Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

How Seattle's Reps Voted on the Controversial Viaduct Amendment

News   April 23, 2009 at 11:59 am Josh Feit

Two Seattle state House Reps—Rep. Scott White (D-46, N. Seattle) and Rep. Zach Hudgins (D-11, S. Seattle)—asked me this morning where I got the roll call I posted last night showing how they voted on the amendment to the Viaduct bill that holds Seattle property owners liable for state cost overruns.

Apparently, the list isn’t available anymore, and I got lucky when it was momentarily (accidentally?) posted online last night, and I screen saved it.

So, for the only existing list of which Reps. bailed on Seattle by voting for an unprecedented provision that makes local tax payers responsible for a state project—check out last night’s post.

Rep. Scott, by the way, was a ‘No’ vote and Rep. Hudgins was a ‘Yea’ vote—meaning  Rep. White stood up for Seattle and Hudgins, well …

I asked Rep. Hudgins to explain his vote this morning, and he told me, “I’ve been a tunnel guy all along, and I want to see this project move forward.” 

Again, here’s the list (that I guess, you’re not supposed to see): 

Chamber: HOUSE          2009 Regular Session    
Bill No.: ESSB 5768  Docs
Description: 826 CLIBBORN PG 2 LN 3
Item No.: 28
Transcript No: 101
Date: 4-22-2009

       Yeas: 49   Nays: 47   Absent: 0   Excused: 2
       
Voting yea:     Representatives Angel, Appleton, Blake, Campbell, Chase, Clibborn,Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Ericks, Finn, Goodman, Green, Haigh,Hudgins, Hunt, Hurst, Jacks, Kagi, Kelley, Kessler, Kirby, Liias, Linville, Maxwell, McCoy, Miloscia, Moeller, Morrell, Morris, Nelson, O’Brien, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen,Pettigrew, Quall, Rolfes, Seaquist, Sells, Springer, Takko, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Wallace, Wood, and Mr. Speaker (Chopp)

Voting nay:     Representatives Alexander, Anderson, Bailey, Carlyle, Chandler, Condotta, Cox, Crouse, Dammeier, DeBolt, Driscoll, Eddy, Ericksen, Grant-Herriot, Haler,Hasegawa, Herrera, Hinkle, Hope, Hunter, Johnson, Kenney, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Orcutt, Parker, Pearson, Priest, Probst, Roach, Roberts, Rodne, Ross, Santos, Schmick, Shea, Short, Simpson, Smith, Sullivan, Taylor, Walsh, Warnick,White, and Williams.

So, those ‘Yea’ votes (putting unprecedented obligations on local residents for a state project) are: Reps. Eileen Cody (D-34, W. Seattle), Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, Ballard), Zach Hudgins (D-11, S. Seattle), Sharon Nelson (D-34, W. Seattle), Jamie Pedersen (D-43, Capitol Hill), Eric Pettigrew (D-37, S. Seattle), Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford).

UPDATE: The PI.com  is reporting that Sen. Ed Murray (the sponsor of the Viaduct bill) says the special Seattle amendment isn’t likely to stand in the Senate when they take up the bill. (The Senate first passed the bill in March and now that the House finally voted on it, the two chambers have to reconcile the two versions.)


  • Gabriela

    I don’t get it. ARen’t we as tax payers liable for any public structure we build?
    And by the way, spell Zack’s name right. It’s with a K.

  • Tonkatsu

    Wait a minute, Josh. I’m confused. Aren’t you one of the original “Tunnel at any cost” bozos? Or are you a “Tunnel at any cost as long as someone else pays for it” bozo? Or are you a “Surface + Transit until everyone figures out that will never work, so now I’m okay with a tunnel as long as I don’t have to pay for it” bozo?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  • Tonkatsu

    Wait a minute, Josh. I’m confused. Aren’t you one of the original “Tunnel at any cost” bozos? Or are you a “Tunnel at any cost as long as someone else pays for it” bozo? Or are you a “Surface + Transit until everyone figures out that will never work, so now I’m okay with a tunnel as long as I don’t have to pay for it” bozo?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  • simorgh

    Thank you for posting this.

    The tunnel options have ALWAYS been about downtown view properties. The campaign against the Viaduct was raised there, the few precincts who voted for the tunnel were disproportionately wealthy, the “stakeholders” who were the most outspoken against the Viaduct were from wealth&power or organizations living off corporate handouts. This spectacle is uglier than the Viaduct itself, by far.

    Mary Lou Dickerson has become an outspoken advocate for transportation in her — our, not your — 36th District. A little credit for democracy, please?

  • simorgh

    Thank you for posting this.

    The tunnel options have ALWAYS been about downtown view properties. The campaign against the Viaduct was raised there, the few precincts who voted for the tunnel were disproportionately wealthy, the “stakeholders” who were the most outspoken against the Viaduct were from wealth&power or organizations living off corporate handouts. This spectacle is uglier than the Viaduct itself, by far.

