McGinn's skepticism on tunnel is warranted

When Gov. Chris Gregoire stepped into the ring with Mayor Mike McGinn June 3 to spar over tunnel costs, the smart money was already on the Gov. Her many previous bouts gave her the advantage, and she slugged away at the new mayor while hardly breaking a sweat.

When she showed up for the fight, she already had the backing of the big money in downtown Seattle. McGinn, in office only half a year, may have underestimated the punch the diminutive governor packed.

McGinn's best shot was his objection to who would pay for cost overruns on the tunnel to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct. The city, already strapped for cash, was at risk because of the clause in legislation that bound Seattle taxpayers for overruns, McGinn said.

Gregoire was all swagger and bluster at the meeting, knowing she had both the backing of the Washington State Legislature and the Seattle City Council and was facing a rookie politician. She told the mayor that if he didn't like the Frank Chopp-inspired clause, to take it up with the legislature.

Still, McGinn stayed on his feet and took the blows. For that, we applaud the mayor for his courage in the face of considerable odds. McGinn is a man of principle who believes strongly that his constituents should not be stuck with the bill for the inevitable cost overruns of the tunnel project.

Last week, an article in the Seattle Times revealed that tunnels and bridges overrun their estimates by 34 percent. Surely, state officials and members of the legislature and the city council are aware of this. Yet they are plowing ahead in support of sticking Seattle with the bill that is sure to come.

The mayor's announcement June 25 that he has hired an independent consultant to look for pitfalls in the state plan is perfectly in keeping with his approach to the big dig. Remember, he inherited the projected from two politicians who are no longer on the local stage: Greg Nickels and Ron Sims.

He should be skeptical. And, comments from Councilmember Tom Rasmussen suggest a certain competitiveness for attention. He said the mayor should be content with the analysis from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Really? Is it possible the state department has felt some pressure from Gregoire over the project and feels duty-bound to present the project in a certain light? Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.

Another article in the Times featured a cheery interview of the man whose company makes the drilling machine that is now stuck in the tunnel. The fact that it is costing thousands of dollars a day while the drill is stuck and that the contractor does not know how to get it unstuck seems to be a footnote in the tunnel saga.

We think McGinn has the best interests of the taxpayers in mind in his objection. Hiring a consultant to study the studies might be the the best money spent on the project.

Ken Robinson is editor of the Ballard News-Tribune.