EVERETT – Tim Eyman says he fears a eulogy coming on.
The state’s Initiative King from Mukilteo spoke out against bills in the state Legislature that would change how measures like his get on the ballot.
In a talk to Snohomish County leaders-in-training last week, he argued the changes would put special interests with deep pockets more in control of future initiatives.
Eyman’s calling and livelihood – he draws a salary from initiative campaign donations – appear at stake. With a strong dash of hyperbole, he worries pending bills could be the death of the state’s initiative process.
His group, now called “Voters Want More Choices,” has pushed 14 measures in 10 years, getting nine on the ballot and seven approved.
“I’m drawn to the initiative process because ultimately the voters decide,” he said. “I live and breathe this stuff. I revel in any opportunity to talk about the initiative process.”
Key among his efforts was setting the state’s car tab fee at $30 through Initiative 695, along with other tax revolt measures. Getting those measures on the ballot these days means paid signature gatherers, Eyman said.
Among the bills up for debate in Olympia is a proposed ban on paying signature gatherers per signature. They could still be paid per hour.
State Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, said initiatives should be grass roots, not big business.
“When it becomes big business, it cheapens the process,” Dunshee said. “I think initiatives are great when you’ve got to move the establishment, but when it becomes just a money operation, it hurts the process.”
He said Eyman’s salary from running initiatives shows his true colors.
“For him, it’s money,” Dunshee said. “I don’t think he’s doing anything for the common good.”
Campaign donations to Eyman’s salary fund netted him $104,500 in 2005 and $87,500 in 2006, he said.
2007 could be another big year. On Feb. 9, Eyman expects to have petitions printed for his next initiative, which would make it tougher to raise state taxes.
“The death of every initiative is lack of conversation,” he said. Some sponsors say they could have made it to the ballot box and succeeded if only the media paid attention.
“So our job is to be the most obnoxious jerks you could imagine,” Eyman said. He deliberately goes to hearings in Olympia – what he calls the lion’s den – courting conflict.
“The press loves conflict,” he said.
Proposed changes in state law such as the signature-gathering bill could affect Eyman’s next effort.
Another bill in the Legislature would throw out petition signatures if the gatherer fails to sign and provide personal information on the back of a petition.
A third proposal requires an ID badge for signature gatherers. One bill would ban sex offenders from gathering signatures, with $200 in penalties paid to those who sign petitions.
The Legislature also is considering a bill to increase the cost of filing an initiative from $5 – set in 1912 – to $100.
Legislators argued that representative democracy hangs in the balance when initiative hawkers like Eyman have too much sway.
Eyman said lawmakers are attacking the people, who can better control ideas at the ballot box than their elected officials.
“Do not put your faith in people,” he said. “They will only let you down. They are fallible. I’ve never found an initiative that’s changed its mind after it was passed.”
Eyman said whenever an initiative passes, a winning voter wonders why so many people voted against a good idea. The losing voter wonders why there are so many stupid people in the state.
“You can’t assume they’re dumber than you are,” he said. “They’re not evil or bad, it just means they have different values than you.”
He said to return the initiative process to the people and take big money out of the equation, the Legislature should reduce the high number of signatures required to get a measure on the ballot.
Filing an initiative in January means printing petitions in February and collecting signatures by the state’s July deadline.
“Collecting 225,000 signatures in five months is asinine,” he said. Changing that, though, means changing the state Constitution.
“It’s never going to happen,” he said. “We need to function in the realm of the possible.”
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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