By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay was recently appointed to the Sound Transit Board by King County Executive Dow Constantine and confirmed last week by the King County Council.
Sound Transit is governed by an 18-member Board, appointed by Executive Constantine and is comprised of local elected officials proportionate to the population in the Sound Transit district. Ten members represent King County, three members are from Snohomish County; and four act for Pierce County. The Washington State Secretary of Transportation holds the last seat.
The Board provides oversight and direction, directs policies and is authorized under state law to recognize ballot measures for voter approval of regional transit projects and according to transit board members, “maintains the Long-Range Plan that identifies potential projects to submit to voters”.
“It is an honor to join the Sound Transit Board to help build a world-class transportation system for the residents of King County,” says Zahilay. “I will prioritize building a system that is reliable, accessible, affordable, safe, and growing in a timely way to every corner of our region.”
According to Zahilay, Sound Transit is an autonomous governing body where elected officials from throughout the Puget Sound are selected to serve.
“The sound transit board which is a completely different governing body,” says Zahilay. “I am there because I am a councilmember and appointed by the executive, but it is a completely different governing body, a different governing structure, different authorities, so when I am over there, I am no longer a council member but considered a board member.”
At critical milestones of every voter-approved project, the Board makes key decisions by adopting budgets, identifying alternatives to include in environmental review, selecting the preferred alternative, determining the final project to be built and establishing baselines for project scope, schedule and budget. The Board also approves major contracts.
In his new role, Zahilay says that he is committed to solving and avoiding displacement, and making sure that Sound Transit doesn’t just maneuver through neighborhoods but actually contribute to them and make them better.
“Prioritizing implementing anti displacement strategies is very important,” says Zahilay. “Because we know that when sound transit station comes to a neighborhood the property values can go up and that can push out certain demographics, so I want sure that we are thinking about that. Keeping communities intact and benefit from this great service when it comes through.”
“Our transit system should not just pass through our communities but should contribute to them holistically,” Zahilay continues. “With that aim, I want to champion transit-oriented housing development, increased behavioral health outreach around transit hubs for neighbors in need, and pedestrian and traffic safety, especially in the Rainier Valley, which has seen some of the highest safety issues in the County.”
Safety, particularly pedestrian safety, is another issue Zahilay is concerned about and aims to solve. The transit system throughout the Seattle core is mostly an underground system going south from the University District to Beacon Hill. But from Columbia City to Rainier Beach all of the stations are above ground, which Zahilay claims is a safety hazard and a major concern of many residents of South Seattle.
“On the surface it creates a lot of pedestrian safety issues, creates traffic safety issues, people have been hit by the train and killed and that is an equity issue because it happens in the most diverse part of our entire region,” says Zahilay. “I want to be a champion for the Southend to make sure we do everything we can to create safety measures in that neighborhood. I also want to prioritize the Rainier Valley and Southend where the transit is surface level.”
“Again, I want to help build a world class public transportation system,” continued Zahilay. “I want to make sure that light rail and other modes of transportation under Sound Transit’s jurisdiction is growing to every corner of our region, is accessible, are affordable, safe, and clean. I see this work as some of the most important we can do for the future of this region and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
