SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Seattle Mayor ignoring the key functions of government, safety
Jun 18, 2015, 1:56 PM | Updated: 2:42 pm
Mayor Ed Murray wants nearly $1 billion for one of the most expensive levies in Seattle's history, Dori says. (SDOT photo)
(SDOT photo)
Taken from Thursday’s edition of KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show.
Mayor Ed Murray wants nearly $1 billion for one of the most expensive levies in Seattle’s history.
And now Murray is saying the proposed transportation levy isn’t enough.
“One of the interesting things we’ve heard again and again from people is not that it’s too large, it’s not large enough,” Murray announced.
This tells you how Murray surrounds himself with only like-minded people.
There are bridges we’ve been told that are dangerous. This levy provides a lot of money for bike lanes, but no money for bridges. The bridge replacements have been left out of transportation levy.
Bicycle lanes, that’s all they care about. They care about the 3 percent of people who ride bikes. And Ed Murray says, “It will take additional money and it will be an additional ask, at some point, for the voters of the City of Seattle.”
Murray says the city is going to have to raise taxes further. They just got bus levy passed that was supposed to solve transportation woes — instead things are much worse.
The city can spend $1 billion for bike lanes, but bridges, the city is going to need another levy for that, because it doesn’t have enough money.
If Ed Murray wants to go to a convention in Israel, there’s enough money for that. They can send staffers and unneeded security. They have money for bike lanes. There’s enough money for all Murray’s pet causes; but for all the essential needs of the city, no, can’t do that.
He’s as out-of-touch and clueless a mayor as we’ve ever had.
There is nothing more essential in city government than infrastructure and moving people around. But they’ve made traffic so much worse, choking car travel.
Even if you pass a $1 billion levy, they’ll need another levy to pay for replacing bridges.
However, Murray said there “may be an opportunity to pair projects and maybe reduce some of the costs.” The city is going to have to pursue state and federal money because the “price tags are really large.”
How about this, Murray: Find the money to take care of our bridges and put a levy on the ballot asking if we want to raise property taxes to send you to speak at the convention in Israel. Why don’t you do that?
Find the money for essential things in government, instead of the other way around.
Taken from Thursday’s edition of KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show.
