On Monday, October 3, the city council voted 8-1 to move forward with a special taxing district to fund a mile-long streetcar in South Lake Union—the first step toward assessing a special tax expected to raise $25 million for the project. Only Peter Steinbrueck voted against creating the Local Improvement District (LID), arguing that the $50 million streetcar "should not be a priority" in an area that "doesn't even have decent sidewalks or traffic synchronization."
The Seattle Displacement Coalition had an even harsher indictment of the vote. Last week, Coalition director John Fox sent a letter to five city council members, accusing them of violating the city's rules against communicating with parties that directly benefit from "quasi-judicial" land-use decisions like the creation of the LID. Fox's letter says that four council members—Jan Drago, Richard McIver, Richard Conlin, and Jean Godden—participated in an event sponsored by the Build the Streetcar Campaign (BTSC), an organization made up of large property owners, including Paul Allen's Vulcan, which stands to benefit from the LID. Fox also points to e-mails between mayoral staffer Mike Mann and Vulcan lobbyist Dan McGrady as evidence that the city "actively consulted" with the campaign during its work putting together the LID.
On Monday, Conlin responded directly to Fox's letter just prior to the council's vote. "The only thing that is quasi-judicial are the actual assessments on a particular property," Conlin said. "We're free to talk to anybody about the merits of a streetcar." Fox said he failed "to see the distinction," noting that all conversations about the streetcar ultimately led up to the council's final decision on assessments, expected next year.
