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Campaign Fizz: Long-Shot Tom Rasmussen Challenger Dale Pusey
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The PI.com, continuing its series of interviews with council challengers, has a Q&A with Tom Rasmussen opponent Dale Pusey today. As it happens, we met with Pusey yesterday. We found the first-time candidate, who moved here from Florida five years ago and has not raised any money, smart but frustratingly vague about why he's running, and why he's opposing Rasmussen in particular. Pusey, an avid cyclist, supports bike lanes but opposes taxes, wants to leave the viaduct standing and convert it into a multi-level park, and opposes the paid sick leave ordinance as an unfair burden on businesses.
Some excerpts from our interview:
Tell us a little about why you're running. I feel the common citizen, the common business person, doesn't have a voice. If you look and see all the new fees and taxes that are being raised while city services such as roads and transit, even utilities, are being cut, I don't feel like we're getting our money's worth. ... Look at the paid sick leave issue. I believe that in a time where the economy is not doing very well, for the city council to put a whole new regulation on top of businesses that are already struggling, it's counterproductive.
Are there issues or votes where you've disagreed with Tom specifically? No, nothing specific. I have nothing against Tom Rasmussen. My biggest issue is with transportation around here, and as the chair of the transportation committee, there are plenty of places where transportation itself could be improved.
Like what? Do you support the $80 car tab fee the council may put on the ballot in November? I think I'd need to look into it more to see what the funds are going to go to. If it was going to be, we're going to put the $80 car fee into rebuilding the roads, that's great and all, but didn't we have a Bridging the Gap levy to do that, as well as maintenance fees from the general fund? It seems like no matter how much the citizens vote for, it's never enough. There's always some new project that needs to be done.
So are you in favor of project that have been undertaken to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, like road diets? It depends on where they are. ... The goal of the city's bike program is to get people who don't raid to ride bikes more, but a lot of the new bike lanes and road diets are being put on relatively busy arterials. Where I come from in Florida, pedestrian deaths are among the the highest in the nation. When I first came here and saw a bike lane on the road, I thought they were nuts. Now they're fine with me, but if I put myself in the shoes of someone who's new to cycling and then all of a sudden you're telling them they have to get on a bike and ride in traffic, that's not going to work.
Given your antipathy to taxes, do you support the doubled Families and Education Levy on the ballot this November? I could support it, but I believe the schools need to look into and really reflect on what's going on, because if the schools don't seem to be improving and students aren't learning ... it seems like we're throwing good money after bad. I'll vote for it, but I think there needs to be real accountability along with it.
Explain your plan for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct. I support the tunnel, but I think they should leave the viaduct up. I would like it to turn into a park. Both levels would be a park. My idea would be one to use the top level as a walking park, where people can sit and enjoy the views, whereas on the second level, you could have food carts or places for artists to sell their wares. I believe it would be a good draw for not just out of town tourists but for residents.
The PI.com, continuing its series of interviews with council challengers, has a Q&A with Tom Rasmussen opponent Dale Pusey today. As it happens, we met with Pusey yesterday. We found the first-time candidate, who moved here from Florida five years ago and has not raised any money, smart but frustratingly vague about why he's running, and why he's opposing Rasmussen in particular. Pusey, an avid cyclist, supports bike lanes but opposes taxes, wants to leave the viaduct standing and convert it into a multi-level park, and opposes the paid sick leave ordinance as an unfair burden on businesses.
Some excerpts from our interview:
Tell us a little about why you're running. I feel the common citizen, the common business person, doesn't have a voice. If you look and see all the new fees and taxes that are being raised while city services such as roads and transit, even utilities, are being cut, I don't feel like we're getting our money's worth. ... Look at the paid sick leave issue. I believe that in a time where the economy is not doing very well, for the city council to put a whole new regulation on top of businesses that are already struggling, it's counterproductive.
Are there issues or votes where you've disagreed with Tom specifically? No, nothing specific. I have nothing against Tom Rasmussen. My biggest issue is with transportation around here, and as the chair of the transportation committee, there are plenty of places where transportation itself could be improved.
Like what? Do you support the $80 car tab fee the council may put on the ballot in November? I think I'd need to look into it more to see what the funds are going to go to. If it was going to be, we're going to put the $80 car fee into rebuilding the roads, that's great and all, but didn't we have a Bridging the Gap levy to do that, as well as maintenance fees from the general fund? It seems like no matter how much the citizens vote for, it's never enough. There's always some new project that needs to be done.
So are you in favor of project that have been undertaken to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, like road diets? It depends on where they are. ... The goal of the city's bike program is to get people who don't raid to ride bikes more, but a lot of the new bike lanes and road diets are being put on relatively busy arterials. Where I come from in Florida, pedestrian deaths are among the the highest in the nation. When I first came here and saw a bike lane on the road, I thought they were nuts. Now they're fine with me, but if I put myself in the shoes of someone who's new to cycling and then all of a sudden you're telling them they have to get on a bike and ride in traffic, that's not going to work.
Given your antipathy to taxes, do you support the doubled Families and Education Levy on the ballot this November? I could support it, but I believe the schools need to look into and really reflect on what's going on, because if the schools don't seem to be improving and students aren't learning ... it seems like we're throwing good money after bad. I'll vote for it, but I think there needs to be real accountability along with it.
Explain your plan for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct. I support the tunnel, but I think they should leave the viaduct up. I would like it to turn into a park. Both levels would be a park. My idea would be one to use the top level as a walking park, where people can sit and enjoy the views, whereas on the second level, you could have food carts or places for artists to sell their wares. I believe it would be a good draw for not just out of town tourists but for residents.
