I read Deputy Mayor Debbie Bertlin’s opinion column in the Dec. 14 Mercer Island Reporter. More importantly, people should read Vision Mercer Island’s response, the School Board’s letter and other more factual and relevant information being posted by local community members.
Unfortunately, the op-ed piece is disingenuous at best and realistically is nothing more than an attempt to rewrite history and deflect the incompetent pattern of legacy council members.
Merely the fact that neither Sound Transit nor Mercer Island’s City Council have a viable plan in place to satisfactorily mitigate Sound Transit 2 East Link construction is a testament to their lack of foresight and planning. (ST2 East Link was approved November 2008). The lack of planning, attention to details and lack of engagement has done the region a great disservice.
The basic issues created from the Sound Transit East Link expansion have not been addressed. Specifically, safety, mobility (car/bus/bike/pedestrian), schools and infrastructure. There is not even a viable plan, as noted by the Mercer Island City Council at a recent council meeting, to address the simplest part of light rail — parking. Eight years and still no realistic plan for parking?
Thankfully, the Mercer Island School Board, Vision Mercer Island, Save Our Suburbs and other local groups are collectively vocalizing their concerns. The City Council can no longer muddy the water by suggesting there is a vocal minority out there. If you haven’t already, see Vision Mercer Island’s Facebook Page and specifically their posted response to Deputy Mayor Bertlin’s op-ed piece (www.facebook.com/visionmercerisland).
As an example, until last month, there has not been a genuine attempt at engaging the public. And, even at that first community meeting, Mayor Bruce Bassett tried unsuccessfully to “hijack” the public engagement discussion by suggesting the meeting be broken up into smaller groups. The citizens did not stand for it and demanded he answer questions publicly so that all attendees could hear the responses.
Sadly, Bertlin’s recent op-ed piece is nothing more than an attempt to redirect the issues and shirk her/their responsibility for not paying attention to facts and data. When Bertlin wrote the negotiations were “substantially disrupted by the August Federal Highway Administration letter,” it highlights her lack of attention to details.
The same issue regarding Mercer Island losing the Island Crest Way on-ramp was brought up to the City Council in 2011. Furthermore, in 2014-2015 hundreds of Island residents raised their concerns to the City Council regarding parking, the bus station, the bus intercept and the bus loop through the Town Center.
The council continues to sit on their laurels and waits for others to offer solutions for them. So, rather than having our representatives define how we want our community to be treated, valued and protected, the City Council is letting others define our future for us. For more of the actual history, facts and data, review the city’s website, review prior meetings and search for the light rail topics on Nextdoor. Even with input from hundreds of people, the City Council still has no plan. This is shameful. As Mayor Bassett has said, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re likely being served for dinner.” Well, I wonder how Mayor Bassett and Deputy Mayor Bertlin like being served as the main course?
I would strongly encourage community members to read the School Board letter, the Vision Mercer Island letters, the Vision Mercer Island Facebook response to Bertlin’s op-ed piece, the SOS website and the historical posts on Nextdoor.
If the schools suffer, people are injured in accidents where the Interstate 90 lanes have been significantly shrunk, it’s difficult to drive or shop in the Town Center and the trains come to Mercer Island and they’re already full, don’t forget to thank Deputy Mayor Bertlin, Mayor Bassett, and Councilmember Benson Wong for their thoughtful and proactive approach to addressing the Sound Transit East Link expansion.
Tom Acker
Mercer Island
