Eastside worries money will be siphoned to light rail

Finally, CETA's concerns about paying for Central Link Light Rail get into print in the news article below from the Eastside Journal.

See http://www.eastsidejournal.com/sited/story/html/115494.

Background: Based on hard analysis of Sound Transit's financial plan, CETA-affiliated analysts (who advise Councilman Rob McKenna and anybody else who will listen) cannot figure how the money numbers for building light rail from the U District to South 200th can possibly work out for completing the 21 miles of promised light rail with the existing taxes voted in 1996. Never mind that I-776 threatens those taxes!

But there is a long standing contrary view. A Seattle civic leader with complete access to all of Sound Transit's budget books, former Mayor Charles Royer, wrote over a year ago in a Seattle P-I op-ed on November 8, 2001: "What Sound Transit promised the voters and what the PRC [Link Light Rail Project Review Committee] believes can be built, is a 21-mile-long light-rail line from South 200th to Northeast 45th Street in the University District ... This is not wishful thinking on the part of the PRC. It is based on hard analysis of Sound Transit's financial plan, some reasonable expectations of local and national elected officials and four core principles adopted by PRC. The first principle is to complete the voter approved light-rail plan before going back to the voters to request additional funding. It is a commitment that can and must be honored." [http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/45765_charlieop.shtml]

Sound Transit Board Chairman Ron Sims has stood by that commitment every since! The official, revised Sound Transit cost figures for building the complete 21 miles, however, have not yet been announced.

John Niles,
CETA technical coordinator