Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Horn, Weeks step down from monorail project

The Seattle P-I reports:
Seattle Monorail Project Executive Director Joel Horn and Board Chairman Tom Weeks resigned this afternoon amidst growing controversy over the now-scrapped plan to pay for the 14-mile line.

NWPT55



Last week the board killed the financing plan for the West Seattle-to-Crown Hill line after outcry about the combined $11 billion price tag to build the monorail and pay off the debt.
It's important that top monorail officials do whatever is best for the project. Horn has been at the helm since the project passed in 2002, and it seems new leadership is needed to come up with a new financial plan:
City Council President Jan Drago said she was surprised by the resignations of Weeks and Horns, but she added "it was necessary for them to step down. It was necessary for the monorail to be able to move forward." Drago said the monorail board needs to take responsibility.
Contrary to what the conservative, anti-transit crowd says, the monorail project is still in good health - because the process worked. It continues to work.

The monorail will move forward, despite whatever the other side may think.

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