The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) is often put in a difficult position, charged with determining violations of sometimes-arcane (if not downright confusing) elections law, occasionally in a short amount of time. Perhaps that is why Sound Transit – and Attorney General Bob Ferguson – got the very good news that the PDC would not be recommending punishment of the Sound Transit, as had been suggested by staff just last week.
Instead, in a stunning reversal, at a public meeting staff recommended to the PDC Commissioners that they not ask the Attorney General to look into potential wrongdoing, which a staff member who missed yesterday’s meeting had described last Friday as “an‘apparent violation’ of the state law that prohibits public agencies from using public resources to assist a political campaign.” This week that “apparent violation” was described, by the PDC chair, as “mistakes are made during the regular course of business.”
That left Sound Transit’s lawyer with the easy task of agreeing with the prosecution. According to the Times, “Sound Transit legal counsel Desmond Brown, who came to Thursday’s hearing prepared to dispute the PDC’s original findings, instead told commissioners: ‘I have a slightly different presentation than I had planned to make. We concur with (PDC staffer) Mr. Young’s assessment of the situation.’”
It also left the person who made the complaint against Sound Transit somewhat confused about next steps’. “(Conner) Edwards, a Tacoma political consultant, said he’s unsure he’ll pursue the matter in light of Thursday’s ruling. ‘I am going to have to re-evaluate,’ he said.”
One person certainly not confused by the decision – but cheering instead – is AG Ferguson. Now he does not have to pursue a case against a liberal favorite like Sound Transit, which would not have helped his likely run for governor in four years. Instead, he can simply concur with the PDC recommendation and finish letting Sound Transit off the hook.
tensor says
Aw, yet another scandal-mongering attempt by Shift collapses for lack of evidence. Too bad, so sad. (And it was such a hugely public failure, even Shift couldn’t ignore the exoneration of one of Shift’s favorite targets.)
Better luck next time, you ever-anonymous crusaders who ceaselessly demand the very highest standards in integrity and openness — for other people, that is.
Clay Fitzgerald says
You are truly a doofus, tensie, the PDC is bought and paid for by liberal democrat and organized labor, the prime movers behind the boondoggle known as Sound Transit.
tensor says
So, quite a few of your favored candidates and causes have been smacked down as scofflaws (or worse) by the PDC, eh?
Clay Fitzgerald says
It’s time for you to shut up and crawl back under a that log where you were hatched.
tensor says
I’ll take that as a “yes,” Clay. Thanks!
Clay Fitzgerald says
Only a moron like you could come up with such a clever (NOT) rejoinder!
tensor says
(It’s really not the same without the sound of his little feet stomping to his bedroom and spitefully slamming the door, but hey, I’ll take it.)
Joe, it is worth wondering how much of his government pension Clay has handed over to our state’s biggest serial liar and thief, Tim Eyman. Although Shift seems to have missed it completely, Eyman remains under investigation from our State’s Attorney General for the money-laundering scheme the PDC found. Little wonder Clay threw such a temper-tantrum at my very hint of his getting duped by guys like Eyman.
Biff says
Isn’t being “under investigation” for money laundering better than being “on trial” for money laundering like State Auditor Troy Kelley (D)? To quote an anonymous poster “Where’s the indictments?”
tensor says
Eyman admitted to “merely”stealing money a long time ago; the PDC recently found he’d created an entire money-laundering operation; the AG is now. investigating. See, that’s what happens when the PDC finds actual problems — like it didn’t with Sound Transit.
As for your ability to yell “Troy Kelley” whenever conversation about scandal turns to right-wing scoundrels, it’s good to see Shift has trained you well in that, because there’s no sign the long train of miscreants from that side of our politics is in any peril of faltering.
Joe says
Well when Clay who loves Tim Eyman writes, “You are truly a doofus, tensie, the PDC is bought and paid for by liberal democrat and organized labor, the prime movers behind the boondoggle known as Sound Transit” gee I wonder why I blocked the dirtbag?
Clay Fitzgerald says
Hey, Joe, when it comes to dirtbags… you’re it, idjit!
Joe says
I simply unblocked you Clay so yeah I read your spin machine.
Biff says
What did the ever-anonymous XKCD have to say about it?
tensor says
It’s not anonymous. The author identifies himself right on the site: xkcd.com/about
That’s what happens when the owner of the site is proud of his work. (You know, unlike this site, that you support.)
Joe says
This site is run by Matthew Lindth (sp?), I understand. It would be nice if all blog posts were signed.
I mean we all know who Abigail Doerr is, right?
Joe says
Very well aweseomely said dude. BTW, what do you do on Sundays? Play professional football?
Joe says
A concern has been filed with the Washington State Auditor’s Office as well. By ME.
