Close vote anticipated on Proposition 1; both sides step it up

With thousands of mail-in ballots already in voters' hands for the Nov. 6 election, campaigners for and against the Proposition 1 transportation package have stepped up their efforts in what both sides predict will be a close contest.

On Saturday, Sierra Club volunteers, opposing the measure because they say it would contribute to global warming, passed out leaflets to more than 7,000 Seattle homes.

Proponents, meanwhile, plan to display a large banner outside Qwest Field today as fans arrive for the Seahawks game, and they are continuing to run broadcast ads and staff phone banks urging support for the package facing voters in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

King County Executive Ron Sims, who recently announced his opposition to the measure, stopped by the Sierra Club's Seattle office Saturday to encourage dozens of leafleters. Sims has argued that the package costs too much and accomplishes too little, but it's his concern about exhaust emissions from more cars on the highways that struck a chord with the volunteers.

"What you are doing is cutting-edge," Sims said. "We can no longer ignore global warming. It isn't a debate anymore. The question is: Are we serious enough to do something about it?"

Sims predicted that if the measure fails, leaders around Puget Sound will work together on a new proposal putting more emphasis on transit. "This package will be the greenest package you have ever seen," he said.

Sims' opposition to the measure has placed him in opposition to many of his political allies.

Proponents have collected endorsements from both sides of the political aisle, most recently getting a boost from Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, who said light rail and other transit options in the proposal do give options to commuters.

"We have many leaders in the environmental movement who disagree with Ron Sims on this," said Jon Scholes, deputy campaign manager of Yes on Roads and Transit, "many leaders who see this as a historic investment in transit so we can reduce our carbon footprint."

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com