Puget Sound Biz Journal gets it partly right on defeating I-912
Turns out the Seattle P-I and the Stranger aren't the only ones trying to give Initiative 912 opponents strategy advice. The Puget Sound Business Journal's Mike Flynn had a new editorial that appeared in last Friday's edition.
Mike did better than the Seattle P-I's Joel Connelly, but he seems to have the same ridiculous notion that shutting down the monorail project will help:
Here's what we said back when Joel wrote his column:
Long before the monorail project got into trouble, the campaign to repeal the gas tax was already well underway. It started right after the House passed the package in April, and it kicked into high gear after the Governor signed it.
The monorail project should not be tied to the Initiative 912 campaign by either side. If proponents do it, we should call them on it and dismiss such a claim...pointing out that the statewide package is not connected with the Seattle Monorail Project, and that the process is working by itself.
Though we would discard the advice about the monorail project, we found Mike's other ideas to be on target:
The campaign should be grassroots and community-focused. Just dumping money into TV ads isn't going to work because a majority of public sentiment is already against the package.
It's very easy for proponents to whip up such sentiments and capitalize on those kind of feelings. We need to campaign on a community and personal level to win.
Mike did better than the Seattle P-I's Joel Connelly, but he seems to have the same ridiculous notion that shutting down the monorail project will help:
The first step is for business and civic leaders to insist that Mayor Greg Nickels and members of the Seattle City Council pull the plug on the Seattle Monorail Project. It has become the poster child for supporters of the initiative across the state who are using Seattle's inability to deal decisively with its financial disaster-in-the-making as proof that no one's looking out for the taxpayer.Hold it right there. Mike is saying that once we kill the monorail, we should "trumpet" its death? That means we are then making the monorail an issue in this campaign. We think that's pretty dumb advice.
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If, in fact, the monorail gets killed, the move then needs to be trumpeted across the state as an example of the fact that government can be trusted to respect the taxpayer.
Here's what we said back when Joel wrote his column:
Having Governor Christine Gregoire call for a shutdown of the monorail project is entirely ridiculous. The process is working by itself - having the governor jump in and call for its removal won't accomplish anything except please critics who just want to see the monorail go away.This is just an excuse to get the monorail project shut down faster from people who don't like it. Mike claims it's an essential step if opponents want to win. We strongly disagree.
People who live outside of Seattle aren't going to reject the gas tax because of the monorail. They're not paying for it, and they're not involved in the fiasco, either.
Long before the monorail project got into trouble, the campaign to repeal the gas tax was already well underway. It started right after the House passed the package in April, and it kicked into high gear after the Governor signed it.
The monorail project should not be tied to the Initiative 912 campaign by either side. If proponents do it, we should call them on it and dismiss such a claim...pointing out that the statewide package is not connected with the Seattle Monorail Project, and that the process is working by itself.
Though we would discard the advice about the monorail project, we found Mike's other ideas to be on target:
...Business leaders need to recognize that there's sometimes a disconnect between their efforts and those of community groups, and that this disconnect could be fatal in efforts to defeat I-912. So business needs to seek to honestly enlist the aid of nonprofit organizations, community groups, and others outside the acknowledged "leadership" in order to connect more closely with the average voter.These two paragraphs offer good advice. A broad coalition of diverse interests should be built to fight the I-912 campaign. The coalition should be as inclusive as possible, and open to those who want to help defeat the initiative.
Finally, as Enterprise Seattle CEO John Powers, calling on his Eastern Washington background, framed it, there needs to be a grassroots campaign that's individualized for every community around the state: In this campaign, it's critical that "moms in tennis shoes," rather than business leaders, are shown talking about the importance of the projects that gas-tax dollars will provide.
The campaign should be grassroots and community-focused. Just dumping money into TV ads isn't going to work because a majority of public sentiment is already against the package.
It's very easy for proponents to whip up such sentiments and capitalize on those kind of feelings. We need to campaign on a community and personal level to win.
