''A Once in a Generation Opportunity''

"Back in June, the Seattle Monorail Project unveiled an awful financing plan that shocked everyone.

That was four months ago. Some things have changed since then. Some have not.

What Hasn't Changed
Our problems haven't gone away. Traffic hasn't gotten any better. Our city and our streets are still crowded. Every time we fill up our tanks, our ideals are comprimised. None of these things have changed, but we have a once in a generation chance to do something about it this Tuesday.

What Has Changed
The Seattle Monorail Project has new leadership, a new price and a real solution that will be up and running only four years from now.

A New Plan with a New Price
In only four years, Seattle can have a ten mile monorail line that costs only $3.9 billion including construction, operating and financing costs over 31 years. These big numbers are hard to comprehend though. It's often better to talk about the cost in terms of how it will impact our friends and families. Fortunately, we know what those costs are. The median cost for people paying their car tabs is $81 a year. This is less than the cost of a couple tanks of gas. Isn't $81 a year worth building rapid transit in Seattle?

New Leadership
Today, we have new leadership in the form of our new Executive Director John Haley, a guy with a list of experience so long, there's no one in this city who can match him. He's worked on San Francisco’s BART system, Washington D.C.’s subway system, Atlanta’s transit system and the Twin Cities’ transit system. He was the Deputy Director of New York and New Jersey’s Port Authority, the Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Transportation and the General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. Last but not least, he worked on the Newark Airport Monorail and lead the recovery effort for the Las Vegas Monorail. This is expertise that doesn't exist anywhere else in our city. Plus he's from Boston, accent and all, so we get to say he's wicked smart.

What This is Really About
It's easy to get lost in the details, but it's important to remember what the monorail is really about. It's about less time in our cars and more time in our lives. It's about cleaner air and water. It's about less kids with asthma. It's about not buying oil from corrupt and oppressive nations. It's about having our city match our ideals. It's about making Seattle into everything we know it should be. It's not often you get a chance to make such a decision.
On Tuesday, vote yes on the monorail. For more details and information, as well as a pro-monorail voting guide, head on over to 2045 Seattle."-from Washblog. John Haley is interviewed here, in the West Seattle Herald/White Center News. Headline: "Haley critical of Seattle way."