic soon to I-5 with new Hy99 toll tunnel that will do little for area. What is even worse WS really has only one access point onto WS Freeway from south bound 1st ave. in Sodo area, and that is a cluster at best during rush hour, but there is multiple lanes 1st ave and 4th ave. from WSfwy to access same area. Anyone that says you can take lower swing bridge just wait for T-5 to be built along with bridge openings……. City of Seattle planning has really slid backwards and doing little for what their allowing to be built in many areas. Seems like Seattle area is worse off now than before building boom and legalizing weed. Where is all the money going ??????????? tunnel, infrastructure issues to support building boom, homeless, drug related issues, feel goody projects our mayor felt needed, unneeded road diets, hiring of more city workers to cover issues our city has created……. I know my personal cost to live in this city has took a big rise in the last few yrs and wages are not keeping up. What’s going to happen when building slows down ? Hope Mayor Murray’s big pyramid scheme he has created doesn’t take city down with big layoffs and a very one sided city……….

Junctionite November 4, 2016 (12:03 pm)

Voted no, my property taxes went up 15% last year alone! Also, I’ll be in my seventies by the time this is built, no thanks! I voted yes for the monorail several times, and there is no monorail. I’m done, timeline too long, no trust that it will be built anyways.

Chris L November 4, 2016 (12:33 pm)

Great video, thanks for the coverage!

One correction: David Bestock is the Executive Director of the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, not the manager of Youngstown.

WSB November 4, 2016 (1:14 pm)

Well, congratulations to David. Don’t recall ever getting an announcement of his promotion, which I see on the DNDA website happened sometime this year.