This afternoon, city council members voted unanimously to pass the proposed lease agreement between Seattle Center and Dale Chihuly, but they didn’t do the same for legislation for Ref. 1, which would place the tunnel agreements on the ballot in November. Instead, they voted unanimously to table it.
In the case of the Chihuly museum, Sally Bagshaw, who has been active in the bill’s transitions in the Parks Committee, introduced the bill. “I don’t want to go into the details,” she said. “There have been sixteen long months [of negotiating]. I greatly appreciate the folks who are at the Seattle Center, our new tenants KEXP, and the Vera Project. We’ve made another amazing space for [Chihuly’s] work, and for more artists who are going to be coming to our center.”
But while the council thoroughly discussed the other proposed bills—including one that would crack down on wage theft in Seattle—they were distinctly quiet on Ref. 1. Council president Richard Conlin recommended that the council postpone their own vote on it until they hear from the judge handling city attorney Pete Holmes’ lawsuit against the referendum—the lawsuit that the group Protect Seattle Now says Pete Holmes doesn’t have the authority to file.
“As you know the question of whether the ordinance is legally subject to referendum is before the courts,” he said. “The city attorney is seeking a declaratory judgment on this matter…We’ll hold further council action until we receive a ruling from the court.”
Council members made few comments before voting unanimously to table the bill. The lone exception was council member Mike O’Brien. “I look at referendums and initiatives throughout my history as a voting adult in Seattle, and there have been some I’ve agreed with and there have been some I’ve disagreed with,” he said. “But I respect that we have a process where citizens can take the initiative, so I want to acknowledge the work that they’ve done.”