In an article in the Seattle Times, reporter Will Mari quotes various contenders for the 41st district seats.

Read their views (links to their websites are provided) on Sound Transit’s Prop 1 (ST2) tax proposal for 2008, and other ideas on transportation improvements that would provide congestion relief for the eastside, such as bus rapid transit (BRT), and the future use of the BNSF rail corridor.

Here’s a few excerpts from the Times article:

“(Steve) Litzow, 46, a Mercer Island city councilman, faces Democrat Marcie Maxwell, 53, in a tight race. The House seat became open when Democratic Rep. Fred Jarrett decided to run for state Senate.”

“The big issue on people’s minds is the economy, despite the area’s comparative wealth, and voters will not be marching in lock-step, (Steve) Litzow argues.

“Mercer Island residents depend on I-90, and most of the district’s voters live on or near I-405. As a result, transportation joins education as the most important issues on voters’ minds….”

“Litzow opposes Proposition 1, the proposed sales-tax increase that would extend light rail north, south and east. Instead, he wants bus-rapid transit combined with light rail running north-south along the former BNSF Railway line on the Eastside.”

Here is a link to Litzow’s proposals for transportation improvements on the Eastside (scroll down halfway):  Reduce Traffic Congestion: http://stevelitzow.com/index.php?p=30

“His opponent, (Marcie) Maxwell, is a Renton Realtor and member of the Renton School Board. She’s more on the fence regarding Prop. 1, but is concerned about the emphasis on light rail.

“On the Eastside, we need to have the convenience and the routes” to make mass transit more of an option for commuters, she said.”

Maxwell’s statement would seem to support the flexibility of bus rapid transit corridors.

Here is a link to her position on transportation:

Reducing Traffic Congestion:  http://www.marciemaxwell.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27

Fred Jarrett (D) is running for State Senate.

Here is a link to his website: http://vote4fred.org/default.aspx

From the Times:

“State Senate switcheroo”

“In the Senate race, Fred Jarrett is running as a Democrat for the first time.”

“Jarrett is in favor of Prop. 1. While not perfect, “it doesn’t matter to me whether the transit has rubber wheels or tracks,” he said.”

His opponent for State Senate is Bob Baker.Here is a link to his views on transportation:

“Are your transportation tax dollars getting you to work faster OR are they focused instead on government efforts at social engineering? “ http://www.voteforbaker.com/issues.shtml

From the Times article on Bob Baker:

“The 21-year Navy veteran, “Top Gun” graduate and Alaska Airlines pilot spent a career on the F-14 Tomcat as a test pilot. He also worked at the Pentagon, a job that included testifying before congressional committees and convincing admirals and generals to fund appropriation projects.

Like Jarrett, he said he shares a disdain for waste, and backs State Auditor Brian Sonntag’s use of performance audits to look for savings in state agencies….”

“An opponent of Prop. 1, (Bob) Baker favors bus-rapid transit instead of an east-west rail line.

“By Sound Transit’s own analysis, it won’t relieve traffic congestion,” he said.

As far as his district in concerned, he said it’s “not so much that it’s moved Democratic, but we have a lot of independents a, as people weigh their options.”

See their website at: http://www.eastsiderailnow.org/proposition_1_redo.html

Here is the first 10:

1.   It would do little to reduce traffic congestion.

2.   It would provide little environmental benefit.

3.   Poor choices were made on selecting the rail routes.

4.   It would downgrade some existing bus service.

5.   It would result in wasteful construction of duplicative facilities.

6.   The start of rail operations would be too slow.

7.   It is mainly a transit system for Seattle.

8.   Serious technical problems remain regarding use of the I-90 floating bridge.

9.   It would have an adverse effect on freight mobility.

10.   So-called “bus rapid transit” may not be effective.

Read all “29 Reasons to Vote No”  at : http://www.eastsiderailnow.org/proposition_1_redo.html

Eastside Rail Now members envision a one-mile moving walkway that ... PNW Local News, WA - 3 hours ago The estimated $20 million project would be funded by Sound Transit, which has taken in more than $650 million in excess tax revenues from the Eastside, ...

County Council Oks Eastside trail deal Seattle Post Intelligencer - 12 hours ago Sound Transit and a regional planning agency intend to conduct a $300000 study of the corridor and its transit potential. The corridor proposal has gone ...

Weigh in folks- preferably before the May 5th King County Council meeting:

Date: Monday, May 5th

Location: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Seattle, 10th floor

Time: 9:30 a.m

Kevin Erwin of the Seattle Times reports on comments by Ron Sims:

“rail and trail should be “coequal in principal.”

But Port Commission President John Creighton and Port CEO Tay Yoshitani told Sims and the County Council in a letter Wednesday that future rail uses have priority over the trail.”

Here’s a link to make comments to the King County Council: council@kingcounty.gov

Here’s a link to King County Council’s page on BNSF: http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/connections.aspx

The Metropolitan King County Council will take public testimony Monday on a pending deal with the Port of Seattle and BNSF Railway for construction...

'Rails to Trail' deal done by fall? Seattle Post Intelligencer - Apr 8, 2008 Yoshitani said he believed a $300000 Sound Transit and Puget Sound Regional Council study of the rail corridor's feasibility as a commuter line would ...