- Eyman’s initiative can’t break 50 out of the gate.
Last up in our afternoon drive through the leaked Elway Poll results: Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1125, bankrolled by Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman.
It would place all kinds of restrictions on tolling—including a ban on variable toll pricing—and would effectively derail plans to put light rail across I-90. Survey says: Only 49 percent of respondents approve of this idea, with support very soft. Just 17 percent of respondents will “definitely” vote for the measure.
To me, this says that the initiative is, on its face, confusing. A lot of voters probably don’t get what it’s about, but can smell that it might be about more (derailing light rail) than it seems to be about (restricting tolling).
Geographically speaking, the lowest support for this measure in the state was—no surprise—here in Seattle, a hotbed of informed light rail supporters and seasoned Eyman haters. Demographically speaking, the lowest support for this measure was—again, no surprise—among the younger and poorer voters who probably a) don’t have as high a percentage of car ownership and so aren’t as worried about tolls and/or b) get that tolls can help pay for the kind of affordable mass transit they want.
Eyman’s initiative is the only one of the three headed for the ballot this fall that is currently getting below 50 percent approval. Not a good return, yet, on Freeman’s investment of more than $1 million in the measure.
This makes me so happy!
Aren’t initiatives supposed to be limited to a single purpose? So, how is this thing legal, considering there are seemingly two very different things being addressed here? Plus, how does the rest of the state get to vote on Seattle/King County transportation issues…since, I’m sure they wouldn’t like us meddling in their affairs.
A lot of Seattle people will be voting for this initiative once they realize it will stop the monstrous plans for 520.
3: how do you figure that? the pontoons are being poured as we speak…the initiative will most likely just end up making the state do the seattle side on the cheap…say goodbye to lids and mitigation
@2, the examples mentioned in this post are the local ones, but the initiative’s intent is to limit the legislature’s funding ability for projects statewide.
@3, it wouldn’t stop the bridge replacement in the least, just make financing (even) more of a challenge. Nothing insurmountable. The legislature is motivated – the bridge will sink unless it’s replaced, period.
Why aren’t these Republicans for tolls? “You use it, you pay for it.”
Are they anti-train enough to just be okay with the inconsistency? I’m confused.
Kemper Freeman spending $1 million to benefit Tim Eyman tells you just about all you need to know of the state of that man’s soul. *shudder*
Even though the insane boondoggle of the SR-99 Tunnel of Tolls would be affected, there is no way in heck I would ever vote for a citizen-hating Eyman Initiative.
A lot of voters probably don’t get what it’s about, …
Yeah, like that ever deterred most voters–especially those who vote for Eyman’s shitty initiatives.
It’s another of Eyman’s “hate government, hate transit” measures that he’s tried before. It got on the ballot because of Kemper Freeman’s $1 million gift to Eyman to buy the signatures. Freeman wants to stop light rail across I-90. Great duo here motivated by self interest rather than what’s best for the public. Just vote No on this one and send them packing.
I hate this initiative as much as everything else Eyman does, for all the usual reasons, but it does seem a little strange that Slog can interpret this poll as meaning that the initiative is unpopular. It’s a fairly easy sell, and one that worked with the income tax: “You can’t trust government – give them an inch (of tolling or taxing power) and they’ll take a mile.” People tend to hate tolls and taxes (and red-light cameras) on principle. Ergo: if someone doesn’t personally rely on 520 for their commute, they can interpret their vote as saying “I hate tolls, and don’t want to pay for a bridge I’m not going to drive on”. That’s something most low-information voters will get behind.
Like it matters. Bellevue Square leadership will just spend $2,000,000 next year on the Son of 1125, as Eyman names these wastes of time. And if it fails in 2012, expect it to keep going. These are people are like the Terminator when it comes to the common social good that they disagree with. Their will is more important than that of their neighbors. They won’t stop. They will never stop, as long as they have a dollar to spend.
@11, Elway’s observation is that initiatives that show support high above 50 percent by September tend to survive, and those not high above 50 percent early support, and certainly those below that level, do not tend to survive. September tends to be the highest support an initiative will have – they usually erode from there, and proponents’ goal is to limit the drop as much as possible.
Here’s some good coverage of the phenomenon from last year:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/se…
So it’s no guarantee, and certainly there’s no reason for 1125 opponents to rest on their laurels, but there is hope, based on experience.
Eli,
Typo in your post- you mispelled ‘raging asshole’ as ‘developer.’
Understandable, though, the keys are like right next to eachother.
Fuck I hate Tim Eyman.
If there were light rail to Bellevue Square, I’d probably go there. It’s a nice mall. As it is I haven’t been there in years.
What’s the story on why this developer is against light rail? Seems like it would benefit businesses and housing developments.
16: Freeman doesn’t want the “po’ folk” in “his” mall.
Eli, I recommend that you don’t try to associate the use of tolls with transit projects. That use doesn’t sit well with a large portion of the populace, and that is really only proposed on the I-5 Columbia River Crossing anyway (which this initiative isn’t targeting). None of the proposed Puget Sound tolling schemes (AWV, SR 520, I-405) will directly benefit light rail. You are right, though, that the entire purpose is to derail (sorry) East Link on I-90.
As far as why Kemper is opposed to LRT on “his” I-90 bridge – it’s more personal than what 17 suggests. Kemper sat on an advisory panel a number of years ago tasked with recommending high capacity transit solutions between Seattle and the East Side. His panel’s recommendations (BRT on the floating bridges, if memory serves me correctly) were tossed aside as Sound Transit developed their long-range plans. He took that personally (why did we ask him to waste his precious time if we were just going to ignore his brilliance?), and has taken some sort of blood oath to oppose the rail solution ever since.
In these tough times I think people are being more (small c) conservative. Effective messages for the tunnel, and to some degree the 520, is that this flawed plan is what we have to go foreword with, delay cost money, a vote to restrict tolling will delay this plan and cost us more money.
Don’t care which side of the tunnel talk you are on, you have to recognize that people want to move ahead with what they know.
Freeman and his toad are not presenting any alternative to fund 520.
A plan vs, no plan. That is where the anti-1125 needs to go, all around the state.
If Seattle and Bellevue can’t put a toll on 520 and I-90, then they will come after the declining state transportation resources.
I think that is an eastern Washington message conservatives might embrace.
Support (what there is of a) plan for 520, or risk having your project wither on the vine.
Vote no on I-1125.
#2 is exactly right. This initiative is unconstitutional, for the same reason I-695 was thrown out.
I totally read this as “unpopular trolling initiative”.
Freeman is getting a taste of the old adage that says, “When you lie down with swine…”
Okay… riddle me this:
Since when is a 20 point lead in the polls “not a good return” on investment???
Go ahead, Stranger staff — keep helping Eyman out by burying your head in the sand on this one too, just like you did with the tunnel. Wishful thinking don’t make it so. When will you fuckers never learn that?
The proper headline should have read:
“Eyman Initiative with 20 Point Lead Out of the Gate:
We’ll all be fucked unless ya’ do something about this RIGHT NOW!“
Variable tolling could be instructive, teach us somthing about demand and managing demand. What a shame that this initiative will do neither before decisions about how big to build are made. Instead, we have a mammoth SR 520 design and an initiative in opposition of managing through tolling. Rep. Peter DeFazio recently said of the Columbia River Crossing bridge project once more in jepoardy, Why, in this climate, did they have to go for the gold-plated version? As funding dries up, we here in Washington might ask the same question about our grandiose construction projects here in Seattle.
What no posts by Timmy soliciting money? The boy must be busy elsewhere.