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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Stranger Interview with Gov. Gregoire, Unabridged Version.

posted by on February 21 at 11:49 AM

I have an interview with Gov. Gregoire in this week’s print edition of the Stranger. At the bottom of the interview it says: “An expanded version of this interview, including a Q&A about Gregoire’s climate change bill (C+), family leave (C), the earned income tax credit, the viaduct (B), and more on 520 can be found online at www.thestranger.com/news.

However, that wasn’t true until right now. Read the whole thing here.

RSS icon Comments

1

Good comments on closing the tax bribes to corporations there, and thus good grading.

I totally get what she's saying about ST and 520 bridge, though. She's saying the bridge is being built, and it will be built as a 6 lane pontoon bridge, but that it will be built in such a way that it could easily be expandable to an 8 lane bridge if a light rail or medium capacity transit line is added to it.

She's also basically telling Pierce County to suck it up and stop whining about their ST2 light rail segment that never made sense from a dollar cost per used capacity valuation being dropped. But in a polite way.

I'm more likely to tell Pierce County to stuff it, myself, and get real, but I'm not the Governor.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 21, 2008 12:14 PM
2

Josh: She wants to see if ST can come up with an affordable plan that fits in with other transportation planning and spending efforts BEFORE encouraging a 2008 vote. How could you possibly do anything but give her an "A" for that answer? Look, you may think ST's shit smells beautiful, but it isn't like they've proven they can deliver.

Hey cressona, how much is that light rail boondoggle going to end up costing, anyway?

Posted by Schwarzenegger | February 21, 2008 12:45 PM
3

What's the point of building light rail from Tacoma to the airport to Seattle? That hardly encourages any sprawl at all.

Sound Transit clearly isn't accomplishing their mission. Paving over vacant lots in existing northern exurbs with only 1,000 car parking lots is pathetic. Gregoire should propose light rail this year from downtown Seattle to Microsoft to a 50,000 car parking lot outside of Cle Elum. That way voters can get even more dirt cheap new Quadrant homes with convenient free parking for their jobs and the new Wal-Marts and Safeways that will pop up.

Think of the hundreds of square miles of vacant land paved over! Isn't that what ST2 is all about??

Posted by light rail advocate | February 21, 2008 1:02 PM
4

light rail advocate @3:

Actually, that IS what ST is about. Did you know that the realtors' were the single largest contributor to the pro-Prop. 1 campaign last fall? They kicked in $300,000 precisely because the ST light rail allows massive sprawl. Units in existing subdivisions in the Cascade foothills increase in value as the "time to employer" decreases due to drives to park & ride lots. Those park & ride lots feeding trains also feed outward sprawl as it becomes economically viable to build new subdivisions a half-hour drive from the eastern terminii of the LRT lines. And "liberals" love it - they can't see beyond the glossy images of shiny trains in the promotional flyers.

Posted by wheedle | February 21, 2008 1:47 PM
5

Massive sprawl means her push to get global warming legislation thru was meaningless.

She knows the consequences.

Oh, by the way, you're getting an elevated viaduct if City Council and the Mayor don't back Surface Plus Transit unanimously, just thought I'd remind you the clock is ticking ... she hasn't forgotten even if you have ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 21, 2008 2:30 PM
6

WILL ----- do you like SB 6771? It would make counties hold off 'till '09 before putting an RTID measure before voters. I'd like your feelings on it.

Posted by curious | February 21, 2008 8:57 PM
7

Look, until it gets line item vetoed, we have no idea what the final form will be.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 22, 2008 11:39 AM

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