Shoreline leaders go to D.C.

The Shoreline City Council traveled to Washington D.C. from March 6-11 to take part in the National League of Cities conference and to lobby lawmakers for federal funding for the Aurora Corridor project and other city priorities, city officials said.

All seven council members made the trip, along with Steve Burkett, city manager, Paul Haines, director of public works and Joyce Nichols, community and government relations. The Shoreline delegation met with state Congressional delegates including Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, Reps. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge, and George Nethercutt, R-Spokane. They also met with Federal Highway Administration officials.

Todd Webster, communications director with Murray’s office, said the senator was pleased to meet with the mayor and city council and talk about a number of requests for federal funding.

“Sen. Murray secured $400,000 for the Interurban Trail last year, and will continue to work this year to secure additional funding. She always appreciates the chance to meet with her hometown people,” he said.

The city council set a goal to have 80 percent of the Aurora Corridor projects funded by county, state or federal grants. The project involves widening and renovating the three miles of Aurora Avenue North that runs through the city as a part of a regional effort to widening Highway 99 from Seattle to Everett. Shoreline’s three-mile section is expected to cost about $85 million, Nichols said. The city has already secured grants for 80 percent of the $19.6 million that the first section from 145th to 165th streets is expected to cost. Lobbying for funds for future portions of the project and for the Interurban Trail project were key priorities for the council in D.C., Nichols said.

“Those dollars represent taxes our residents have paid and these grants represent our taxes coming back to us. If we don’t compete well, someone else will get that funding – Seattle, Bellevue, Texas,” Nichols said.

“We believe it’s a good investment to make the trip to Washington D.C. to discuss our project with the people who have a say in the funding decisions,” she said.

Council member Kevin Grossman said he believes the trip was valuable for the city.

“When you have the whole council show up, it shows the high level of commitment to being there and that we are serious enough to take time to visit,” he said.

Council member Bob Ransom said, “One reason we had such a high powered group, all seven of us, is that we are really concerned about obtaining money for Aurora, and we know we want the consent and support of our elected officials, so we met with them and their staff.

“Even though I voted no on the Aurora Corridor project, my position is that I fight hard for my point of view and once the vote is over, it’s over and we move on. We need the money to complete the project and I’m fighting hard for that money.”

Council member John Chang, the other no vote on the Aurora project, said he did not dissent from the group’s lobbying message. He said he used his time in D.C. for other endeavors as well.

“Their objective was to lobby for big issues, projects like the Interurban Trail, North City and Aurora Corridor – money, money, money. I’m a student of politics, so I go there to learn,” Chang said. “I had personal meetings with the assistant Secretary of Labor, the International Trade Task Force and Small Business Administration people, and my number one objective was to make contact with and learn from other leaders on how they are facing their issues.”