On Tuesday, Nov 8, voters rejected Proposition 1 and with it, pulled the rug out from underneath the Ballard light rail project.

In August Mayor Mike McGinn challenged Seattle City Council to fund light rail which would connect Ballard and downtown via Queen Anne and Fremont, as recommended by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

A rapid streetcar study was one of the many transit projects intended to benefit from the $60 car tab increase.

In response to the voters. decision on Tuesday, McGinn said that he understood the voters' concern of regressive taxing and that he continues to be "dedicated to a progressive transportation system that gives people affordable ways to get around".

"We'll keep working on this because the need to catch up on maintenance and improve transit is not going away," McGinn said in a statement.

But on Thursday, Nov 10, lightrail received another blow when Seattle City Council removed $1.5 million earmarked for High-Capacity Transit planning projects from the Mayor's proposed 2012 budget.

McGinn submitted his proposed budget in September and this morning City Council finished preliminary voting on their modifications to the Mayor’s budget. The formal approval of the 2012 budget will take place November 21 at 2 p.m.