I couldn’t agree more with David Gibson’s Oct. 22 letter to the editor concerning the inability of numerous residents in Snohomish County to vote on a sales tax increase via Proposition 1 because we do not reside within the Community Transit service district. As outlined by Mr. Gibson, we may not live within its boundaries, but we certainly do our shopping there.
So how ironic that today I received a mailing from CommunityTransitNOW.org asking for my vote on Prop 1. Included within was a list of the top five contributors funding the proposition. They are: Alexander Dennis, Inc.; Gillig; ATU International; ATU Local 1576; and Parsons Brinkerhoff. A quick Internet search revealed them to be, in order, a bus and coach manufacturer, a transit bus manufacturer, a transit employees union, a transit employees local, and an engineering/construction management company.
Prop 1 is being billboarded as a boon to county residents, promising less traffic and more economic growth. The companies and organizations funding it, though, reveals it for what it really is: a boondoggle project that will line the pockets of the companies that will provide the new buses, the union that operates the new buses, and the company that will design and manage construction on the new routes.
I encourage all residents who can vote to look beyond the “it’s only $3 a month” punchline and see the joke on all of us that lies within: Prop 1 is another taxpayer funded cash cow for a very select group of people. Please vote no on Prop 1.
Greg Young
Stanwood
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