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1

You don't say how you learned that Sims has taken this position -- what's your source? In his anti-Prop-1 statement he talked about needing a "toolkit", which I assumed was code for some variable tolling framework that would fund roads and transit.

Posted by nbc | February 28, 2008 4:29 PM
2

More info, dude! What exactly did Ceis have to say regarding Sims' decision? Any more details besides just the fact that he's not on board with Nickels on this? You've got me very curious...

Posted by Hernandez | February 28, 2008 4:36 PM
3

Dude, Ron, just because you're backing Hils, doesn't mean you have to be wrong TWICE ...

Wonder what would happen if everyone on SLOG started phoning his office, talking to him in person about it, sending him emails (on the metrokc.gov website) and so on ...

2008 or die.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 28, 2008 4:41 PM
4

Josh,

Did you even read his anti-Prop 1 op-ed last year?

He spent most of his column space attacking light rail to everywhere but Northgate. He wants to run bus rapid transit everywhere instead.

For all practical purposes, Ron Sims is now an enemy of light rail.

Posted by MHD | February 28, 2008 4:41 PM
5

Yeah, this doesn't seem surprising to me coming from the guy who did more than anyone else to kill ST2. It's too bad he's backing Clinton so he's unlikely to get a federal appointment in the Obama administration.

Posted by Cascadian | February 28, 2008 4:53 PM
6

Josh,
Your shit eating party with the Sierra Club is getting closer and closer. I can't wait.

Posted by J | February 28, 2008 5:01 PM
7

Agree with 4, 5 & 6. ...Sims has lost my vote if he decides to run for re-election. I guess he's still hoping that Hillary gets the nom & wins the election in Nov.

Posted by Screw King Co | February 28, 2008 5:12 PM
8

ST ought to go to the ballot in 2008. Apart from Roads 'n' Asphalt last year (a combo that wasn't initiated by ST), their last mandate from voters was way back in 1996. That's 12 years ago. Kids have entered first grade and gone to middle school and high school in this period. If ST waits 'till 2010 to go to the ballot, it will have been 14 years between public votes.

That's too long, for basic accountability.

Posted by Cleve | February 28, 2008 8:06 PM
9

@1, Sims said as much on KUOW's weekday -- the one before the most recent one I believe.

And yeah, Sims is anti-rail, pro BRT. He's way off on that imho.

Posted by npr | February 28, 2008 8:07 PM
10

Greg Nickels = light rail friend --> wants ST2 on the ballot in '08.
Ron Sims = light rail foe --> wants Sound Transit to hold off.

Hard not to see this as a sign that ST2 has a great chance of passing this year -- if the voters are given that chance.

Posted by cressona | February 28, 2008 9:01 PM
11

It's like Ben S. wrote yesterday - forget the board. There are professionals there in Union Station. Just get out of their way and let them do their jobs.

Posted by worker bee | February 29, 2008 6:56 AM
12

I'm preeetty sure that Ron Sims is just against using light rail as a regional rail system, which makes a lot of sense because it would suck at that. A trolley that can go from Everett to Tacoma? That would be a 3 hour ride!

Right now I can get from Everett to Tacoma in about 2.5 hours on the bus (counting transfer), because express buses are faster than light rail. As a major transit proponent, it seems obvious to me that light rail is meant to be intra-urban transit, which I believe was Ron Sims' point.

Also eastside light rail would probably be best on 520 because it would give people easy access to UW and downtown instead of just downtown, although I guess it's a lot easier to use I-90.

Anyway all I'm saying is I'm pretty sure that Ron Sims just has a brain in his head and doesn't need to be a major fanatic about everything. Also people that are obsessed with light rail but won't ride busses are total asshats in my personal opinion (Except for Dan who gets a get-out-of-transit-free card for being filthy rich, I would only ride cabs if I was him too).

Posted by John | February 29, 2008 10:11 AM
13

"a light rail initiative (heading north and east)"

That's the "plan?" I'm sold.

Slap a $140,000,000,000 price tag on that bad boy and I'm voting YES, YES, and YES again.

Oh, and make sure its all regressive sales taxes. The elderly, the poor, and those on fixed incomes need to get hit harder so suburbanite workers can have transportation alternatives to their downtown offices.

You are stupid assholes.

Posted by half-baked | February 29, 2008 10:26 AM
14

John's comments are illustrative of the muddled know-it-all thinking coming out of the Sierra Club and Ron Sims these days.

Ron doesn't support any light rail except Northgate. He pretends to support light rail over 520 even though he knows that brings way too many people into the system at the U District. You can't have Eastside commuters transferring onto full trains coming from the north. So to go over 520 you would have to build another set of tunnels to an through downtown at a cost of billions. You would also have to build and fund a spur line to downtown Bellevue. I-90 is by far the superior choice. Light rail will happen on 520, but only when the system is more built out and it isn't the only cross-lake crossing.

Ron knows this. He is the bus guy. He listens to Metro planners who tell him buses are more flexible. And his allies in killing light rail, The Sierra Club, led by the two Mikes and Tim Gould, are blindly following him in their ignorance. They refuse to engage in deliberations on light rail, but want us to accept their superior wisdom. Ron is playing them big time.

Buses may carry people just fine, but they don't influence development patterns that allow for density around transit stops. And John, you can call people who won't ride buses, but will ride rail asshats, but that doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of people out there who are like that.

BTW--asshat, light rail to Tacoma in the recent plan would have been 60 minutes and nobody was talking about light rail to Everett at this point. Light rail is far from a trolley. It will move at up to 55 MPH in many elevated segments. The entire ST2 plan is grade separated.

Ron is flat out wrong and definitely tired. It is time to go.

Posted by stick a fork in him | February 29, 2008 10:42 AM
15

Sims SUCKS!!!!! Shame on him. BOOOOOOOOOOOOO RON!

Posted by Ron Sucks Ass | February 29, 2008 4:17 PM
16

Sims probably has other plans up his sleeve. Maybe another billion dollars for The Discovery Institute's pointless footferry experiment (which will fail) Sims claims he doesn't like the sales tax, but loves spending it on half-empty suburban buses, the mentally ill, the homeless..you name it. Just not on light rail.

Sims pushed hard for RTID in 2005. He played a role in the Oly fiasco which tied Sound Transit with RTID in 2006, legislation which prevented ST from going to the ballot alone that year. After road-blocking light rail, Sims immediately jumped in to raise the sales tax for buses. Then, Sims turned against Prop 1, and raised the sales tax again for the mentally ill and our property taxes (real progressive, Ron) for foot ferries which - experience tells us - won't pencil out, and which studies show will carry only a handful of passengers.

I can't wait to see what Sims has in store for us, now that he apparently opposes a transit ballot in 2008.

My guess: this pie-in-the sky plan to "end homelessness" in 10 years. Hate to sound like a grouch, but the more amenities you throw at the homeless, the more of 'em who move here.

Why has Sims turned his back on electric, carbon neutral light rail, besides all the reasons I listed above? Well, by next year, light rail will be up and running, giving Sims' neighborhood a quick ride to the airport (for the junkets) and a quick ride to the office (for all the rudderless politicking). The rest of us get treated to his shitty diesel-sucking / mega-carbon footprint buses until the end of time.

Just my two bits.

Posted by James | February 29, 2008 7:06 PM
17

Oh, I almost forgot. Sims pushed forward on taxes for expanding Emergency One and county parks since 2006, too. You know, the stuff King County used to pay for out of the general fund. Back before King County decided to spend 90% of the general fund on putting people in jail. And putting them back in jail.

Posted by James | February 29, 2008 7:26 PM

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