Politics and Government

After serving as a leader on the Sound Transit Board for 15 years, Dow Constantine revealed Friday he is seeking the job as the agency's CEO. Some transit advocates remain skeptical.

Proposition 1A has won the special election to decide the fate of social housing in Seattle. After leading by 15 points on election night, Prop 1A continued to expand its lead in subsequent ballot counts, reaching a 20-point advantage on Thursday. Ultimately, it ended up being a 26-point win.

On Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled his $1.5 billion proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy, which expires at year's end. The levy funds parks and regional trail expansions, educational programming at partner organizations, and operations and maintenance.

Proposition 1A grabbed nearly 58% of the election night vote tally, signaling social housing is on the way to victory in Seattle. The measure would tax big businesses to raise about $53 million annually to fund social housing.

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce crafted the ballot language for Proposition 1B and pressured councilmembers to follow their plan to delay the social housing vote and put the competing measure on the ballot to siphon support, newly unearthed public records show. The centrists on Seattle City Council did as business leaders advised.

Kirkland Connections is a new 24/7 mental health crisis center that could prove a model for the five crisis centers a county levy approved and funded in 2023. Such services are rare in the region.

With an eye toward adding new passenger ferry service by 2026, HB 1923 would expand the number of transit agencies able to operate foot ferries, and also set up a new state grant to fund them.

Backers of Proposition 1A highlighted a flood of cash from the region's large corporations, including Amazon and Microsoft, promoting alternative Prop 1B. Unlike 1A, Prop 1B would not actually fund social housing or raise new revenue.