    Mary Lou Dickerson has become an outspoken advocate for transportation in her — our, not your — 36th District. A little credit for democracy, please?

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Tonkatsu,

    I never supported the tunnel option.

    I supported the surface/transit option. And I still do.

    I lose. It’s the tunnel. And, Seattle’s on the hook for any cost overruns. I told you this tunnel thing was a bad idea.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Tonkatsu,

    I never supported the tunnel option.

    I supported the surface/transit option. And I still do.

    I lose. It’s the tunnel. And, Seattle’s on the hook for any cost overruns. I told you this tunnel thing was a bad idea.

  • Tyler

    Why don’t we make every city responsible for cost overruns on roads in their city? By voting for this amendment there is no way you couldn’t support that logic

  • Tyler

    Why don’t we make every city responsible for cost overruns on roads in their city? By voting for this amendment there is no way you couldn’t support that logic

  • Bently

    But why should any city be responsible for cost overruns on a state funded project over which the city would have little or no control? Or am I missing something?

    The logic here is mindless and another example of the cowardice that rules in the legislature this year. They are willing to pass the buck to others who have no direct say in what they do, like Seattle residents or college students (double digit tuition increases), but they haven’t got the guts to send something to the voters like tax reform.

  • Bently

    But why should any city be responsible for cost overruns on a state funded project over which the city would have little or no control? Or am I missing something?

    The logic here is mindless and another example of the cowardice that rules in the legislature this year. They are willing to pass the buck to others who have no direct say in what they do, like Seattle residents or college students (double digit tuition increases), but they haven’t got the guts to send something to the voters like tax reform.

  • eddiew

    if Senator Murray’s forecast of Senate action is correct, the fat lady has not sung and its not over. all three, House, Senate, and Governor have to sign off on the same bill. Suppose the cost estimation work, due at the end of 2009, shows the deep bore cost to be more than $2.8 billion? Is that a cost over run yet, it the cost has yet to be estimated? The deep bore is a very low level of cost estimation. What is “Seattle area” (downtown, city limits, King County, or MSA?) property tax payers

  • eddiew

    if Senator Murray’s forecast of Senate action is correct, the fat lady has not sung and its not over. all three, House, Senate, and Governor have to sign off on the same bill. Suppose the cost estimation work, due at the end of 2009, shows the deep bore cost to be more than $2.8 billion? Is that a cost over run yet, it the cost has yet to be estimated? The deep bore is a very low level of cost estimation. What is “Seattle area” (downtown, city limits, King County, or MSA?) property tax payers

  • http://motleytools.com/blog Douglas Tooley

    Isn’t it curious how the folks who are have the biggest reputations of being FOR civil rights, PC, etc are ALSO the folks not willing to take responsibility for the special project those that **dominate** their area want.

    Gee, doesn’t that sound a bit familiar? Let me think on that a bit.

  • http://motleytools.com/blog Douglas Tooley

    Isn’t it curious how the folks who are have the biggest reputations of being FOR civil rights, PC, etc are ALSO the folks not willing to take responsibility for the special project those that **dominate** their area want.

    Gee, doesn’t that sound a bit familiar? Let me think on that a bit.

  • AJ45

    What’s with the West Seattle Reps? Let’s hope our Senators have more sense. I’ve never heard of a local government being responsible for the possible cost over runs of a state managed project. A terrible precedent to set.

  • AJ45

    What’s with the West Seattle Reps? Let’s hope our Senators have more sense. I’ve never heard of a local government being responsible for the possible cost over runs of a state managed project. A terrible precedent to set.

  • Alan Miller

    Does anyone watch the Discovery Channel. They have run several programs on tunneling. One big big problem in tunneling is loose soil. It fouls the equipment heads that do the actual digging and grinding . Elliot Bay at the area of the bore is compact glacial silt and runoff from the Denny re-grade. If a normal boring schedule through rock takes five days a section, you can bet boring through the muck of Elliot bay will be triple that.
    These are the same idiots who left the doors open on the I-90 floating bridge before it sank.

  • Alan Miller

    Does anyone watch the Discovery Channel. They have run several programs on tunneling. One big big problem in tunneling is loose soil. It fouls the equipment heads that do the actual digging and grinding . Elliot Bay at the area of the bore is compact glacial silt and runoff from the Denny re-grade. If a normal boring schedule through rock takes five days a section, you can bet boring through the muck of Elliot bay will be triple that.
    These are the same idiots who left the doors open on the I-90 floating bridge before it sank.

  • Gabriela

    I don't get it. ARen't we as tax payers liable for any public structure we build?
    And by the way, spell Zack's name right. It's with a K.