Jonathon G.Abraham
September 25th, 2005, 04:57 PM
Dan, I think you and Josh deserve a refund for the money you willingly handed over to the Mayor. I deserve a refund too. By my count, you and the other city planners there at The Stranger owe me about $800 in MVET fees that were absolutely wasted on your pet, bungled endeavor.
Remember that night at City Hall a few years back when Dan so proudly lambasted the council for building stadiums ‘we’ voted against and not building the monorail ‘we’ voted for? I was there too. I watched as you dazzled the hordes of faithful that night - inciting them with your defiant words and razor wit. It must have felt like a David and Goliath moment – your finest hour.
Well guess what ‘Dave’ - playtime is over and $200 million later the only thing we have to show for it is a stack of paper that prove it can’t be built as promised. It’s been a $200 million civic lesson we could have addressed at town hall for free. What do you plan for an encore, taxpayer funded jet packs for the masses instead?
Unfortunately your enthusiasm wasn’t viewed with more skepticism by those ultimately responsible for venturing down this path in the first place – the voters. And back to the voters it will go this November to be killed once and for all. All courtesy, I might add, of those impressive financiers you so easily relate to at the SMP and not by the Mayor you so loathe.
Yes indeed, I thought for sure true intellects like Cindy Laws understood the complexities of a multi-billion dollar transit agency. What a rare gift to public service she’s turned out to be – eh? And can someone please explain how, of all people, Chair Kristina Hill with her landscaping PhD could have misjudged routine tasks like revenue calculations, bond market assumptions and fixed price contracts? Oh the humanity…
Are you with me so far boys? It wasn’t the Mayor, council or any other secret force that’s sunk this pig – it’s the very premise of the SMP itself. The initiative, the route, the funding plans and the people charged with fulfilling the project culminated into one grand and colossal failure.
We may agree on one thing, though. There was a failure in leadership (both elected and private) at a time when Seattle was clearly in the mood for action. But lets be honest, people like Peter Sherwin and Dick Faulkenbury are no more “visionaries” than Tim Eyman is a social scientist. The ability to gauge people’s frustration and presenting them an avenue to “rise above it all” by way of the initiative process was relatively easy under the circumstances.
Where you specifically and ultimately failed was by leading the community away from a productive discourse and down the path of personal hubris. Unfortunate too, because this was to be you shining moment like that night at City Hall. Instead you bet the bank on a mediocre idea that’s sinking under its own weight. In doing so, you have fallen flat on your face along side of the SMP while the rest of us are left to pay for the clean up.
So gentlemen, I ask of you - when do I get my refund?
Remember that night at City Hall a few years back when Dan so proudly lambasted the council for building stadiums ‘we’ voted against and not building the monorail ‘we’ voted for? I was there too. I watched as you dazzled the hordes of faithful that night - inciting them with your defiant words and razor wit. It must have felt like a David and Goliath moment – your finest hour.
Well guess what ‘Dave’ - playtime is over and $200 million later the only thing we have to show for it is a stack of paper that prove it can’t be built as promised. It’s been a $200 million civic lesson we could have addressed at town hall for free. What do you plan for an encore, taxpayer funded jet packs for the masses instead?
Unfortunately your enthusiasm wasn’t viewed with more skepticism by those ultimately responsible for venturing down this path in the first place – the voters. And back to the voters it will go this November to be killed once and for all. All courtesy, I might add, of those impressive financiers you so easily relate to at the SMP and not by the Mayor you so loathe.
Yes indeed, I thought for sure true intellects like Cindy Laws understood the complexities of a multi-billion dollar transit agency. What a rare gift to public service she’s turned out to be – eh? And can someone please explain how, of all people, Chair Kristina Hill with her landscaping PhD could have misjudged routine tasks like revenue calculations, bond market assumptions and fixed price contracts? Oh the humanity…
Are you with me so far boys? It wasn’t the Mayor, council or any other secret force that’s sunk this pig – it’s the very premise of the SMP itself. The initiative, the route, the funding plans and the people charged with fulfilling the project culminated into one grand and colossal failure.
We may agree on one thing, though. There was a failure in leadership (both elected and private) at a time when Seattle was clearly in the mood for action. But lets be honest, people like Peter Sherwin and Dick Faulkenbury are no more “visionaries” than Tim Eyman is a social scientist. The ability to gauge people’s frustration and presenting them an avenue to “rise above it all” by way of the initiative process was relatively easy under the circumstances.
Where you specifically and ultimately failed was by leading the community away from a productive discourse and down the path of personal hubris. Unfortunate too, because this was to be you shining moment like that night at City Hall. Instead you bet the bank on a mediocre idea that’s sinking under its own weight. In doing so, you have fallen flat on your face along side of the SMP while the rest of us are left to pay for the clean up.
So gentlemen, I ask of you - when do I get my refund?