Seattle mayor gives monorail board an ultimatum

Mayor Greg Nickels today gave the Seattle Monorail Project a Sept. 15 deadline to craft a ballot measure to pay for the financially distressed project.

In a letter to the monorail's governing board, he said uncertainty over the elevated line could harm other efforts to fix the area's transportation problems.

"If the SMP Board is unable to take decisive action the City of Seattle will have to independently determine if continuance of the monorail project is in the best interests of our city," the letter said.

There are really only two choices, he said: seek higher taxes to construct the entire 14-mile Green Line from Ballard to West Seattle, or shorten the line.

There are far more than two choices, including subsidizing the cost through public bonds and station sponsorships. Hopefully SMP doesn't share Mayor Nickels' narrow view.