Regionalists to enter lion's den

January 2nd, 2008
Regional transportation governance is a tough sell in Pierce County. But John Stanton and Doug MacDonald, two leading proponents of RTG, are going to give it a shot next week anyway. Stanton, a Seattle telecom billionaire, and MacDonald, former state secretary of transportation, will make a pitch at the Jan. 9 meeting of RAMP (Regional Access Mobility Partnership). RAMP is a coalition of Pierce County business, port and government officials. Stanton and MacDonald were members of a blue-ribbon Regional Transportation Commission that a year ago recommended forming a 15-member regional Transportation Board. (Go here for a ...

2007 in review: The Seattle density debate

December 29th, 2007
Trying to find a saner, more just "ethic of place." Good luck with that, Seattle. Two important new books explain why.

SeaTac's Julia Patterson picked to chair King County Council – Highline Times

December 24th, 2007
SeaTac's Julia Patterson picked to chair King County Council Highline Times, WA - Dec 24, 2007
 In her two terms on the county council, Patterson has served on numerous regional bodies, including Sound Transit and the Puget Sound Regional Council, ...

Do Planners Really Want Public Involvement?

December 20th, 2007
It is late and I am tired and I don’t have time or ideas for a lengthy post, so I am just going to vent over one of my pet peeves: how planners say they want public involvement and then through obstacles in the way of members of the public who want to get involved. Today [...]

Gregoire is taking the lead in recasting transportation plans – Crosscut

December 19th, 2007
Gregoire is taking the lead in recasting transportation plans Crosscut, WA - 16 hours ago
 By David Brewster Nothing like a close election to focus the mind of political leaders. The best current example is Gov. Chris Gregoire, stung by defeat of ...

The Mother of All Agencies

December 18th, 2007
Ostensibly, the PSRTC is being created for regional priority road projects like the ones specified in the RTID: I-405 widening, the "Mercer mess," the 520 bridge, and others. But design and maintenance for those already rests with ...

Prop 1 Version 2: Consensus

December 18th, 2007
Crosscut has posted an essay by P-I columnist Ted Van Dyk that pretends to offer up a transportation solution in the wake of Prop. 1's failure. Van Dyk's solution? Consensus. Under the mantra of governance reform, he wants to do away with "turf oriented" battles.
In all of this, a new consensus is emerging about a post-Prop 1 agenda. It centers on moving aside turf-oriented, self-serving agencies such as Sound Transit and transferring power to a more objective, more responsive regional body. It would stress immediate priorities such as addressing the urgent Alaskan Way Viaduct and ...

Beyond Proposition 1: A new consensus is emerging – Crosscut

December 18th, 2007
Beyond Proposition 1: A new consensus is emerging Crosscut, WA - 1 hour ago
 They also have had informational meetings with Sound Transit and RTID leaders. According to Stanton, his group has no illusions regarding the support of ...
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