Jolt
Afternoon Jolt: Feds Approve Tunnel, Democratic Play Backfires
Today's winner: The tunnel.
The Federal Highway Administration just signed a record of decision with the state department of transportation (WSDOT) allowing the state to start final design and construction on the downtown deep-bore tunnel. The ROD is the last major step toward approving the tunnel, which voters overwhelmingly (59-41) supported in the August 16 primary election.
In a statement, tunnel project manager Ron Paananen said, "It has taken a great deal of effort, by all of us, to reach this point. And more work lies ahead as we focus on building this project."
Today's loser: The Democrats.
The Democratic Party is making a stink about Republican AG Rob McKenna's free use of a Honda Pilot SUV from Honda Auto Center in Bellevue---noting that one of the AG's main duties is dealing with complaints against auto dealers. However---as we noted in Fizz this morning---McKenna isn't the only AG to get donations from car dealers in recent years.
Now-Gov. Chris Gregoire, too, got free use of a car from Dwayne Lane Auto in Everett while she was the Democratic attorney general. (The AG's office, as the Democrats noted re: McKenna, spend a lot of time regulating auto dealers.) Gregoire also accepted a total of nearly $20,000 in donations from auto dealers, including Kirkland Nissan, Foothills Auto Group, and Cascade Auto Center, during her campaigns for attorney general in 2000 and for governor in 2004.
And as the PI.com pointed out earlier today, Gregoire signed a bill in 2009 that allowed car dealerships to temporarily triple the document fees they charge people when they buy or lease a car, from $50 to $150.
The Democrats, apparently undeterred, are having a press event this afternoon at 2:00 about McKenna's use of the free SUV.
The Federal Highway Administration just signed a record of decision with the state department of transportation (WSDOT) allowing the state to start final design and construction on the downtown deep-bore tunnel. The ROD is the last major step toward approving the tunnel, which voters overwhelmingly (59-41) supported in the August 16 primary election.
In a statement, tunnel project manager Ron Paananen said, "It has taken a great deal of effort, by all of us, to reach this point. And more work lies ahead as we focus on building this project."
Today's loser: The Democrats.
The Democratic Party is making a stink about Republican AG Rob McKenna's free use of a Honda Pilot SUV from Honda Auto Center in Bellevue---noting that one of the AG's main duties is dealing with complaints against auto dealers. However---as we noted in Fizz this morning---McKenna isn't the only AG to get donations from car dealers in recent years.
Now-Gov. Chris Gregoire, too, got free use of a car from Dwayne Lane Auto in Everett while she was the Democratic attorney general. (The AG's office, as the Democrats noted re: McKenna, spend a lot of time regulating auto dealers.) Gregoire also accepted a total of nearly $20,000 in donations from auto dealers, including Kirkland Nissan, Foothills Auto Group, and Cascade Auto Center, during her campaigns for attorney general in 2000 and for governor in 2004.
And as the PI.com pointed out earlier today, Gregoire signed a bill in 2009 that allowed car dealerships to temporarily triple the document fees they charge people when they buy or lease a car, from $50 to $150.
The Democrats, apparently undeterred, are having a press event this afternoon at 2:00 about McKenna's use of the free SUV.
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