About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Times Endorsement Interview


My email, on my return from recent travels, included an invitation from the Seattle Times for their “Endorsement interview”.   My BCC candidacy, as well as my prior 48th District candidacy last year, is based in no small part on the Time’s complete lack of “interest” in my concerns about Sound Transits policies. 

Four years of attempts to attract their attention via emails of “opinions” and offers to meet with anyone on their staff to discuss the issues were ignored.  It was particularly frustrating since any competent investigative journalist would have quickly concluded Sound Transit made a monumental blunder when they neglected to consider two-way BRT as the “no-build option” for the bridge center roadway.  Revealing that reality in the paper could have saved the area hundreds of millions and years of increased congestion.  Instead they've spent the years abetting Sound Transit mendacity, incompetence, and arrogance (see 8/02/12 post)

When I attempted to make that point (9/05/12 post) during last year’s “Endorsement Interview” they simply weren’t interested.  To put it mildly, the rest of the interview “didn’t go well” and I was “excused” early.  I followed the interview with several posts concerning the paper’s lack of responsible journalism (9/13/12, 10/25/12, 11/19/12, 1/06/13, and 5/21/13).

Since the election I’ve made a point of using email to refer the Editorial Board, the Executive Editor David Boardman, and columnists Danny Westneat and Bruce Ramsey to many of the posts on this blog.  While they may or may not have read them, I’ve yet to receive any response or read of any Sound Transit criticisms in their paper.  This “blind eye” to concerns has led me to conclude the Times has become a co-conspirator with Sound Transit on policies that, if allowed to continue, will devastate the entire areas transportation funding for a very long time.

Needless to say I declined their invitation for an Endorsement Interview.


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