Community center bond being defeated
November 5, 2008
By Ed Farrell
Snoqualmie’s Proposition No. 1, Recreational Facilities Bond — also known as the Snoqualmie Ridge Community Center bond — is failing.
With all seven of the city’s precincts reporting, supporters of the $10 million bond issue so far have been unable to achieve the 60 percent supermajority required by state law. However, there are still an unknown number of mail-in and absentee ballots uncounted.
According to the King County Elections Office, 52.61 percent of votes cast were in support of the measure, while 47.39 percent of voters were opposed.
Only 33.7 percent — 1,813 of 5,370 registered voters — cast counted ballots on the bond question. It’s unsure how many more votes could come in. In a similar vote in 2006, voter participation was 64 percent. In 2002, it was 52 percent.
If the bond fails, it will be the third time voters declined to support a property tax increase to build and support a community center on Snoqualmie Ridge.
If approved, the bonds would cost an estimated 30 additional cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, or about $120 a year on a $400,000 home.
A precinct-by-precinct vote tally was not available Wednesday morning from county election officials, but in both 2002 and 2006, voters residing in the downtown area of Snoqualmie voted strongly in opposition to issuing bonds to build the center, while Snoqualmie Ridge residents voted overwhelmingly in favor.
In 2002, voters overwhelmingly defeated a $9 million bond measure — 59.63 voted against the bonds to 40.37 in support. In 2006, the bond question was defeated with 52.28 percent in favor to 47.72 percent against.
Prior to Tuesday’s election, Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson had urged voters to approve the bonds, promising the city would try again in two years.
On Wednesday, Larson — an ardent and vocal supporter of the bond effort — issued a terse “no comment” in the wake of current results.
Councilman Charles Peterson, a downtown Snoqualmie resident and former city mayor who had urged voters to support the measure as a symbol of community unity, said Wednesday that he was not yet ready to concede defeat.
“I believe there are still a number of mail-in ballots to be counted,” Peterson said, noting that he himself had only mailed in his ballot Tuesday.
“But it is a lot of ground to make up, and I wouldn’t want to bet money (on achieving the 60 percent total required for victory) it.”
Peterson added he had “no concept of what we’ll do” should the numbers hold up and the final tally fail to reach 60 percent.
Councilman Jeff MacNichols agreed with Peterson.
“We are far from the end of the vote count,” MacNichols said, adding that the King County numbers “are preliminary” only.
The council had already approved a memorandum of understanding with the Greater Seattle YMCA to manage the facility, promising to subsidize the YMCA to the tune of $100,000 a year for 20 years.
YMCA officials did not immediately return telephone calls soliciting comment.
The $2 million subsidy was a point of contention with some prospective voters in the days leading up to the election, and even caught some city council members by surprise when Larson announced the terms of the subsidy prior to the election.
In other local elections, Republican incumbents for state legislative offices in the 5th district were ahead on Wednesday. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Republican incumbent state Senator Cheryl Pflug had a convincing lead, ahead 58-42. Pflug has 16,333 votes to Democratic challenger Phyllis Huster’s 11,949 votes.
Republican incumbent Jay Rodne seems poised to cruise to victory against Jon Viebrock, leading by a 56-43 margin. Rodne has received 15,470 votes to Viebrock’s 11,897.
In a much closer race, incumbent Republican Glenn Anderson was up by 310 votes against Democratic challenger David Spring. Anderson had 13,813 votes for 50.53 percent of the total counted, while Spring had 13,503 votes for 49.39 percent of the total counted.
Of the three statewide ballot measures, two passed.
Initiative 1000, sometimes referred to as the “Death with Dignity Act”, won 59-41.
Initiative 1029, which entails more funding for long-term care for elderly and disabled persons, passed 74-26.
Initiative 985, which would have opened up HOV lanes to all-purpose traffic at certain hours of the day, lost by a 59-41 margin.
Reporter J.B. Wogan contributed to this story. Reach reporter Ed Farrell at efarrell@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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People in the valley are sick of taxes – sick of the so called leadership of the city counsel- times are tough and in tough times we must learn to live within our means. We can survive without this so called rec. center . Another effort of Larson to put a trophy on the ridge. With property taxes going up as much as 45 percent and another attempt at a school bond hitting our pocketbooks I look at it as tax relief. If the ridge wants it bad enough let them have it but only with their own money,not the money of people fed up with taxes and sufferring from a recessiion. Larson can knock on all the doors on the ridge and collect first hand and cali it The Larson Rec. Center. His argument that it will only cost more is not true unless it gets passsed.. We in the valley have seen our lbrary move to the ridge- the bank become a liquor store- and had Mr Larson himself say the city hall is temporary and will become office space at some time. You know how you can tell he is stretching the truth? His lips move.