Cascadia Report

Category: Politics

  • Sculpture garden should be prelude to viaduct fix

    Seattle’s new Olympic Sculpture Garden, which is getting rave reviews, is a home run for the city. The art park turns old industrial land into an anchor for the fast-changing neighborhood around it and provides a bridge to the waterfront.

    olympic sculpture garden; photo courtesy seattle art museumAs I toured the garden during a preview event Saturday, I couldn’t help but wonder: Why not pull off the same transformation a little further south, where the viaduct freeway now stands?

    Reviews of the garden so far praise the way the architects connected the pieces of the site, which is bisected by a highway and a busy railroad. Of course the garden doesn’t take away any downtown traffic capacity, but no one seems to mind that it doesn’t add any either. It simply shows what the city could do along the waterfront with some creativity.

    A chief proponent of building a new viaduct, state House Speaker Frank Chopp, apparently finally sees the value of an extensive package of transit and surface street improvements instead. Other representatives should visit the sculpture garden to see what’s possible along the central waterfront before pushing for new blight.

  • Portland’s mayor puts focus on long-term city plan

    Portland’s popular mayor, Tom Potter, appears to be betting his term on a project to create a 20-year strategic plan for the city. Creating this kind of long-term plan for the future is exactly what top leaders should do.

    Some residents question whether the vision is as important as fixing immediate problems like potholes, according to The Oregonian:

    “It’s almost like we’re concentrating on the people who are moving here more than the people who are here now,” said Bonny McKnight, an East Portland neighborhood activist.

    The obvious alternative is city planning by the most vocal current residents, who often have more stake in preserving the status quo. If top leaders don’t plan for future residents, who will?

  • Democrats wisely pick Denver for 2008

    Democrats decided to hold their 2008 national convention in Denver, a choice that could help position the party to make gains with Hispanic and Western voters who are critical to the party’s future.

    It’s a surprisingly astute move. Remember that in 2004 Republicans held their convention in New York City in order to drape the party in the memory of Sept. 11. Democrats went to uber-Democratic Boston.

    This time Denver won out over New York, which is home to Sen. Hilary Clinton. New York’s benefits include media exposure and plenty of experience holding massive events. But potentially disastrous downsides include its overwhelmingly Democratic politics and deference to often-outmoded organized labor. Holding the event in New York would have gained Democrats nothing.

    By contrast, Denver is the booming heart of the Rocky Mountains, where Democrats have made gains by addressing economic issues and new residents. National political conventions may be less important every four years, but the event is guaranteed to generate attention in the West and expose Democrats from around the country to some new issues. The region is already clearly in the sights of Republicans, who are holding their convention in Minneapolis.

  • Dems must be bold with Washington budget

    Democrats who control the legislature in Washington stand to lose their advantage if they don’t make bold moves during this year’s session.

    The session kicked off this week with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposals to boost spending on education and other programs. It was met with a preemptive strike in The Seattle Times, claiming the spending is ill-timed and unsustainable.

    Josh Feit at The Stranger outlines some of the flaws in the argument. Joel Connelly rightly points out examples of how failing to enact policy solutions that make lives better is a good way for a party to lose power. Gregoire has already whiffed once (on the viaduct) and gets scarce credit for her successes. With the 2008 elections on the horizon, voters will need to see action.

  • Seattle area needs single transit agency

    The Seattle area needs a single transit agency to prioritize projects and recommend funding and land use policies, according to a new state study.

    The recommendation, expected after a preliminary report last fall, would make the area’s transit and development planning apparatus more similar to those in Vancouver and Portland — where transit projects are more than plans. The Seattle area has six major transit agencies and 128 governments involved in transit planning, the study found.

  • State legislatures face tall tasks

    Legislatures across the region go into session today with long to-do lists.

    The Oregonian says this year’s session will answer the question “Is Oregon governable?”

    Lawmakers have spent record amounts of time accomplishing less and less. They have made no progress on the state’s most vexing issues: an especially volatile tax system, chronically underfunded schools and universities, a health care crisis and a steadily shrinking state police patrol. All the while, the Capitol has degenerated into a meaner, more partisan, more ethically challenged and more secretive place.

    Washington’s legislature faces a series of issues, starting with a two-year budget. Democrats have a strong majority so the outcome will set the stage for next year’s campaigns for governor and other offices statewide.

  • Compromise in the works for Seattle’s viaduct

    A compromise appears to be in the works to replace Seattle’s dangerous viaduct without asking voters to decide between a tunnel or new elevated freeway.

    Yesterday Gov. Chris Gregoire stepped up pressure to force a solution by threatening to rebuild the viaduct unless the city takes action by spring. She previously punted instead of deciding the fate of the state highway.

    Politicians are paid to reach compromises like this rather than pass the tough decisions to voters. A ballot on replacing the freeway would mean a sound bite-filled campaign and inconclusive result (monorail, anyone?) because all the options and financial conditions couldn’t possibly be presented. Instead of a lengthy debate, the city should move ahead with the fastest, least-costly option to replace the aging viaduct: a package of transit and street improvements.

  • Health care tops business agenda in Oregon

    Improving health care coverage was the surprising theme of a major business conference in Oregon yesterday.

    The issue was part of a larger push to make the state’s economy more competitive despite the ups and downs of business cycles. One encouraging sign: the governor appointed a high-profile tech CEO as his top economic advisor.

  • Study: Shortfall threatens Washington ferries

    Washington’s ferry system faces a major funding shortfall despite a 62 percent increase in fares since 2001, according to a new study.

    Released just as the state legislature returns to session, the study says operations eat up most of the system’s budget, leaving little for infrastructure improvements like a new terminal on Bainbridge Island. Fares would need to rise 5 to 6 percent a year just to stay even — more than some earlier projections.

    The system needs to do a better job forecasting passenger demand and should charge more during peak times to encourage travel during less-busy periods, the study says.

  • Canadian truckers want a tax write-off too

    Canadian truckers are organizing for a tax break that they say would put them on par with their U.S. rivals. Apparently drivers in the U.S. can deduct most of the cost of their meals. According to a Teamsters lobbyist:

    “When a U.S. and Canadian truck driver sit down side-by-side in the same truck stop, eating the same breakfast, it’s very hard to stomach the fact that one of them is getting an 80 percent write-off while the other gets only 50 percent; its not fair or reasonable.”

    The story doesn’t mention the other subsidies truckers receive that give them a leg up on other forms of transport.