Vote ‘Yes’ on HJR 4204/‘No’ on I-960

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Vote ‘Yes’ on HJR 4204

Bainbridge Islanders can be proud of their support for local school levies.

Notwithstanding the minor (and fleeting) blip of a failed technology measure two years back, community favor has been staunch at the polls.

Other Washington communities haven’t been so fortunate, and even where support is strong, levies have failed because of a quirk in the state Constitution requiring a supermajority of 60 percent for supplemental local school funding. The requirement makes possible a “tyranny of the minority,” whereby a handful of unhappy voters have effective veto power over even basic school services.

House Joint Resolution 4204 would – finally – fix that, amending the state Constitution to allow school levies to be passed by simple majority, and we urge islanders to give the measure their support. We say “finally,” because the resolution has been on the legislative agenda of area schools (and this newspaper) for years; many times it’s been introduced, only to vanish again for want of clear legislative support. With the political will in Olympia finally mustered to put the question to statewide ballot, voters should seize the moment.

To be sure, we need to keep hammering away at Olympia to meet its primary constitutional mandate of fully funding basic public education. Until that day comes, local levies are a needed safety net, and should be freed from the onerous supermajority requirement.

Don’t vote “Yes” for Bainbridge students; you already do. Vote “Yes” on HJR 4204 for their public school counterparts in districts across the state.

‘No’ on I-960

Following a theme, voters should defeat Initiative 960, another product of anti-tax activist Tim Eyman.

By the sponsor’s account, the initiative would close loopholes exploited by the Legislature in raising taxes. Specifically, it would require two-thirds legislative approval for tax hikes, and strip state agencies of the authority to hike fees for services. Statewide advisory ballots would be held for any “emergency” appropriations by the Legislature, and the state would be compelled to email a 10-year cost forecast, sponsors’ legislative voting records and other information to every citizen who signs up on a list.

The campaign has been fueled by the usual anti-government, “us vs. them” rhetoric that has made its sponsor a rich man at supporters’ expense. Correspondingly, Eyman’s past initiatives have played to individual self-interest at the expense of public services. Of most dramatic impact locally was Initiative 695, for which islanders unhappy with high ferry fares can thank Eyman. Washington State Ferries still hasn’t recovered from funding slashed by I-695, and West Sound residents and businesses have been punished since by ever-escalating cost to get themselves and their goods back and forth across Puget Sound. But you sure do get a break on tabs when registering your luxury automobile!

I-960’s fiscal impact on the state is hard to gauge, but it is constitutionally suspect. Supporters should be prepared to see the initiative, like many of Eyman’s previous efforts, struck down in the courts if not at the polls.