Statement from Council Chair Dembowski, Transit Union President, Kenmore Mayor on Passage of Tim Eyman’s I-976

Rob Dembowski is the county rep for
north end cities including Shoreline, Kenmore,
and Lake Forest Park

King County Council Chair Rod Dembowski, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 President Ken Price, and Kenmore Mayor and Sound Transit Boardmember David Baker issued the following statements on Tim Eyman’s I-976, which though passing statewide in early results, was rejected by King County voters:

King County Council Chair Rod Dembowski:

“King County voters sent a clear message that they want to continue investments in transit and critical local transportation infrastructure. At a time of record demands for service, we can’t afford to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in transit and transportation projects in King County.

“At King County we stand ready to consider all options to prevent Metro service bus cuts that will cause further congestion on our roadways, diminish service to our most vulnerable riders on Access paratransit, and delay the electrification of Metro’s fleet. 

Further, I believe as a regional government, we should work closely with our city partners to look at restoring funding for critical infrastructure projects like sidewalks, pothole repair, and streets. While I-976 is a roadblock, I am committed to immediately going to work to mitigate the worst of its impacts.”

ATU Local 587 President Ken Price

“The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 is proud to be on the front lines of the nation’s top transit system, delivering excellent customer service to the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on Metro each day to get them to work, school, and their doctor’s appointments. 

We are ready and willing to work to prevent harm to our transit system, our riders, and our dedicated employees, caused by the passage of I-976.”

Kenmore Mayor and Sound Transit Boardmember David Baker:

“Cities in King County are now facing significant holes in our roads and sidewalk budgets. I welcome Councilmember Dembowski’s offer to work regionally with city partners to address this challenge and look forward to working together to explore all options consistent with local voters’ desire to avoid decimating our transit and transportation budgets.”

Background:

Councilmember Dembowski was the author and prime sponsor of King County Ordinance 2013‑0527.2, which created King County’s Transportation Benefit District. The District offers one path to mitigate the lost revenues from I-976, with voter approval of any revenue proposal recommended by the District. The governing board for the District is comprised of the members of the Metropolitan King County Council.