Posted Fri, Oct 10, 10:45 a.m.

ST and "Subarea Equity": In the expected re-do of the measure, Sims would push to modify the sub-area equity aspects that guarantee to outlying counties rail and express bus service equal to the taxes they contribute. Where to begin . . .. For starters, the proposed local law ST put ...

Posted Fri, Oct 10, 10:23 a.m.

Ron Sims and Sound Transit Prop. 1: County Executive Sims was entirely correct to oppose ST's Prop. 1 last year. It was a dog. He's the ultimate ST insider. He knows what's going on. He spoke the truth about how it would be in his constituents' best interests to reject ...

Posted Mon, Sep 29, 9:15 a.m.

Nothing but Lies from these Politicians: The authors of this piece are the twenty-first century's version of snake oil salesmen. Here's some law for everybody to keep in mind: - It is perfectly legal for these politicians to lie about what this ballot measure would cost. - It is perfectly ...

Posted Wed, Sep 24, 12:26 p.m.

RE: SOUND TRANSIT FLUNKS WASL: Darnell Coles is still crushing sour monorail grapes. You have me confused with somebody else, probably a lawyer from Foster Pepper. They are the ones who wanted the monorail: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific Fulfilling the vision of the Seattle monorail ...

Posted Wed, Sep 24, 9:55 a.m.

Microsoft is Acknowledging ST's Failures: Sound Transit with its appointee-only board was an experiment in governance. The legislators in 1990 who approved the authorizing statutes had the highest hopes for it. In the fullness of time ST has proven itself a colossal failure. We - and Microsoft is part of ...

Posted Wed, Sep 17, 8:53 a.m.

This one looks like it'll follow the script: The claims in this lawsuit target interests the Supreme Court justices' political base holds dear. In light of that fact, here's what we can expect. Discovery will be obtained. Cross-motions for summary judgment will be filed. The trial court judge will dismiss ...

Posted Wed, Aug 13, 10:06 a.m.

RE: request for a source, please: Here you go. The terms in the 1996 local law that specify when the bonds must be paid off (and the manner in which the tax rates must be reduced) are copied in that thread. Also copied there are the changes that ST wants ...

Posted Wed, Jun 25, 9:52 a.m.

RE: Old White Male Farts Against Light Rail: Bill, I was hoping you could address those questions. You don't think they are unfair questions, do you? The Citizens Oversight Panel is charged with ensuring Sound Transit complies with the local law voters approved in 1996. You are on that committee, ...

Posted Mon, Jun 23, 6:13 p.m.

RE: Old White Male Farts Against Light Rail: Hi. You are Bill LaBorde, and you are on Sound Transit's Citizen Oversight Panel, correct? My understanding is that you were appointed by ST's board to that panel. According to the law voters approved in 1996 (Sound Move/Res. 75) this COP is ...

Posted Mon, Jun 23, 10:33 a.m.

Sound Transit Creates More Problems Than it Solves: Former Transportation Secretary MacDonald provides some excellent perspective and data here regarding the ballot measure ST is considering. ST has turned into a rogue government. ST's taxing and spending plans now present big problems for the leaders in this state who are ...

Posted Fri, Jun 13, 11:42 a.m.

Don't Leave Out the Judiciary!: What, no mention of the corrupt judiciary in Washington these days? Some greedy politicians wear black robes, and sit on the Supreme Court. They are bad news. What a judge is supposed to do is consider the legal arguments the parties raise. The judge is ...

Posted Fri, May 30, 11:40 a.m.

Prevaricator Alert!: You may be due for some re-education, Herr Mossback. Global warming is our enemy. Fierce battles against it are being waged, on several fronts, even as you read this. Pacifists in time of war give aid and comfort to the enemy. We MUST reduce our carbon footprint. Sound ...

Posted Tue, May 27, 11:30 a.m.

The Youth Will Lead Us to Glory: bgtothen you are so right! It was the old cranks, the disaffected, and the Republicans who banded together to ensure Prop. 1 failed last year. As an accomplished political theorist put it: One cannot make history with such quivering people. They are only ...

Posted Tue, Apr 29, 10:46 a.m.

RE: Questions for J S Niles: I agree with you that what the Supreme Court ruled in the Sane Transit case does not go against your interpretaton I'm not interpreting anything, John. What I'm writing about is what the 1996 law says, and how ST must operate given what that ...

Posted Tue, Apr 29, 10:36 a.m.

RE: Questions for J S Niles: I wanted to comment on some of what you posted, John: Sound Transit is maintaining its stance that it can spend as much as it wants, and take as long as it likes (through 2028 at least, the end of the 30 year bonds ...

Posted Tue, Apr 29, 10:25 a.m.

RE: Questions for J S Niles: Thanks for sharing those observations, John. I was hoping you'd let everyone know you understood the following is true: ST could have complied fully with everything the voter-approved 1996 law requires of it without building a single inch of light rail. One of the ...

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 11:17 a.m.

Questions for J S Niles, p. 2: The second set of tax revenue spending limits under which ST must operate specifies that local taxes only may be used to subsidize certain modest operating costs in the post-implementation period: System operating costs beyond the ten-year implementation period will be paid for ...

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 11:15 a.m.

Questions for J S Niles, p. 1: So John Niles - There's something in TVD's blog entry that doesn't ring true - I was hoping you would comment on it: Option number three would direct Sound Transit to complete its present Phase I line before proposing any Phase II expansion. ...

Posted Wed, Apr 16, 10:03 a.m.

RE: Straw Men: one thing that has helped SOund Transit reform over the past few years is the realization they were going to have ask voters for a very large amount of money. Sound Transit hasn't reformed in any way over the past few years. The situation there has gotten ...

Posted Wed, Apr 16, 9:51 a.m.

The Auditors Facilitate ST's Unlawful Conduct: Borkowski tries to make a big deal about how ST has gone through audits. Those audits come back "clean" because they fail to examine whether ST is complying with the local law financing plan terms voters imposed on that local government. The SAO's I-900 ...

Posted Wed, Apr 16, 9:46 a.m.

ST is Violating the Local Law Voters Approved in 1996: So what's the problem at ST? In short, the board and management are following an unofficial - but very real - policy of completely disregarding the financing plan terms that are in the local law votes approved in 1996. It ...

Posted Wed, Apr 16, 9:44 a.m.

Sound Transit is a Financial Hellhole: This Richard Borkowski is out to lunch. There is a leadership vacuum at Sound Transit and it is causing massive damages. That local government is fiscally incontinent. It is out of control. ST is a public works financial debacle of world-class proportions. ST's entire ...

Posted Mon, Oct 8, 9:34 a.m.

Kudos to Ron Sims and "The Bird" to the Bobbleheads: Ron Sims is using his power wisely. He said what he said, when he said it, so his constituents would know this measure should not be approved. He had no option. If he had called for the addition of variable-priced ...

Posted Tue, Oct 2, 11:38 a.m.

Hear, Hear.: Now THOSE are solid reasons to vote NO. Here's another. Ron Sims advised his constituents to vote no. He knows where the bodies are buried. He knows there are big problems with the existing ST work and financings. The reasons he has stated publicly are the tip of ...

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 12:19 p.m.

ST - Big Dig v.2: Sound Transit is absolutely screwing the public. What ST is doing - failing to manage the light rail project properly - is exactly what happened with Boston's Big Dig. It is the exact same story. A $3 billion project in 1995 turns into a $14 ...