Voters booted the idea of a 9-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase for transportation projects by voting down Referendum 51 Nov. 5.
Local opposition leaders say it’s a message to the state.
“My sense is it’s not passing because people don’t trust how the government is spending money,” said Shoreline resident and former King County council member Maggi Fimia, who is now co-chair of the Coalition for Effective Transportation Alternatives.
“I think it represents the voice of the people telling WSDOT they need to be more accountable,” said Dan Mann, spokesman for the Shoreline Merchants Association, that recently organized a transportation symposium in Shoreline against the measure.
More than 62 percent of state voters cast ballots against the statewide measure that would have added 9 cents to the state’s 23-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax and generated about $7.7 billion over the next 10 years to pay for highway projects across the state.
“Voters are telling them it’s not that we don’t want to spend money on projects, but that we want our money spent wisely, and know what we are getting,” Fimia said.
“We need to start holding people accountable,” added Mann. “As I see it, we need highways that work, not mega projects that are extravagant and don’t accomplish anything. People are looking for answers — the same old solution of more money isn’t going to work.”
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