WA: The wild political ride that brought light rail to the Eastside

A long time ago, in a galaxy we call home, this region went through Mode Wars.

As in — what was the best way to handle all the traffic gumming up the economy and sucking the life out of residents? More freeways? More buses? Light rail?

To newcomers, all this may seem quaint, but 20 years ago these debates spurred ferocious arguments and resulted in multibillion-dollar leaps of faith.

The opening of Sound Transit Link light rail between Seattle and the Eastside this weekend represents the culmination of one of these political fights.

When voters approved Proposition 1 in 2008 — otherwise known as Sound Transit 2 or ST2 — the $17.9 billion sales tax increase expanded light rail to Lynnwood, Federal Way and, most audaciously, from Seattle to Redmond.

Saturday's opening marks the final project promised by ST2, light rail service across Lake Washington.

Full disclosure: I was communications director for the ST2 campaign in 2008, leaving my job with Mayor Greg Nickels to help get the measure passed. It was a hectic, stressful, wonderful time.

At this milestone moment, I checked in with a few people involved in the campaign to get their thoughts. What 2008 promises about light rail came true? What predictions fell short?

A little context. In 2007, the state Legislature allowed a bill to go before voters called Roads and Transit. The $18 billion package extended light rail and included significant freeway and bridge improvements. It failed overwhelmingly. “There is no Plan B,” Senate Transportation Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen said at the time.

Nickels — who staked his political fate on light rail — rallied to put a transit-only measure on the ballot the following year.

Greg Nickels, mayor of Seattle from 2002-10, former chair of the Sound Transit board

“The business community was very sour after Roads and Transit. One of the large tech companies on the Eastside had put hundreds of thousands into that campaign. When I called — dialing for (campaign) dollars — after we got ST2 on the ballot, it was fairly curt. It wasn't a case where we were getting lots of campaign funding. And so we really emphasized the grassroots.

In the summer we were very optimistic because gas prices hit $5 a gallon. People were looking for alternatives. And so it looked like the politics were shaping up, plus it was a presidential election year. We know that’s our ideal slot, because younger voters have this capacity to see into the future and actually believe that they'll be able to use these long-term investments within their lifetime.

"As we approached the election, Bear Stearns (the investment bank) went belly up. WaMu (Washington Mutual bank) went belly up. For about six weeks we had the worst financial headlines of my lifetime. But voters had faith in the future and were willing to invest in it.

"It was the most fun I’ve had in my public life, putting that campaign together, raising the money, and celebrating the passage.

"We have an alternative transportation system that will last us for many generations. 'Game-changer' is the right term, in terms of people being able to get to and from Bellevue and Seattle, from the Eastside to the University of Washington. Those are going to be things people think about when they choose where to live, where they work. It will evolve over time and will shape people’s choices very strongly.”

Rob Johnson, deputy campaign manager for ST2, now executive director of Seattle Center Foundation

“When Roads and Transit failed in 2007, there was a group of activists from the business and labor community who started to try to put light rail on the ballot by itself in 2008. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears to just get to the ballot, literally years in the making.

"Twenty years ago there really was a serious conflict between roads and transit. A real push and pull between the various different political factions whether you're Republican or Democrat, because there were Republicans and Democrats on both sides of those issues.

"The big takeaway for me about the 2008 election is the war really ended that day. We focused on the connection between public transit, density, the environment and economic development.

"One of the major predictions was that light rail was going to have a very positive impact on development. And it's proven to be wildly true and not just in places like Seattle and Bellevue. Lynnwood and Fife have redesigned to focus on density and development and proximity of light rail stations.

"When I think about 2008, I hope history remembers it as this incredible inflection point where our region finally adopted a big set of strategic public transit investments that will forever change the region for the better.”

John Niles, informal adviser to the No on ST2 campaign, transportation technology analyst

“I was a hard ‘No’ on ST2 and it isn't like I regret the vote. You would be carrying more people if you had stuck with a bus system.

"I'm not against transit, but I view what's done today as a bad choice. It’s way too much money for the ridership. The money that's being spent is outrageous compared to the benefit of making the buses work better. You're building a 19th century system. That is ridiculous for a high-tech region to be building this light rail and celebrating it. I don't think anything spectacular will happen as a result of that train.”

Rachel Smith, ST2 campaign staffer, now president of The Washington Roundtable

“For me, the campaign was a continuation of work that I had done for a really long time. I remember working at Transportation Choices Coalition and Rob Johnson and I would put flyers on cars at the park and ride when we were still debating whether we should do bus rapid transit or actually have light rail go across I-90.

"We came off the failure of Roads and Transit and said, under the leadership of Greg Nickels, ‘We’re going to do this ST2.’ It was hard to find folks to put their shoulders in. We did that campaign on a shoestring.

"The promise was the transformative power of light rail, and that promise is being delivered. This region is transforming and it is transforming around a shape, and that shape is light rail.

To everybody who says you can't do big things — yeah, you can. And it's worth it.”

A few closing thoughts

Back in 2008, the ST2 sales tax increase was expected to cost the average adult about $69 annually. These days, the average household in the region is thought to pay between $1,000-$2,000 in taxes to Sound Transit, including additional projects that voters approved in 2016.

Critics say ST2 blew well past its budget of $17.9 billion. Supporters contend no one could foresee the 2020 pandemic slowing construction, or the 2021-2022 concrete workers strike, or all the time it took to get some cities on board with station locations and other land use kerfuffles. Time is money.

By the same token, no one could have predicted the pandemic would spark widespread working from home, overturning transit patterns and diminishing downtowns as the epicenters of economic activity. Robot taxis were the stuff of science fiction in 2008. Now, Tesla and other big companies are staking their futures on autonomous driving.

On balance, I believe light rail across Lake Washington represents a watershed moment for the region. It was the right thing to do.

In the coming days, I look forward to pulling out my Orca card, taking a seat on light rail and whooshing past cars on I-90. What was once a faraway promise is now real (if copper thieves don’t disrupt service).

Ain’t that something?

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