Letter to the Editor: I voted Yes on Prop 1
Monday, October 22, 2018
To the Editor:
I voted Yes on Prop 1. Here’s why: Our city leaders don’t ask us to fork over more of our hard earned money to pay for infrastructure improvements unless the need is well-founded and reflects what we say we want.
Sidewalks rise to the top of our wish list for a good reason. People want to traverse our city – by wheelchair or on foot sometimes with baby buggy and dog in tow – to arrive safely at their destinations. Whether to catch a bus to a doctor’s appointment or to meet friends for coffee, mobility connects people to places.
And here’s another thing: This opportunity to construct new sidewalks with a small sales tax increase may not come our way again soon. Our officials already are looking ahead to the community center and aquatic center to replace outdated facilities. Funding for that major and necessary infrastructure project will depend on an upcoming “yes” vote.
Finally, consider this: Every time we dine out in Edmonds or shop at Alderwood Mall, we pay more in sales tax to fund things those cities enjoy. Why not have folks who shop at our regional attractions - Costco, Dunn Lumber, Sky Nursery, Aurora Rents, and our many car dealerships - pitch in and help out with improvements we say we want?
Prop 1 is an investment in how we want our city to work. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Show your commitment with a “Yes” vote.
Robin McClelland
Shoreline
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5 comments:
You have wasaaay too much blind trust in local government, Governments tax us for things that are not well-thought out all the time. I.e. light rail.
Because the sidewalks outlined in Prop 1 do nothing for the average citizen. It is a wish-list of sidewalks created by folks on a sidewalk committee who cherry-picked what would be best for them. This is another area where the developers the city council like to woo with tax breaks should be made to pay. Another tax for us, while developers get tax breaks. ENOUGH!
So true.
Nicely put, Robin.
Anonymous, There were members of the Sidewalk Committee from almost every neighborhood, and the Scorecard we developed did not take into account addresses. Sidewalks were rated on safety (for speed and number of vehicles, accident history) and proximity (to buses, community centers, stores, schools), equity (serving concentrated neighborhoods of the young or the elderly, those with mobility disabilities, among others), and connectivity (filling in gaps in sidewalks caused by developers' sidewalks in front of their buildings). Many of us would have preferred to put sidewalks in our own neighborhoods. I live in Hillwood and our neighborhood is not scheduled for improvements in this first group, in spite of my efforts.
Repair and replacement of existing sidewalks was voted more important than new sidewalks, and funding was provided through the Vehicle License Fee increase.
Once again, lower Ridgecrest was completely left out of any improvements. Even though the city council pushed for the light-rail and the huge rezone in our neighborhood, we still get the city's scraps. We don't need another tax for new sidewalks, how about our Shoreline City Council get a backbone and start really dealing with developers in the city's favor instead of the developers! If they want to build and make money in Shoreline they should be made to pay for the betterment of existing residents also. All these freebies the city gives to developers are not needed, they will build here as long as they can make money. 12 year tax breaks to developers?? So existing residents have to fund the schooling and city maintenance of these new residents.....GARBAGE POLICY!
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