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

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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.

GOP Council Member Hague Won’t Support $20 Transit Fee; Public Vote Likely

Jolt   April 22, 2011 at 2:40 pm Erica C. Barnett

Today’s loser:  Transit advocates in King County, who will likely have to mount a major campaign in November to pass an emergency funding fee for King County Metro.

King County Council member Jane Hague, a Republican, tells PubliCola she’ll vote against any proposal to pass a $20 vehicle license fee without a vote of the people.The license fee would help Metro address an estimated $200 million funding shortfall over the next two years.

Under legislation passed by the senate this morning, the county council can either pass the two-year emergency transit funding fee on its own with a two-thirds supermajority vote, or it can put the proposal on a countywide ballot, where it will need to win a simple majority. “I will support a vote of the people,” Hague says.

Without Hague’s vote, the county council is almost certain to stalemate along party lines, with the council’s five Democrats voting to simply pass the fee and its four Republicans voting no. Hague, who is being challenged by at least two opponents for reelection this year, has been considered the swing vote (she testified in favor of the broader version of the legislation in Olympia back in February, but said she didn’t know how she would ultimately vote) on the $20 fee.

Hague has two challengers in her bid for reelection this year, and was reportedly under pressure to vote for the fee to assuage moderate supporters. On the other hand, every Eastside Republican in the state senate (Hague represents east King County) voted against giving the county council the authority to pass the fee.


  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.j.maddux Michaelp

    So does this mean we can just cut service from the CC districts that elect people against funding transit? And I would think Jane would want as many options to get home as possible, all things considered.

  • Natehc

    She’s up for reelection this year. We need to vote her out of office. Her opponent is John Creighton.

  • Kim Il-sung

    Who’s the ‘we’ sh*t?

  • hoary

    Those of us that prefer stalkers over drunk drivers. Seriously, is that the best opposition the WSD’s can muster?

    Also, Metro wouldn’t be in an unending financial quagmire if the democrats on council would adopt a fuel hedging scheme. Seriously, cutting service and scrambling to find funding every-time fuel price spike is DUMB!

  • Jay

    Happy Earth Day!

  • Doc Johnson

    Or, as they call it at Jane Hague’s house: Friday!

  • Fatass

    Actually, Metro did hedge fuel at one point but found it was actually less cost-effective than just putting money in the bank when it was cheap. They raided that piggybank a couple of years ago to avoid cutting service during the recession. Now that pair of chickens is coming home to roost.

    The fuel-price spike is the least of Metro’s problems. The underlying issue is that transit demand has stayed flat while sales tax revenue has fallen off a cliff since ’08.

  • Mt_redoubt

    Richard Mitchell is running too, in fact, I think he filed before Creighton. However, that may have slipped by Publicola.

  • Lewd

    Considering the majority of the budget is payroll, I suggest trimming there.

  • Fatass

    I suggest taxing retards like you.

  • http://spifflines.blogspot.com/ John Bailo

    Tunnel: $2 billion to $4 billion

    No sympathy for taxers.

  • Grover

    This is good news. Without a doubt, this absolutely should go to voters to decide.

  • http://spifflines.blogspot.com/ John Bailo

    Amazing that one politician respects the law and the will of the people.

    No new taxes.

    And let’s lower the debt ceiling and end the counterfeiting.

  • Kim Il-sung

    Clear majorities in King County rejected 1098 and supported 1053. Expect this to fail to.

  • Jay

    Because the “people” are unanimous on this issue, right?

  • Jay

    The people in her district. Do you live in her district, Kim Jong-il?

  • http://www.facebook.com/alexjon Alex-jon Earl

    60% support for ST2 ;)

  • http://www.facebook.com/alexjon Alex-jon Earl

    So there may potentially be a transit funding vote at the same time as tunnel votes?

    Interesting.

  • Anon E Mouse

    Maybe if the hadn’t spent $30 million building a new atlantic base, they wouldn’t need so much money…

  • MVH

    Without bus drivers, buses don’t have much transportation value.

  • Kim Il-sung

    That was pre-recession…

  • Mt_redoubt

    Hague respects the law? Not when it applies to her, be careful how you phrase your sentence. You must not be referring to her DUI arrest, or her dog that bites, or lying on her resume – all of which are covered by the “law” that she didn’t respect.

  • Anc

    For once the slogan Tunnel and Transit might not be complete bullshit!

  • My vote still only counts once

    Okay, what happens in year 3 ? State, county and municipal budgets have some how magically healed themselves and happy days are here again ? I ride the bus and am in full support of this but what is the long term sustainable solution to this ?

  • donkeys at play

    1. why don’t the 5 just stick together, vote to slash every damn thing that benefits the parts of the county that the four represent, starting with the inefficient costly bus service to outlying communities, until Hague relents ?
    2. Why doesn’t ross hunter or randy gordon or that microsoft millionare woman delbennet or whatever her name was (a) lead the fight for voter approval of the car tab, “SAVE OUR BUSSES” then (b) use it as platform to displace Hague…”I’m for busses, and against bad drivers!” then (c) in a few years THEN run against Reichert ?

    Oh wait, only an organized political party could engineer stuff like that.

  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.j.maddux Michaelp

    No, when this gets to voters (if Hague continues to be a spineless drone of the GOP), it will likely pass.

    Last year was an increase in the loathed sales tax that failed county-wide, but it was to prevent cuts to the Sheriff’s department, the one bargaining unit that refused to make any concessions, unlike every other organized unit in the county.

    This will be to fund transit, which is very popular in the county. Additionally, KC Metro will be able to point to strides made to reduce “waste”, and with the elimination of 40/40/20, Seattle voters will be a bit more energized.

    It will be a campaign, sure, but it will be one that is much easier to win.

  • Anonymous

    And how would this fuel hedging scheme work? There’s no free lunch. Ultimately, rising fuel prices will raise Metro’s operating costs for diesel buses.

  • Anonymous

    I believe he lives in Pyongyang.

  • Anonymous

    Wrong. ST2 vote was in November 2008, after the start of the recession and with the financial crisis still ongoing.

    http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/01/news/economy/recession/index.htm