Seattle's $1.55 billion transportation levy generating little debate

SEATTLE — Seattle Proposition No. 1, the largest levy in the city’s history, has little to no organized campaign for or against it as voters are expected to get their ballot this week.

That makes theSeattle Times editorial board recommendation urging people to vote no on the $1.55 billion levy more newsworthy. Proposition 1 would nearly double the property tax payment for transportation for median homeowners.

The measure sailed through the process involving the Seattle mayor and City Council and laid out an eight-year taxing vision to improve sidewalks, repaving, and bridge infrastructure.

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The city’s ethics and elections office shows just one campaign that has raised over $182,000 but hasn’t spent half of the funding. There is no organized opposing campaign.

Former Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersenwrote the “no” section for Proposition 1 in the King County voter’s guide and admitted Tuesday he was surprised to see the visible rejection of the measure.

“I think so many people are focused on the presidential election, the governor's race, and people are busy. The Prop 1 transportation levy for Seattle is unaffordable, inequitable, and ineffective,” Pedersen said, and claimed it does not address the city’s biggest issue.

“If you look at the fine print of Prop 1, you see it doesn't fix the bridges. It sprinkles some money here and there on bridges, but it doesn't tackle the main concerns, like seismically retrofitting most of our bridges. That's what's needed," Pedersen continued. "People remember the pain of the West Seattle bridge closure. Prop 1 does not prevent that from happening again, and that's why we should reject and redo it, so it’s more effective about bridges.”

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However, backers likely don’t feel the need to launch an organized campaign given Seattle’s long history of approving levy requests. The councilmanic process addressed concerns and raised the request. Early internal polling suggested voters could support as much as $2 billion in transportation levy requests.

Mitra Aghai was on a dog walk down the middle of a West Seattle thoroughfare on Tuesday and may have explained the dilemma for voters.

“Obviously, I'm not excited for property taxes to go higher because we have some of the highest taxes in the country,” Aghai said. “I would love some sidewalks here, so I don't have to walk my dog in the street, especially at night when there's not a lot of light over here.”

Aghai also said she was undecided about the proposition.

“I sit down and I look at it all at once and then I take my notes and decide,“ she said.

On Wednesday, Kirk Hovenkotter with the non-profit political advocacy group the Transportation Choices Coalition disputed the characterization of the lack of an organized yes campaign, pointing to a campaign website, and pictures of a handful of yard signs. He also said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will be part of a phone bank to make calls to urge people to vote for the measure.