Council Ratifies Conlin’s Tunnel Signature

Jeez, tunnel opponents couldn’t muster up even enough supporters to fill those empty seats in council chambers? Ummm, it’s not like it’s a large room or anything.

OBrien has a good point about the EIS, this is the draft that allows the public (me) to read and comment. He is on the wrong side of public disclosure of a draft document for public consumption. If he has a problem with the Final document then make your points then. But for this, it simply denies my ability to read and review the draft.

Next time, and there will be a next time, err on the side of releasing draft documents to the public.
Trust “the people”, Mike and Mike, even when it isn’t in your own personal interest.

A draft of the just-signed document, a draft touted as pretty close to the final thing, was released in July to the public. I think your response to its release was “my phone doesn’t do zip files”.

It’s sort of telling that the contents of that draft and the one just released were so unimportant that neither you nor 6 councilmembers have actually read them when made available to you.

I liked this remark since it points out the lack of astroturfing on the part of the opposition, versus the lobbyist-and-campaign-contributor-backed meeting stacking going on today.

I found the files some place else.
I am referring to documented Public comment, not the bullshit on the internet.

I read the 2 month old document, it has been revised, I have not seen the revisions, sure would like the government to stop bitching at each other and release the SDEIS so they can accept Public comment.

Note to self, make sure you read more in public, so concerned citizens will know what you have or have not read.

Note to self, make sure you read more in public, so concerned citizens will know what you have or have not read.

Yummy, those construction workers are looking HOT! Makes me want to become a tunnel supporter!!!

Ewwwww, working class people! They probably drive trucks, eat meat and whistle at our womyn.

So now there’s 8 clowns in the Volkswagen instead of 1.

Big deal.

Right…this is seattle, remember.

They probably put their workboots in the back of their Priuses and have LGBT stickers on their hardhats.

You aren’t talking about “documented [p]ublic comment”, that’s not due out until long after the required release of the recently signed SDEIS. What you said was that O’Brien was advocating denying you the ability to read a document that was released in a more or less complete state more than 60 days ago.

And unless you gave in, you protested the release of the document and insisted it wasn’t worth perusing, telling Dominic Holden that it was incomplete and that a tolling analysis wasn’t inserted at the time. You voiced a strong opposition to the very existence of the released draft.

I don’t believe for one second that you’ve actually read the document, nor do I believe you will approach the comments of other members of the public with an open mind unless they agree with you.

This is like Ted Haggard giving his wife a long passionate kiss on live TV.

“read and comment”

There isn’t an “and comment” to the draft to be recorded until that draft is released.
You do know this, right?
What was “released” was a preliminary draft.
You should know that, too.

Sorry everybody, Publicola rants are not part of the public record of the SDEIS.

I think it points out the lack of “effective” astroturfing…

Also, I don’t give a shit what you believe about me.

Know the difference between preliminary draft, and draft.

My other personal trolls can keep up, if you start slacking off I will have to let you go.

Tunnel opponents are out gathering signatures for I-101, not acting petulent and putting on show public displays.

Just for the record, if you want to be correct about what this document is, it is really a SSDEIS, it supplements the supplemental draft eis of 2006, a supplement to the 2004 Draft EIS; and for the record further, while they might pull this off, the contention here is that this SSDEIS is an illegal document it is trying to tag on to an expired environmental review process which started in 2001.

Astroturfing makes me too sleepy. I sat this one out.

How about if you get the definition of “astroturfing” right? It means pretending to be grass roots when actually having a vested interest. Those union members aren’t pretending to be anything (notice the hard hats). And your logic is screwed up anyway: You imply that the absence of tunnel opponents proves that tunnel opponents have good character. Maybe you should try posting at the Seattle Times, or The Stranger, where this would pass for clever.

I am sure this effort will be every bit as successful as your last.

Public comment is a mere formality because the outcome is pre-determined. WSDOT doesn’t care about the insane risk of constructing the DBT, nor its poor capacity for managing traffic, nor the environmental impact of said poorly managed traffic. WSDOT is concerned about cost only insofar as the project drains the public treasury into their bank accounts.

Consider redevelopment alongside Aurora for who is pulling strings. Both the Surface/Transit and Cut/cover Tunnel options could defer reconnecting Harrison, Thomas and John Streets above the proposed Aurora cut. I don’t disagree with the ultimate Aurora cut, but deferring it to reduce costs and avoid tolls would also interrupt development plans.

