From the Times today, Initiative 91 has qualified for the November 7 ballot.
Initative 91 is a piece of legislation that is a tax break for the hotel/motel industry clad in anti-pro sports sentiment. As you can clearly see here, 95% of the underwriting for this issue comes from SEIU Local 775, with a pittance coming from private donors. Professional stooge for hire Chris Van Dyk and his cohorts at Citizens for More Important Things, (whatever they are -- they've never been clearly defined in the nearly ten year history of this group) have done their job in misinforming and clouding the issue for the public. I have clashed with their professional signature gatherers in the last few months over the disinformation, exploitation, and outright lies they're putting out there to get this passed.
Now it's our turn.
I implore everyone to write the Seattle City Council using the links on the SC.com main page and denounce this initiative and urge them to come up with an alternative proposal. Don't let a tiny union of hotel and motel workers and their paid consultant for hire drive the teams you love out of town. Everyone who's championed this issue in the SoundOffs on the P-I boards, use this opportunity to make your voice heard. The politicians will bend like reeds in the wind if they sense a change in public opinion.
"We always are saying we want a fair return on public investment. This tries to quantify it," Licata said.
I'll make sure I keep that quote in mind when I consider your request for hundreds of millions of dollars in general fund taxes to study "tourism development" at Seattle Center, Mr. Licata.
Provided you are still in office by then.