This seems like questionable timing on WSDOT’s part. Something’s not right here… Via Slog’s Dominic Holden:
Washington State Department of Transportation spokespeople claimed that they had to publicly release a fiery simulation of the viaduct collapsing in an earthquake because a private citizen requested it. “We’re simply complying with a public disclosure request and by law we have to release it,” WSDOT spokesman Ron Paananen told KING TV. But that’s not exactly true. He tells The Stranger today that the state only had to provide the video to the citizen who requested it—in fact, the video that the state posted on YouTube is adifferent video than the one the citizen requested.
“Truth be told, I haven’t received the video,” says Elizabeth Campbell, the Magnolia neighborhood resident who filed the records request last month…
Politically speaking, the video’s release seems to benefit mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan, who has pushed to build the tunnel as quickly as possible. Conversely, it seems to hurt challenger Mike McGinn, who has said he would allow the tunnel to proceed, but only with scrutinizing oversight. Mallahan has repeatedly said that McGinn would delay the project—and now, that delay implies widespread fatalities…
“They have said that it would take six to eight months,” says Campbell. But she suspects WSDOT released the video now for political reasons. She says that the city council’s bill supporting a tunnel, a high-profile ceremony with the mayor and governor, and the graphic portrayal of a viaduct disaster are all timed to make the tunnel seem like the “inevitable.” She adds that the video’s release is also geared to portray McGinn, who could delay the tunnel’s construction, as a poor choice for mayor.
Cary Moon is a member of the viaduct stakeholder’s group, which was a sounding board to state agencies regarding the best viaduct replacement. The group never recommended the tunnel, though some members gave the tunnel their blessing after the stakeholders finished their work. “I am really disturbed as a stakeholder that there was an increased risk of [the viaduct] failing and they never mentioned that this video existed,” she says. “They picked the solution with the longest timeline to complete and the most risk.”
Rather than simply release the draft video to Campbell—which, again, it still hasn’t done—WSDOT decided to post the video on YouTube and its website, with text and finishing touches that didn’t appear in the video requested. “We decided we should release the final video because it was completed,” Paananen says…
The decision behooves Governor Christine Gregoire—who has been a strong advocate for the tunnel and who has endorsed Mallahan. Her office also knew the video would be posted. “We were aware because of our close relationship to WSDOT as [once of the governor’s] cabinet agencies,” said Gregoire spokeswoman Diana Lahmann. “But as far as timing goes, we were not involved.”
“I know it looks like bad timing but it was bad timing to get a request on September 23,” says Paananen.
