Initiative 547 -- Voters Soured As Election Neared

If Election Day had been Sept. 6 instead of Nov. 6, Initiative 547 almost certainly would have passed.

But it wasn't. And it didn't.

Initiative 547 didn't just lose yesterday; it was crushed, losing big in every one of the state's 39 counties.

The outcome represented a remarkable turnaround: just two months ago, polls commissioned by both sides showed 547 with a substantial lead.

A late August survey for Citizens for Balanced Growth, which supported 547, put the initiative ahead by 49 percent to 18 percent. Another poll, taken over Labor Day weekend for Washington Taxpayers for Livable Communities, the opposition campaign, had 547 ahead, 55 percent to 24 percent, said John Giese, chief strategist for the anti-547 campaign.

That was before voters had focused much attention on the initiative. And it was before opponents, fueled by $1.5 million in contributions from developers, realtors, contractors, builders, banks and large corporations, began raising doubts and fears about what the complex initiative would do and undo.

Backers expected the initiative would do best in King County. They were right: It only lost here by a 2-1 ratio. In some small, rural counties, ``no'' votes outnumbered ``yes'' votes 10-1.

``We thought we'd win,'' said a jubilant Giese, ``but we never expected it would be like this.''

Initiative 547 was a backlash

against the boom that has brought more people, more cars and more concrete to the Puget Sound area. Environmentalists, slow-growth groups and neighborhood activists collected more than 225,000 signatures on 547 petitions in less than three months, setting a state record.

Spokesmen for both sides said last night that the initiative's defeat shouldn't be interpreted as a signal voter concerns over growth have subsided.

``The people who put this issue on the ballot aren't going to go away,'' said Steve Zemke, campaign director for Citizens for Balanced Growth.

``I don't think this means the Legislature shouldn't do anything,'' Giese agreed. ``Everybody's been fighting the nightmare of 547. Now the nightmare's over, and we can get on with a sensible growth-management law for Washington State.''

Opponents of 547 argued the initiative would cost tax dollars, drive up housing prices and property taxes and shift control over land use from city halls and county courthouses to appointed panels in Olympia.

They delivered that message in radio advertisements, at election forums, over the telephone and most of all by direct mail.

Brett Bader, the anti-547 campaign manager, said opponents sent more than 2.5 million pieces of mail to voters' homes.

The opposition campaign also benefited from the support of such Democratic politicians as Gov. Booth Gardner, Seattle Mayor Norm Rice and King County Councilman Ron Sims. They said the state needed to take additional steps to manage growth, but argued 547 wasn't the right approach.

David Bricklin, the Seattle environmental attorney who helped draft 547 and co-chaired the campaign to pass it, attributed its defeat mostly to money.

``It's hard to compete with $1.6 million,'' he said.

But Bricklin also said his side wasn't as effective as it hoped to be in responding to the opposition's attacks. ``I feel a little like (Michael) Dukakis,'' he said, referring to the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate who lost in part because he didn't respond effectively to negative advertising from Republicans.

The pro-547 campaign did send out one late mailing to likely voters, what political pros call an ``inoculation'' piece. Its aim was to brace voters for the attacks to come from the other side.

But, by the time the inoculation mailing went out, ``they (voters) already had the disease,'' Bricklin said yesterday.

The pro-547 campaign raised a relatively paltry $300,000. Bricklin said supporters had hoped to attract contributions from national environmental groups, but they gave instead to the campaign for the ``Big Green'' environmental initiative in California.

Anticipating defeat, supporters of 547 distributed handouts at their election-night party in the Denny Regrade last night, featuring quotes from Gardner, legislative leaders and others who opposed 547 but promised to champion growth-management legislation in Olympia next session.

``Don't forget the promise,'' the fliers said.

Among other things, Initiative 547 would have required each city and county in the state to adopt comprehensive plans. New state panels would have been established to review and approve the local comprehensive plans, and impose stiff sanctions if cities and counties didn't comply.