Yours;
Joe “AvgeekJoe” Kunzler, who endorses Regional Propostion 1 as the best way to expand light rail
Biff says
You’ve got to be joking. ST3 AND this Regional Proposition 1? You should file a concern with a mental health professional. The best way to expand light rail is to have the transit freeloaders that want it pay the full cost.
Elvis “The King” Presley
Joe says
You’re a 49ers fan who got your butt creamed yesterday. ST3 = Regional Prop 1.
Joe says
G*d Bless Sound Transit.
Rosnet says
Buy a car you cheap, lazy ass!
Joe says
I can’t drive. BIGOT.
Rosnet says
Use uber then BIGOT!!
Joe says
Uber is only so good. But I use Uber & preferably Lyft when I have to.
Biff says
You can’t drive so everybody else must pay for your transportation and anybody that doesn’t like it is a BIGOT. Got it.
Joe says
I think people who say all folks who can’t drive are “cheap, lazy ass” are bigoted.
Now we can debate who has the bigger subsidies… because gas tax does NOT cover all road expenses.
Biff says
I think people that throw around the word “bigot” are too intellectually stunted to come up with a more appropriate term.
There’s nothing to debate about who gets the bigger subsidies:
Per a report cited by your comrade tensor, fuel taxes and license fees (that ONLY motorists pay ) cover slightly more than half of the costs of roads, roads that make your freeloading transit lifestyle possible. Metro is exempt from fuel taxes and license fees, skipping out on a full half of the cost of the roads they use. Every year when motorists pay to renew our privilege to operate our vehicles, we pay a subsidy to Metro, because fares don’t even come close to meeting their operating expenses, much less capital costs. Now, about the other half of road costs. Those costs are mainly paid by bond sales, bonds that ALL taxpayers, motorists and transit leeches alike, are on the hook for. Since motorists are the overwhelming majority of all taxpayers, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out motorists pay the overwhelming majority of road bond costs, ALL of the fuel taxes and license fees, plus a transit subsidy on top of license fees. Are you steeped in the Kool-aid enough to think your coins in the farebox are subsidizing me in any way?
Joe says
Well when you say “transit leeches” I really think you’re the one speaking out of turn.
I do believe that farebox recovery isn’t 100% but it’s damn good.
Biff says
When I say “transit leeches” I must be a bigot. Sorry. Would it be better if I said “transit sponges”?
Farebox recovery is nowhere near even remotely close to 100% for Metro, and it’s worse for light rail. Maybe you should put a number on “damn good”. A real, sourced number. If transit is so self sustaining, Where does the nearly 1% skim (tax) from every taxable sale in the RTA go? Every time, forever, everyone who makes a purchase with sales tax involved pays an extra 0.9%, simply for making that purchase inside the RTA. Every time, forever, everyone of the vast majority of the population who are motorists registers or re-registers vehicle in the RTA, we pay a direct subsidy to Metro. Those are 2 enormous numbers. Where does all that money go?
UnSound Transit blew through the $17.9 Billion “ST2 15 year plan” in 8 years and now they’re back begging for over 3 times as much on an equally dubious “25 year plan”.
Apparently your definition of “damn good” isn’t the same as the rest of us.
tensor says
I can’t be responsible for Biff’s twisting of what I wrote. Fuel taxes and vehicle license fees pay half the cost of WSDOT’s budget; the other half (!) is a subsidy to motorists. (All state taxpayers are on the hook for the state bonds which finance road construction projects, so the effective subsidy for motorists is actually much higher.)
Vehicle fees and fuel taxes can’t even pay for all of the roads motorists use, so payers of those fees can’t possibly subsidize anything else; that’s simple math.
Joe says
Just for all them folks who need to know who I am and what I really believe: https://youtu.be/JubD32eHqbs?t=1m13s
Enjoy your airshow. #InKitsisWeTrust
tensor says
This is so hilarious. Shift’s previous post on this topic simply assumed guilt and assured punishment, right there in the title:
“Sound Transit caught breaking finance laws – punishment TBD”
The body of the post was equally strident and certain:
The bureaucrats at Sound Transit knew they could be in trouble when they got caught giving the personal email addresses of their customers to the campaign trying to raise taxes to expand their light rail system. Using taxpayer-funded resources to help a political campaign is a big no-no.
Reality swiftly caught up with Shift, forcing some serious retconning. Suddenly, the world became strange (and oh so very, very difficult) to understand:
The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) is often put in a difficult position, charged with determining violations of sometimes-arcane (if not downright confusing) elections law, occasionally in a short amount of time.
From “a big no-no” to “sometimes-arcane (if not downright confusing)” in just one post(!). That’s some serious revisionism, in “a short amount of time”, indeed.
Why, it almost begs the question: how many other strident statements by Shift suddenly became not so clear when examined for even “a short amount of time”?