- Seattle,WA
Initiative-976 writer Tim Eyman says he plans to run for Governor in 2020. The announcement came during the Sound Transit board meeting Thursday, where members were discussing how to handle transit projects in the wake of the passage of
The $30 car tab initiative passed despite the pleas of transportation leaders about potentially devastating cuts across the state. After two hours of deliberations, and testimony Eyman at Thursday's board meeting, Board President John Marchione announced they would not take any action until the courts resolve the issue.
But Sound Transit also warned if legal challenges fail, the agency would lose $7.2 billion in revenue through 2041, and would
"run out of financial capacity"
as early as 2029. That would force the board to cancel projects, delay projects, or reduce services.
Eyman used the meeting as a bit of a springboard. He said the comments from the Board were indicative of why voters are so angry. Eyman met with reporters to announce he will file a bid on Monday to run for Governor against Gov. Jay Inslee. He said he'll have an
"issue-oriented campaign."
It was a reversal from when he ruled out the idea just two weeks ago.
"For 21 years I said I would never run for public office, I wouldn’t do it, and I’ve done 21 years of political activism," said Eyman, "and I feel like it was like an internship to learn how exactly, how dirty the process is, how corrupt it really seems to be."
The city of Seattle and multiple agencies will testify before a judge on Tuesday seeking an injunction to delay the implementation of I-976 next month.
On Eyman's Facebook page he wrote
“At Seattle Sound Transit’s board meeting, I announced I’m running for Governor in 2020. Yes, that’s right, I am running against Jay Inslee, Seattle’s current Governor. Voters outside Seattle overwhelmingly passed $30 tabs but our votes didn’t count. Voters in Pierce county repudiated these taxes, Snohomish county voters repudiated these taxes. But Seattle didn’t. I’m so sick of Seattle making all decisions. I want to be the Governor for everyone who’s sick and tired of this crap,”