A group calling itself Let’s Move Forward has officially registered with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, and commission director Wayne Barnett confirms that it’s the pro-tunnel campaign, who want voters to say “yes” on the tunnel referendum and uphold the city’s agreements with the state on the tunnel.
Although the campaign has not reported any contributions or expenditures (they just registered a half-hour ago), the campaign will reportedly be managed by Sheila Stickel, who previously worked for city council president Richard Conlin (a big tunnel supporter and frequent adversary of Mayor Mike McGinn), the 2006 school levy, and the campaign to build the Mariners’ stadium.
Likely supporters of the pro-tunnel campaign include groups like the Downtown Seattle Association, Vulcan, the Pike Place Market, the Manufacturing Industrial Council, and the Maritime Shipping Association which are members of the Tunnel + Transit Coalition, a group that’s been opposing McGinn’s effort to stop the tunnel.
The anti-tunnel referendum campaign has until Tuesday to collect 16,500 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot. Because it’s a referendum, a “no” vote means turning down the agreements adopted by the council, and a “yes” vote means upholding the agreements.
Neither Stickel nor campaign treasurer Phil Lloyd immediately returned a call.
