Month: February 2014

Reminder: tonight is our next meeting

6:30pm at High Point Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way SW. Here is the Agenda:

6:30 – Welcome and Community News
6:40 – Board Elections in May; click here for details!
6:50 – Committee Reports & Updates:

• Communications; Joe Szilagyi – Plan survey. We will need volunteers to work on developing an agenda and legislative survey for all of West Seattle. The purpose? To find out exactly what everyone really thinks is wrong with our transportation situation. To define and refine the goals of the WSTC. And, most importantly, to let West Seattle tell us where to aim our efforts.

• Action; Amanda Kay Helmick – Meetings with the Governor’s office to discuss mitigation money; Mayor’s office meeting.

• Research & Solutions; Kevin Broveleit; (Meets 1st Tuesday of the Month) – Discuss the Transportation Benefit District that the County is proposing as Plan B for King County Metro funding. Is it appropriate for us to be endorsing a vote either or way or just educating on the subject?

8:30 – 2014 To-Do List: Tackling our items for the year. This is based upon feedback from the Q&A Panel forum in January.

(B = Board Level tasks; C = Committee Level tasks)

Miscellaneous:

B: Identification of projects protocol — set up a procedure for the WSTC to fairly asses things “in our wheelhouse”.

B: Public forum 2 & 3 — we want to hold more events like January, with specific topics, or as debates.

B: Overlay Map — a map of areas and issues that we need to focus upon.

On Peninsula issues (issues specific within our boundaries):

C: Grant funds – for what projects should we pursue?

C: Bike trails through greenbelts to W Marginal — a way for people to get up to and down from us toward the city easily. Inspired by the John Wayne Trail through Snoqualmie Pass.

C-RS: Master Plan — our main “Transportation Master Plan” for the peninsula, as a guide to curate and present to officials of outstanding issues.

Peninsula egress issues (issues related to the access points to and from West Seattle):

C: 4th/6th or bus way to WS freeway — a replacement for the long ago taken 4th Avenue on-ramp.

C: Viaduct Mitigation money — Metro must decide in March if our specific 10% cuts go through in June.

C: Viaduct/SR99 response times — brought about by the terrible December 6 incident.

C: Lander Street overpass — it was already funded once but the money was shifted to the Mercer Project.

C: Light Rail/ST3 — lobbying and pressing for Light Rail here. Surveys have shown 90%+ support in West Seattle.

C: Should we have another way out? Literally–another bridge?

2014 WSTC Board Elections

In May 2014, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition will hold it’s first ever Board elections, as detailed here in our by-laws. The rules and voting will work like this.

What is the WSTC Board?

  • The board is made up of eleven seats, numbered 1 through 11. This reflects the initial number of interim volunteer board members that stepped up in our inaugural meeting.
  • The Board members make all high level decisions for the WSTC as needed on behalf of it’s memberships and endorsers, subject to our by-laws and customs.
  • All Board members must actively serve as members of a WSTC Committee.
  • Terms are typically two years.
  • The Board elects it’s own officers of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officer terms are one year.
  • The Board is typically present at each General Meeting, and there is usually a “working” meeting of the Board once per month for 90 minutes.

Who can run for the WSTC Board?

Anyone who lives or works in our boundaries. The area is West Seattle, South Park, Harbor Island, White Center, North Highline — anything west of the Duwamish River south to Burien. Also, anyone who is a member of groups, organizations, companies or institutions in those areas, may announce that they want to run for a Board Seat. If your status changes and you no longer qualify after being elected, you will step down from the Board.

How do I run for the WSTC Board?

  • You need to come to our February 11 or March 11, 2014 meeting and declare what Board position you wish to run for.
  • By a deadline of March 15, 2014, you must provide to the WSTC a photo and a statement of up to 500 words for our website.
  • By April 1, 2014, the WSTC will publish online all candidates, their positions, photos and statements.

What WSTC Board positions are open in 2014?

  • As this is our first-ever election, ALL eleven positions are open.
  • Following 2014 we will run even numbered positions on even numbered years and odd numbered positions on odd numbered years.
  • Anyone running for odd positions (#1, #3, #5, #7, #9, #11) in 2014 will serve one year until 2015.
  • Anyone running for even positions (#2, #4, #6, #8, #10) in 2014 will serve two years until 2016.

When are the 2014 WSTC Board elections?

  • The elections will be held in our May 13th, 2014 meeting.
  • Voting is by secret ballot. At least two people who are not running for office will count votes.
  • Voting is decided by simple majority.

Who can vote in the 2014 WSTC Board elections?

  • To vote, you must be a Member, with the same geographic requirements that Board members have.
  • To vote, you must also have signed into at least one meeting or event of the WSTC in the preceding calendar year.

For the 2014 WSTC Board elections, this means you must have signed into one of the following events or meetings:

  • September 10th, 2013 inaugural meeting.
  • October 15th, 2013 meeting.
  • November 12th, 2013 meeting.
  • December 10th, 2013 meeting.
  • January 14th, 2014 Q&A Panel.
  • February 11th, 2014 meeting.
  • March 11th, 2014 meeting.
  • April 8th, 2014 meeting.

When are the Officer elections?

The Board, in the current rules, will elect their own Officers for one year terms, again by simple majority secret balloting.

When will the new WSTC Board take office?

The new Board and it’s Officer take office with our June 10th, 2014 meeting, replacing the outgoing original Interim Board.

West Seattle Transportation Coalition © 2014 Frontier Theme