Retaining the Battery Street tunnel with either the cut/cover tunnel or the surface/transit option still results in a better engineered project with less risk.

Do you ever wonder why, in spite of all of your engineering genius, you’re confined to posting comments about designing infrastructure instead of actually designing infrastructure?

The truth is, Selma, I am indeed designing infrastructure and posing questions that must be answered. In the case of Seattle, I conclude that concerned citizens with little understanding of these matters are aligned with powerful interests and more inclined to shoot the messenger than question authority. The most powerful corporate interests are automobile-related.

There are series of meetings among the Tunnel opponents, they felt coming to the council is waste of time, and trust me, you will see a big change in their tactics. Now serious effort is under way to unseat at least three city council members. It will happen, and ground work has begun. Better days are ahead!!!

People from Social Justice, Environmentalist, Urban, and Minorities advocates feel defeating McGinn is their defeat. He is the first mayor in living memory that stood up for what is right, and value ordinary people above the few powerful elites. If you feel that McGinn supporters are discouraged, you mistaken. He is the only hope we have, and we will die to stand and defend him. Many city council members will have a lot to explain in 2011. We are waiting for the Pay Day.

People from Social Justice, Environmentalist, Urban, and Minorities advocates feel defeating McGinn is their defeat. He is the first mayor in living memory that stood up for what is right, and value ordinary people above the few powerful elites. If you feel that McGinn supporters are discouraged, you mistaken. He is the only hope we have, and we will die to stand and defend him. Many city council members will have a lot to explain in 2011. We are waiting for the Pay Day.

Do Dave Frieboth or Steve Marquadt or any of the trumped up construction workers in the audience today live in Seattle? Do they care about the consequences of cost over-runs?

“He is the only hope we have, and we will die to stand and defend him.”

As another South-ender I’d say we had better watch out for ourselves and each other, and not die for any politician. I think he’s fine, but not the only hope we have.

Isn’t everything you do a stunt?

Isn’t everything you do a stunt?

So then, what’s your professional portfolio? I’d love to see the projects that you engineered and how they are improving communities.

Awesome. The Great Bicycle Brigade of 2011. You think the greater Seattle voter will want anything to do with anyone that has Sierra Club stink on them after McGinn’s first year in office? Not a chance.

You guys had your chance to change the world and, unsurprisingly, you decided to tilt at windmills and blow all of your cash on bike lanes and road diets. Nice work.

The hope I meant is changing the city policy towards the ordinary people. We must assure to the city council that serving the interest of the Down Town Business and ignoring the ordinary citizens is not how they are going to get reelected. The Logic here is that if McGinn fails by standing up for the people against the few corrupted elites then the council and elected officials will only listen to them, not the people. Stake Is Highhhhhhhh

I have nothing to do with Sierra Club, and I am not event environmentalist. I am social justice advocate. McGinn has more supporter than the media and establishment would like us to believe.
The tunnel– The council has done everything within their power to please the organize labor bosses, and business elites who will reap millions of dollars from the tolling tunnel that will make only those who have lots of money to enjoy. The governor cut back all the programs that serve the poor– like child care subsidy for low income hard working family, and welfare to work—and more, but she is fighting hard for the stupid tunnel that will employ 200 people with 2 billion made in Germany machines that will dig the bore tunnel, and also 1 billion made in Chine import product to build the tunnel. I think McGinn looks the smarter one in this struggle to bring our region back to sanity, and will pay off a huge political capital to Mcginn in 2011 city election.
Look how the city council has been voting lately, they moved to the right, and allied with the business community against the mass. We know that Anti-Incumbent feeling is strong in the country, and if the city council does not reverse its anti –progressive values attitude , we are certain to see a big change in 2011 city council. This is the feeling among the people in the city, not the 40 establishment staff that showed up yesterday hearing to support Conlin’s ordinance of putting Seattle in the hook of unprecedented cost-overrun of millions of dollars while most of us losing the basic city services

Steve Marquardt here. Yes, I live in Seattle, and pay taxes in Seattle. I can’t speak for Freiboth’s address. I care about freight mobility and construction jobs. Who the hell are you to question my address?

You’re no more interested in my work than in defending Seattle from its worst mistakes in transportation planning. My preferred tunnel option is the cut/cover, but you haven’t expressed the slightest understanding of why that option merits your interest. BTW, Elizabeth Campbell’s group SCAT includes advocates for a cut/cover tunnel. I’d explain why but it would go in one ear and out the other.