OPPOSE POOR PUBLIC POLICY: NO ON INITIATIVE 900
COMMENTARY, TALKING POINTS, AND PERMANENT DEFENSE VIEWPOINTS
E S S A Y - V O T E N O O N I N I T I A T I V E 9 0 0
Initiative an attack on King County, home rule
ANDREW VILLENEUVE, PERMANENT DEFENSE
Ever since Initiative 695 in 1999, we've observed a common theme among Eyman-sponsored initiatives: they are all, in one way or another, an attack on King County and on home rule.
Initiative 900 is not an exception.
Eyman has been clamoring for months that the state auditor needs unchecked power to conduct performance audits of local government (the auditor already has the power to conduct financial audits).
To illustrate his point that local government, in his view, needs auditing, Eyman has come up with some examples - Sound Transit (which Eyman despises), King County Elections (unpopular with conservatives after Gregoire's victory) and the Seattle Monorail - not to mention Ron Sims' office and the King County Council.
Not one of those examples is outside of King County.
Sound Transit also operates in Pierce and Snohomish Counties, but the heart of its operations are in King County, home to Seattle and its suburbs.
Eyman is hoping his measure will help bring a heavy hand crashing down on King County. While the current state auditor isn't a Republican, Eyman understands that Brian Sonntag won't be state auditor forever.
Many conservatives would like nothing more than to crush Sound Transit and the Seattle Monorail Project out of existence. They'd love to have King County Elections hung out to dry. And they would definitely like to come down hard on Ron Sims and the Democratic controlled County Council.
They want to use the power of the state to interfere with home rule in King County. They are disdained with Seattle's progressive politics and welcome the opportunity to have an outside force come in to turn the tables.
Initiatve 900 is setting the stage for abuse of the state auditor's office by giving the auditor too much unchecked power.
While the office remains in the qualified hands of Brian Sonntag, who we endorsed for the position, we are hopeful that there will be no abuse of power.
But there's no guarantee that Sonntag, the next state auditor or any future state auditor will be responsible.
Government needs to be structured, and policies designed, for the worst-case scenario. That is why the Legislature's performance audit legislation set up a citizen advisory board to check the power of the state auditor.
Too much power isn't a good thing - especially if that power is used to stifle home rule and attack King County.
Don't support Eyman and his anti-King County, anti-Seattle agenda. Vote no on Initiative 900.
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© 2005 Permanent Defense.
A division of the Northwest Progressive Institute
