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.

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Sound Transit’s Executive Session

The video of the July 23, 2026 Sound Transit Board Meeting included the following agenda item:

 10, Executive Session to discuss a proposed course of action when public discussion is likely to result in an adverse legal or financial consequence to the agency as authorized under RCW 42.30.110 (1)(i)(iii).

 

The result was a Sound Transit attorney, at about 1:10 into the meeting, authorized the Executive Session that was scheduled to last 15 minutes. (it’s not clear whether the attorney was present during  the session as required by the RCW). The session ending up taking 45 minutes after which the meeting ending with no further discussion. 

 

The RCW requires final action, votes, or decisions occur in an open meeting. However, the public may never know what Sound Transit considered would likely cause “adverse legal or financial consequence for the agency”. 

 

The problem being Sound Transit continues to use project “affordability” as a criteria for continued funding rather than a project’s ability to efffectively deal with the area’s transportation problem.  Plenty of targets for improvements.

 

 

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