What do we think is in Ed Murray’s phantom Metro plan?

So, Plan C – using property taxes from Seattle to pay for Metro – is not a perfect plan (it kind of freezes out people who live in the ‘burbs, which is a real problem from an economic standpoint because, in a city that’s getting more expensive by the day, a lot of people in the 'burbs are the lowest earners, who kind of really need the bus).

However, it is a plan that exists in the wake of the devastating “no” vote on Prop 1. And it is a plan that could potentially ensure that Metro doesn’t get slashed to the bone, essentially making it impossible to get around town (because even if you’ve never taken a bus, you, as a driver, benefit from the bus because it means fewer cars and less awful traffic). 

It is more of a plan that Ed Murray has for saving transit.

And Ed Murray does not like Plan C. He neither has a plan, nor does he like the only plan that’s currently on the table.

So, we are forced to ask: Whatcha up to, Ed?

As in: Why, as the one-time transpo chair in Olympia, did you not have a more holistic contingency plan ready to go in the event that Prop 1 didn’t pass?

Did you just expect we, the people, would take care of this huge issue ourselves?

Did you even consider what would happen if Prop 1 didn’t pass?

We get it. You’ve been busy. You’ve been occupied with the police chief search (and pardoning cops for their terrible behavior). You’ve been locked in rooms with business people and activists coming up with that kind of watered down $15/hr proposal, which to be fair you were working on after the failure of Prop 1 and not before. You’ve had stuff to do.

But like, really? No contingency plan? No worst-case scenario?

And what’s all this with pitting pre-k against transit? What’s that even about?

Murray’s camp is scrambling on social, telling everyone that YES HE REALLY DOES HAVE A PLAN! And that he REALLY DOESN’T HATE TRANSPO ACTIVISTS! And that he REALLY CARES ABOUT EVERYONE!

@seattlish No he isn’t. He’s planning to announce a proposal later this week to save metro.

— SEA Mayor’s Office (@OfficeofMayor)

May 7, 2014

And you know what? Some of that might be true. We’re pretty sure he doesn’t want to see Metro crippled. And his reason for opposing Prop C actually isn’t awful.

It’s just that he’s JUST NOW trying to get a plan together – while also poo-pooing the only one that’s on the table – which is really troubling.

“I’m sorry if folks believe I should pop a plan out. It’s easy to pop a plan on the ballot…” Murray told the Stranger, “If people believe I should have popped out the morning after the election with a fully-cooked plan, I disagree.”

Yeah, I do kind of think you should have done that. Because IT’S YOUR JOB. It was your job in Olympia like a million years ago, and it’s your job as the Mayor of Seattle now.

So like…what else is going on, Ed? And what do we speculate his amazing, incredible, non-popped-out, not-preemptively-planned plan contains? Where does Ed think he will find magical millions that isn’t property tax?

UPDATE!!! Murray has released a statement:

A solution to our immediate needs should support a solution to our long-term needs: The failure of Prop 1 creates an urgent need to act, and Seattle must move forward now. We can and should offer a temporary financing plan while we remain committed to a conversation with the Legislature and King County about a long-term, solution to funding transit region-wide.

Well, you don’t say. Don’t you think maybe the POSSIBILITY of Prop 1’s failure should have been planned for?