OLYMPIA — Battle lines on November’s massive road and transit tax measure are taking shape in the streets, over the airwaves and throughout cyberspace.
Television ads are running this week on cable channels in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties, promoting passage of the $17.8 billion proposal pushed by Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation Investment District.
“We have to drill down and let voters know how their lives will be positively affected by this package,” said Aaron Toso, spokesman for the coalition backing the measure.
Meanwhile, two camps of opponents are conducting separate campaigns against Proposition 1, one criticizing it as too costly and the other too environmentally damaging.
“It is just an ill-conceived plan. It is just a staggering tax,” said Mark Baerwaldt, the force behind No to Prop 1.
The Sierra Club is also opposing the measure, contending it will increase traffic and undermine the state’s fight against global warming.
“They claim (in the commercials) it’s balanced but there’s nothing balanced about making global warming worse,” said Mike O’Brien, chairman of the Cascade Chapter.
Proposition 1 calls for $7 billion in spending on roads and highways in the three-county region with $1.5 billion earmarked for Snohomish County projects. These are calculations in 2006 dollars.
It also would generate $10.8 billion for Sound Transit to expand light rail throughout the region with $1.45 billion for extending service to south Everett.
To pay for the work, sales and motor vehicle excise taxes would rise within the boundaries of Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation Investment District.
The proposed taxes would add 6 cents to a $10 purchase, and $80 to license tabs for every $10,000 of a car’s value. In other words, a $20,000 vehicle would carry a $160 roads and transit tab increase.
On Monday, supporters started airing 30-second commercials in 10 cable markets. Keep Washington Rolling, the group financing the campaign, spent $100,000 to run commercials through Sunday, Toso said. The ads, which can be viewed on YouTube.com, vary slightly in each market to give viewers information on key projects for their communities.
Viewers in north Snohomish County, for example, will hear that U.S. 2, Highway 9 and I-5 are slated for improvements with money in the package.
Baerwaldt of Seattle said he’s trying to alert voters to the high taxes and long-term costs not mentioned by the measure’s supporters. He said the money would do little to solve the region’s transportation problems. The high-tech-industry veteran has pledged $250,000 of his own money to defeat Proposition 1.
He spent $50,000 on radio ads that ran last week. Baerwaldt is also blasting his message on the Internet, purchasing banner ads on Web sites of newspapers throughout the three-county region.
“It’s not only the airwaves but we’ve got a cyberwar going, too,” he said. Sierra Club members, who launched their grass-roots campaign Monday night, will be focusing on the environmental damage to the Puget Sound region posed by miles of new roads.
O’Brien said the campaign budget won’t likely exceed $50,000. Its success depends on the 17,000 members in the three counties getting involved.
“The other side will bombard the public on the airwaves,” he said. “We are going to do what we can. We will rely on people who care about global warming.”
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