Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

As we all know, only two things in life are sure.

That noted, I concede it is overly dramatic to compare to death the charge-led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels-toward a costly and grandiose scheme for a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way above the Emerald City's waterfront.

But it is a certain rush into a land of higher taxes, something Mayor Nickels never seems to oppose.

If the viaduct is replaced with a tunnel, which will cost at least a billion dollars more than an above-ground option, the expense will not be shouldered by Seattle residents alone.

Its cost will be shared by taxpayers throughout King County and the state. Traffic impacts, both during construction and beyond, will be felt by Highline residents, especially those of us who regularly drive north on State Route 509.

Seattle council members are considering putting replacement options, which include tearing down the viaduct and not replacing it, before city voters.

Given the profound affect viaduct replacement will have throughout the region, coupled with the fact that all of us will pay, voters throughout King County should vote on this question.

King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, D-SeaTac, who represents most of Highline, is well positioned to lead the charge for a countywide vote on replacing the viaduct.

Ms. Patterson, a regional leader on transportation issues and a member of the Sound Transit board of directors, is a hard-working advocate for the interests of Southwest King County.

She is not alone. Highline-area legislators (not Mayor Nickels) are the ones who should decide how much in state funds Seattle will get for viaduct replacement.

These lawmakers are Sens. Margarita Prentice (District 11), Karen Keiser (33) and Eric Poulsen (34), and Reps. Zack Hudgins and ___ Hasagawa (11), Shay Schual-Berke and Dave Upthegrove (33) and Eileen Cody and Joe McDermott (34).

Call, e-mail or write them-now. Let them know that neither a tunnel or nothing is an option, and that taxpayers and motorists alike need the best above-ground option at the lowest possible cost.

A reader whose opinions I respect, although we disagree more often than not, was offended by my recent "implication that the lawsuit against [former Des Moines Councilman Gary] Petersen was based on 'trumped-up charges.'"

My choice of words, admittedly, was poor. It was not my intent to offend "civic minded citizens who acted in good faith."

But as the case against Mr. Petersen progressed, I came to question its merits.

At issue was whether Mr. Petersen, who owns and operates Pete's Towing in Des Moines, was caught in a conflict of interest when he became a councilman.

Pete's Towing provides towing services for the city.

Why, I wondered, did city staff not question the alleged conflict of interest prior to Mr. Petersen's election instead of waiting until just days before he took office?

Or was Mr. Petersen's real "conflict" not his long-standing business arrangement with the but "guilt by association?"

After all, his affiliation with Don Wasson-the now-discredited former mayor of Des Moines-altered the balance of power on the council in 2002.

This likely was a factor, for early on I viewed Mr. Petersen in this light. And I was wrong.

Mr. Petersen is a decent, sincere, hard-working businessman.

The State Court of Appeals was correct in upholding his right-and the right of other small-city business owners-to serve on their local councils even when they deal professionally with their cities.

As I noted earlier, private-sector influence in local government often presents much less of a conflict than do the ever-present influences from education, environmental and labor activists.

They, not business leaders, want to over-tax, over-regulate, and social engineer the rest of us.

The views of Ralph Nichols are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Robinson Newspapers. He can be reached at newsdesk@robinsonnews.com or 206-388-1857.