Cindi Laws - Seattle Popular Monorail Authority Pos. 8
Age: 44
Residence: Alki
Occupation: Executive director, Rainier Institute
Education: A.A., business, Columbia Basin College; B.A., political science, University of Washington
Community/political experience: Three years, Seattle monorail board. U.S. Senate transportation and environmental aide, Hanford Advisory Board. Worked for numerous members of Congress. Board member, the Shirley Miller Titus Foundation. Past president and trustee, Alki Community Council.
Campaign Web site: cindilaws2003.org
Questions:
1. How did you vote on the monorail proposition last year?
Yes. I've supported all three monorail votes.
2. What do you want to accomplish by working on this project?
Deliver on the promises made to voters last November: Build at least 14 miles of monorail on time and on budget with beautiful and environmentally sustainable design, with openness and public accountability. I will continue my extensive neighborhood and business outreach.
3. What is the best alignment for the Green Line in the Seattle Center area? Are any proposed routes unacceptable?
The best alignment is one that serves the long-term needs of Seattle Center users, the neighborhood residents and businesses and honoring previous city commitments while minimizing traffic impacts. Neither of the south-side routes meets these criteria.
4. If costs exceed the $1.5 billion budget, would you want to block the project, or build a cheaper version?
The monorail is a design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) bidding process that virtually eliminates taxpayer risk; contractors understand they can't exceed the $1.5 billion lid. Many "wants" in the plan could be modified to "needs" to cut costs; building shorter than promised is not an option.
5. Should park-and-ride facilities be built? If so, where?
Not as stand-alone facilities. We should leverage our limited tax dollars with local business investment to provide mixed-use structures that include parking and room for bikes, Flexcar and other nonautos at the end stations so neighborhoods are positively enhanced by the monorail.
6. Describe one idea to maximize public monorail use.
Partnerships with schools, senior centers, retailers, entertainment and sports venues that allow for free transit rides some or all the time.