State Sen. Jim Kastama Presents Nuclear Option to Force Seattle to Pay for Tunnel Overruns
On this morning's Dave Ross Show, State Sen. Jim Kastama (D-Puyallup) said that the city should "absolutely" pay for any cost overruns incurred by building the $4.2 billion deep-bore tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Kastama, who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee, was referring to the stick-it-to-Seattle clause, the controversial amendment that helped get the tunnel deal through the legislature.
State Sen. Jim Kastama draws a line in the sand on the tunnel debate.
Obviously, any lawmaker who doesn't hail from Seattle is going to insist the law be enforced. If only to ensure that, during their next re-election campaign, they aren't referred to as the guy who willingly got screwed by the big city folk. But Kastama went one step further. Telling Ross that he'd be willing to hold up the state's entire transportation budget in order to make sure Seattle covered the bill.
With both mayoral candidates speaking out against the amendment -- McGinn saying he'll fight it, Mallahan saying it's unenforceable -- Kastama's nuclear option looks to be just the latest in what will be many instances of future, delicious sabre-rattling. Full audio below.
5 comment(s)
ralph says:
This should come as no surprise. Kastama's political future would be on the line if he didn't take this position. The fact is Seattle got a big chunk of state funds for this project and we need to be responsible in getting it build on time and on budget.
Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 22 2009 @ 5:54PM
Transit Guy says:
Sen. Kastama can bluster all he wants but there's no way legally to do this as long as WSDOT is in charge of the project and making decisions re managing the construction contract. If WSDOT's relationship with the contractor is such that cost overruns result, there is just no way to foist those off on a third party, especially an unwilling third party and/or one who is not a party to the construction contract..
If the state truly wants the City of Seattle to be on the hook this way, then the City needs to become a partner in running the project, a co-decider in the decisions that result in or cause the overrun. And I can't see either candidate for mayor going along with something like that.
Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 22 2009 @ 8:21PM
Becky S. says:
Caleb, you are not exactly correct about the two candidates' stances on the tunnel cost overruns. You got it right for McGinn, but wrong for Mallahan.
In last night's debate Mallahan was plainly asked if he would go ahead with the tunnel project even if Seattle has to pay all of the cost overruns and Mallahan said, "I think I’ve been crystal clear on this, the answer is yes."
Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 22 2009 @ 11:58PM
pParkerT says:
When are we going to have a referendum that keeps state tax money in the county in which it was collected? We probably could pay for this out of the tax money collected in this county if we weren't subsidizing Ferry County's (and all those other rural counties')transportation infrastructure.
Posted On: Friday, Oct. 23 2009 @ 9:12AM
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