King County Executive Ron Sims has expressed the right idea when it comes to helping West Seattle residents get to and from their daily appointed rounds while trying to cut down on high gasoline costs.

Unfortunaltely our mayor has once again come out in favor of an approach that will do absolutely nothing to help our commuters and actually places getting light rail to Lynnwood over getting people to work from West Seattle.

Here is the issue:

Three weeks ago the Sound Transit board approved a November ballot issue that would increase your sales tax a half of one percent that would raise $17.8 billion over the next 30 years. In addition, the measure will raise the millions needed to pay the interest on this loan.

"The plan rapidly increases express bus and commuter rail service and creates a 53-mile regional light rail system - all with a lower price tag, faster delivery dates and more public accountability than last year's roads-and-transit package," says Sound Transit. The package last year was soundly defeated.

One happy camper in this debate is the vice chairman of Sound Transit and the Snohomish County executive, Aaron Reardon. "It provides major express bus improvements right out of the gate while getting light rail to Lynnwoood, which puts Everett in reach for the next phase."

We note that there is no next or any other phase to help transit in West Seattle. We will get absolutely nothing out of this except a chance to wait longer and pay more for our own bus service.

Where does our mayor stand? Well, he is the chairman of that Sound Transit board.

"The debate before us this November is quite simple: inaction versus solutions," says the mayor. "We have the backing of business, the environmental community and, according to the polls, the majority of residents. Let us no longer delay, but roll up our sleeves and start building the best regional transit network in the nation."

So what if it leaves the people of West Seattle out of the benefits? Hey folks, we get to pay the estimated $69 a year, something to keep us warm and happy when that full bus zooms by us or when we are paying $4.20 cents a gallon for gas to get to work. Smile for the mayor, voters!

Sims used to be a member of the board of Sound Transit, so how come he is on our side?

"The current plan (on the November ballot), long on future light rail and short on immediate congestion relief, is the wrong investment at the wrong time," says Ron Sims. "Although the plan's projects may come online in 15 years, to finance it, we will continue to pay the increased sales tax until 2039, tying up all of the money this region has to invest in transit until then."

Then he notes problems now.

"Supporters of the plan say we need 'more transit now!' And they're right; more transit now is what we need. As gas prices approach $4.50 per gallon, our buses are bursting at the seams. Unfortunately, the proposed plan is not more transit now, it is mostly light rail later."

Exactly. The mayor proposes we spend our money on light rail for Everett and elsewhere a long time from now.

We agree with Sims and think more buses now is the answer.

"Imagine the possibilities if a significant portion of the $17.8 billion were invested in immediate bus service," says Sims. "We could add hundreds of buses to alleviate overcrowding and provide more frequent bus service all over the region."

His logic is unassailable. We continue to wonder what part of the world Greg Nickels is mayor of, and why he does not think more about the intelligent people of the city of Seattle, instead of monuments to the future.

World realities have made buses, at long last, a viable method of commuting. Buses in Seattle, probably for the first time ever, are often crowded with passengers. It will not get better until we have more buses - hopefully those that do not run on costly diesel - running from and to places our West Seattle residents want and need them to operate.

Rail transit is forever unavailable to West Seattle. Does that mean we should forever be without adequate transit?

We say vote no on the Sound Transit dream of a distant day and demand more transit now.

- Jack Mayne