SDOT needs all the oversight it can get, and the council are our elected representatives. If there was ever anything not to panic over, it’s this.

Fine by me. I voted no — my neighborhood is full up on transportation projects. I’d love to see more robust discussion on the best use of $1.5B.

This article doesn't mention Dan Strauss, who the Seattle Times says is a co-leader, along with Saka, of this "oversight" effort. Both Saka and Strauss have unpopular pet projects they want to get done, and this might be the way they're trying to make sure they get their way. Perhaps they're afraid SDOT will bow to public opinion and this "oversight" will let them intervene and prevent that from happening. In Saka's case, its the road alterations outside his kid's preschool. In Strauss' case, he wants to put a bike trail on the busiest sidewalk in Ballard. There was a weird 11th hour vote to include Strauss' bike trail in the transportation levy where Saka flipped his vote to make it possible, and its never been clear what the backroom quid pro quo was there. The whole thing seems shady...

Katie Wilson is a mouthpiece for Labor Unions and their lazy, ignorant door mats.

Katie runs Transit Riders Union, funded by Labor Unions. What does these phony ngo's like Transportation Choices Coalition and Transit Riders Union do to get money from Labor Unions. Whores.

The legislative branch controls the money, not the mayor and sdot. Sdot is run by a worthless labor Union door mat.

The city council should do more oversite of spending. The current council works for tax payers not the previous Labor Union door mats.

Lanceggi dear, who is the Director of SDOT?

Katie Wilson is writing this from a political POV mainly, worrying that Saka & Strauss will cancel projects they disfavor. That's definitely a risk and hopefully they'll get the wrath of voters if their egos grow 10 sizes too big.

But the real risk is the insane level of micromanaging and added process with zero added benefit that this represents. Do Rob Saka or Dan Strauss have any expertise in project management, planning, permitting, analysis, design, estimating or construction? No? OK, when did they get their professional engineering license? Knowledge of construction market conditions? What exactly do they think they have to offer these projects besides sitting on them & causing delays? Or demanding last minute changes that also drives up costs and causes delays (cough Dan Strauss cough).

It's ridiculous to have half of the levy projects (Which half? We don't even know!!) basically resubmit project budgets for legislative approval after they've already gone through the levy approval process. This is the granddaddy of all roadblocks to getting these projects done. Way to go CM Saka and CM Strauss!

If you thought the Move Seattle Levy had some rocky times at the beginning, just wait for this little nightmare to unspool. Who would want to lead SDOT knowing there's a power struggle with two council members who think THEY actually run SDOT?

Saka is new at this but Dan Strauss has been around long enough to know better. Bruce Harrell has more years in than either of them. He'd and his deputy mayors better get control of his executive departments pretty fast.

"This move introduces uncertainty that could hinder SDOT’s ability to deliver levy projects efficiently."

Not something I would worry about. SDOT needs all the oversight it can get