[Carfreeliving] seattletimes.com: Gas tax is going up

[Bert Hill]

Being from Seattle, I'm really glad to see a gas tax going up, but
Washington has no income tax.  On the other hand, it appears from the
article to be going primarily for expansion of Seattle & King County
freeways.  If the financing was to tear down the Alaskan Way Viaduct (nearly
identical to our Embarcadero Freeway, but longer), and replace it with the
tunnel proposal or transit-oriented transportation, it would be beneficial.
Otherwise, all these freeway projects will do is increase auto traffic
volumes into and through downtown Seattle. 

Bert

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Subject: [Carfreeliving] seattletimes.com: Gas tax is going up

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Comments from sender: They did it in Washington!
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Gas tax is going up
Full story:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002252220_leg25m.html

By Andrew Garber and Ralph Thomas
Seattle Times Olympia bureau



OLYMPIA -- In a stunning turnaround, lawmakers ended the session yesterday
by passing an $8.5 billion transportation package that includes a 9.5-cent
gas tax over four years -- the biggest increase in state history. 

The legislation, which went through the Senate last week, passed the House
54 to 43, with 11 Republicans siding with the Democratic majority. Gov.
Christine Gregoire said she'll sign the measure. 

The package raises the gas tax by 3 cents a gallon the first year, 3 cents
the second year, 2 cents the third year and 1.5 cents in the fourth. It
includes $2 billion for the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, $972 million for
Interstate 405 on the Eastside, and $500 million toward replacing the
Highway 520 bridge over Lake Washington. 

"This is absolutely historic," said Duke Schaub, lobbyist for Associated
General Contractors of Washington and one of the most powerful figures in
Olympia. "This means thousands and thousands of new jobs." 

The Legislature, which adjourned at 7:17 last evening, also passed a $26
billion operating budget that includes about $400 million in taxes, as well
as a $3 billion state construction budget yesterday. But those votes were
practically footnotes to the fight over transportation. 

The transportation plan seemed all but dead in the morning after a brutal
partisan fight Saturday that saw the same plan defeated by a 54-43 vote.
Both parties accused each other of dirty politics and preventing members in
politically vulnerable districts from taking a risky tax vote. Democratic
leaders early in the day were bemoaning a lack of bipartisan cooperation on
transportation, while Republicans were accusing the majority party of
failing to lead. 



Then, shortly after 11 a.m., Gregoire started hammering away at the
legislative leadership, trying to break the stalemate. She stopped at House
Republican Leader Bruce Chandler's office, then visited House Speaker Frank
Chopp and the leaders of both parties in the Senate. 

Gregoire said she told all of them, "I want to see a transportation package
come out. If that viaduct falls down and peoples' lives are lost, I'm not
going to stand here and say we lost it because we couldn't take the vote to
get it done." 

The governor indicated to leaders in both parties she'd take the Legislature
into special session if they didn't pass a transportation plan. 

The tactics apparently helped. A little later, Chopp, D-Seattle, and
Chandler, R-Granger, met privately and came out agreeing to let all their
members vote on the plan without interference. 

Minutes after that, the transportation plan came back up for another try.
With no debate, Chopp opened up the electronic vote machine and the count
quickly surged to 54 votes in favor. 

As soon as Chopp locked in the vote, the House erupted in applause, and the
scene looked more like a church at the end of a big wedding. Teary-eyed
Democratic members swarmed over to hug House Transportation Chairman Ed
Murray, D-Seattle, and Republicans on the other side. 

Senate Transportation Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen rushed to the House
floor, where she and Murray shared a long embrace. 

"I can't believe we did it," said Haugen, D-Camano Island. "Oh Lord, I can't
believe we did it." 

Within minutes, Gregoire came upstairs to make an impromptu victory tour and
to congratulate members in all four caucuses of the Legislature. 

"I want you to know, I voted for something that isn't good for my district,"
Rep. Jim Clements, R-Selah, told Gregoire. He then asked Gregoire to
remember that vote when he comes seeking millions of dollars for a major
reservoir project that's still in the planning stages in his district. 

It was hard to believe the Democrats and Republicans had been at each
others' throats a few hours earlier. 

But that's not unusual in the Legislature. "Around this place, you need to
argue your point with all the vim and vigor you can," said Deputy House
Republican Leader Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee. "But at the end of the day,
you should be able to go out to dinner with your opponent and enjoy each
other's company." 

Armstrong gave Gregoire a lot of credit for breaking the logjam and bringing
about the transportation plan's passage. 

The governor, he said, made it clear that Democrats needed and wanted the
Republicans' help. "She lighted a fire and reignited this issue when it was
waning," Armstrong said. "That's what leaders do." 

Armstrong, who voted against the transportation package, said those weren't
easy words for him to say, given that he hopes Republican Dino Rossi wins in
court and can defeat Gregoire in a new election. Rossi lost the 2004
election to Gregoire by 129 votes after two recounts and is challenging the
contest in court. 

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said Gregoire had to stick
her neck out farther than anyone in supporting the gas-tax increase. "She's
taking a big political risk on this one," Kessler said, "because she's
facing that challenge in court and may be facing a special election" if
Rossi wins the case. 

Gregoire, meanwhile, said she gives all the credit to the transportation
leaders and the lawmakers who voted for the bill. "It's courageous and it's
bold," said Gregoire. "We just did the right thing." 

The package will not fully pay for replacing the viaduct and 520 bridge. The
central Puget Sound region will have to contribute billions of dollars as
well. 

The transportation plan puts the region on notice that it needs to come up
with its share of local money by January 2007 or risk losing funds for
projects. 

Not everyone was celebrating the gas-tax vote. 

"It's a huge concern for us," said Carolyn Logue, a small-business lobbyist.
"There has been nothing done this session to relieve costs for small
business. ... Some are going to be very hurt by this." 

Opponents said it was a bad time to raise the gas tax, given rocketing
prices at the pump. 

"This package is just too much for the people of Washington state, when you
consider the price of gas and what's going on in Washington state with the
economy," Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Bellingham, said during floor debate
Saturday. He voted no again yesterday. 

Rep. Beverly Woods, R-Kingston, a key transportation negotiator for the
House Republicans, said 11 votes was a good number for her party. Much of
her caucus comes from rural and Eastern Washington districts where gas taxes
are an anathema. 

But she felt yesterday's vote bodes well for future cooperation between the
parties on transportation issues. 

"I think this is a turning point in transportation," she said. "My parents
helped pay for the roads we drive on now. We have to continue to make that
investment." 

Andrew Garber: 360-943-9882 or agarber at seattletimes.com 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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