Elizabeth Campbell of Seattle Citizens Against the Tunnel, pictured here filing over 20,000 signatures for Initiative-101 at the City Clerk's office Feb. 1, today filed a lawsuit against WSDOT. She says they are withholding public information.
Press release:
TUNNEL OPPONENT SUES STATE TO FORCE DISCLOSURE OF PUBLIC RECORDS
Department of Transportation Has Delayed Releasing Thousands of Tunnel-Related Records Compiled More Than a Year Ago
Elizabeth A. Campbell, chairwoman of Seattle Citizens Against the Tunnel, today sued the Washington State Department of Transportation in an effort to force disclosure of long-withheld records.
The records relate to the state’s controversial plan to replace the quake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct with a multi-billion-dollar “deep bore” tunnel. The plan is the subject of two citizen-sponsored ballot measures.
“No matter how people feel about the tunnel project, they have an interest in how it is financed, planned and managed,” said Ms. Campbell, the primary petitioner behind the anti-tunnel Initiative 101. “What is the state trying to hide?”
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, concerns records which Ms. Campbell first requested in January 2010. The Department of Transportation stated in April 2010 that it had collected more than 20,000 records responsive to her requests. However, more than a year after those records were compiled, the vast majority have yet to be released. The Department has never claimed that the records are exempt from disclosure requirements.
“The law requires a ‘reasonable’ time estimate for producing public records,” said attorney Katherine George, who is handling the suit for Ms. Campbell. “A year and a half is not reasonable.”
For more information, please call Ms. Campbell at 206 769-8459 or Ms. George at 425 802-1052.
