Republicans are up in arms over the recent actions of the King County Council (so what else is new?), but this time it's different. Many of us feel betrayed because the recent legislation passed, which raise car tabs by $20, did so only because of the key votes from two of our own; Kathy Lambert and Jane Hague. It was especially wounding to some because Lambert and Hague (and "Democrat" Julia Patterson) had assured them that they would not vote for a tax increase, instead putting it on the ballot for the people to decide. And perhaps that's what they should have done but calling them liars, as my friend Tim Eyman did last week, is the lazy way out and doesn't take into account the often difficult choices our elected officials must fact, especially when those elected officials have been in the ideological minority since who knows when.

I spent more than two hours listening to and asking questions of both Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert last night. At the onset of the evening I counted myself firmly in camp with the likes of Toby Nixon, Todd Woosley and others who were quite upset over the vote. But having known Lambert and Hague for many years I was more than happy to listen to their defense and hoped that there was some logical explanation. And I was not disappointed. While I'm not sure I would have ended up voting the way they did, after listening to their explanation I respect their decision and remain a strong supporter of both of them. As Kathy mentioned, we're a family and families aren't always going to agree but as long as they're honest and respectful of each other a good relationship can continue.

So what was their explanation? Well, as Kathy aptly pointed out, it was a bit of a Hobson's Choice, a "take it or leave it non-choice". Again, that's what comes from being in the perpetual minority in this County. You can either work with the liberal majority and gain some concessions or you can take your ball and go home, except that you can't take your ball because it belongs to them.

Our story begins a year and a half ago. Dow Constantine had recently taken office and was beginning to realize what a mess Ron Sims had made of county government (near criminal, according to Lambert). To his credit, Constantine began to clean things up, even reaching across the aisle for advice from Lambert and other "Republicans". One of the biggest messes, of course, was King County's transit system. And so began the process of reform. The "Republican" members of the council; Kathy Lambert, Jane Hague, Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer, reached out to the State Auditor's Office who then came up with a list of 32 reforms. To date, 31 of those reforms are complete or in process. The key to achieving such a victory came at the expense of the $20 car tab fee hike. Again, it was a bit of a non-choice. Of course those of us who use common sense think that money saving reforms should be implemented regardless of what sort of concessions one may get from the "other side" but, unfortunately, as often happens, some politicians aren't content in just doing the right thing for the right thing's sake and get into horse trading. When that happens we can cut off our noses to spite our faces or we can swallow our lumps and live to fight another day, knowing that the war is ongoing and achieving small victories in battles we may have otherwise lost.

And those victories are worth celebrating. Already, King County has raised fares so that recovery is up from 18% to 30%. This might not seem like a lot but compared to other transit systems in the nation it is above average. King County has now eliminated the ride free zone in Downtown Seattle, which was costing taxpayers $2.2 million in lost fares, $100,000 in cleaning costs (those of you who have ever ridden a downtown bus will know intimately what happens when you allow some folks to ride around on a bus for free all day), and an additional, unspecified amount in lost fares due to fare evasion (the ride free zone created a system where a rider did not have to pay his fare until leaving the bus on an outbound route, making it very easy to skip out on paying). Additionally, 3% of routes, most serving the exurbs and are often empty, have been contracted out to the private sector and will soon be using smaller coaches and "Dial-a-Ride" service. The county is working to improve route efficiency in other ways as well, sending buses to parts of the county that need them instead of continuing to focus on Seattle. The Transit Union, to their credit, has been surprisingly generous in giving up their cost of living raises, which has saved the county $23 million. These and other cost saving measures in the process of being implemented will help to close the $148 million dollar budget shortfall. The $20 car tab fee will bring in only a small portion of that, $25 million.

If Lambert and Hague hadn't voted for this measure it would have gone to the vote of the people and it would have failed. The county would have cut service by 17%, most of it on the Eastside, and would have implemented very few of the cost saving reforms outlined in the auditor's report. Even if you never ride the bus it's clear that everyone will benefit at least somewhat from the maintenance of service, especially when tolling begins on 520 (which they now say will happen in October). Yes, it's a liberal argument and one I'm not a fan of but it does have some truth to it; more people on buses mean fewer people in cars causing traffic jams on 520.

A few other things to note. Each household with one of more vehicles registered in King County will receive $24 in transit vouchers. Yea, it's not a lot, especially since it's only per household and not per car, but I think most of us probably take the bus at least once or twice a year, be it to a Mariner's game or someplace else where parking costs are prohibitive.

And for those of you who still feel you should have received the opportunity to vote on this, you're in luck. Included in the bill is a mandate that it goes to a vote in two years. At least then, if it's defeated (let's hope), the cost saving reforms will have already been implemented. If you do want to work to put an initiative on next February's ballot to repeal this bill, keep in mind, if it passes you'll also be repealing the reforms currently in progress.

You may not agree with the votes that Lambert and Hague took. You may have voted to cut bus service by 17% and not to bargain with the "Democrats" and there are certainly good arguments to be made for that position, God knows meeting Democrats halfway more often than not resembles ¾ of the way, but I hope after hearing the arguments that Lambert and Hague gave for their votes you'll at least understand them, realize they had good reasons and refrain from calling them liars and ordering up their heads on a platter next time you go out to dinner. Politics is often compared to making sausage. It's an imperfect process and a thankless job so I want to thank Lambert and Hague. In general, they have voted to save the taxpayers money and to limit the reach of government. Have they gotten it wrong from time to time? No doubt, they'd probably even agree with me on that. After all, no one's a soothsayer. But I believe they have always voted for not only what they thought was right but also what they thought was Right.

You can read Lambert's op-ed explaining her decision here

Cross posted at The Political Bistro.