It was interesting to read John Postema’s Oct. 15 guest commentary endorsing I-933, “Seattle Elite tries to take focus off of fairness”:
I’ve lived in Snohomish was 18 years. I work for Boeing. I surely don’t consider myself to be “Seattle Elite,” having come from eastern Oregon and from farming and home-building families.
I will, however, vote against I-933.
I live in the urban growth area for the city of Snohomish. The only thing standing in the way of my property being completely ruined by developers are the land use laws. What about my property rights? Mr. Postema does not address those.
The initiative compensates property owners if they are damaged by laws or the rules are waived. The county has contracts with the federal government to protect salmon streams and bull trout streams. They won’t be legally able to waive those rules. You and I will have to pay for this compensation for him.
The initiative places all of the costs for attorneys and analysts (to determine damages) on the taxpayers. All the property owner has to do is file a claim. In many cases it will probably be cheaper to pay the claim than to fight it. Only the attorneys will win. All we will do is pay.
Many of the mitigation fees for traffic and schools will be removed or reduced by this initiative since they were created after 1996. You and I will get to make up the difference.
Don’t be fooled. This initiative, if passed, will increase traffic, damage many small homeowners’ property rights and raise our taxes. Read the excellent information in the Voter’s Pamphlet. And please vote no on I-933.
Mike Waggoner
Snohomish
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