Fighting through the recession fatigue that’s afflicting us all, voters in the city of Snohomish defied expectations in Tuesday’s election. They agreed to tax themselves (and, smartly, others who shop in town) a little more to keep their streets in good shape for the next 10 years.
On the same night their City Council voted to save around $375,000 a year by pursuing a contract with the county sheriff’s office for police service, Snohomish voters acknowledged their city’s budget troubles and took action. The additional two-tenths of a cent sales tax they approved will generate an estimated $660,000 a year over 10 years for street maintenance and resurfacing, as well as some intersection improvements.
While politicians fight each other to a stalemate in the other Washington, Snohomish voters rejected an idle status quo.
So did voters in Seattle. More than 10 years after the Nisqually earthquake damaged the Alaskan Way Viaduct, they resoundingly ended a seemingly endless debate. By a 60-40 margin, they put their support behind a deep-bore tunnel to replace the 58-year-old elevated highway, part of a critical north-south corridor for regional commuters and freight.
Seattle is known for arguing over issues ad nauseam, but this time the inability to make a decision posed a threat to the entire Puget Sound economy. The loss of the viaduct to a major earthquake would overwhelm I-5 and deal a disastrous blow to commerce throughout the region — in addition to any immediate death and destruction.
The tunnel plan isn’t without risk, but the other options — another elevated roadway or diverting Highway 99 traffic onto surface streets — presented their own shortcomings and never got political traction. Voters, if only because they were sick of the debate, rejected more indecision and said the time for action had come.
The state Department of Transportation plans to have the tunnel finished by 2016. The viaduct will remain open in the meantime, then be demolished. A more spacious, pedestrian-friendly waterfront will be one happy result.
The forward-thinking decisions by voters in Snohomish and Seattle should remind elected officials that progress is still important to communities, even in tough times. It’s true that disagreements sharpen when resources are scarce, but that doesn’t relieve government of its responsibility to make hard choices. Snohomish officials, by biting the bullet on police service, showed they understand that.
How refreshing it would be if members of Congress did, too.
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