Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5, North Seattle) issued the following statement after the Sound Transit 3 campaign declared victory today:
“The passage of ST3 -– which will fully fund a light rail station at NE 130th Street & Interstate 5 — is due in large part to successful advocacy by North Seattleites. Our District 5 community is clearly committed to and excited by the prospect of light rail service for generations to come.
“North Seattle has a high concentration of communities of color, English-language learners, and low-income households. Car ownership is below the citywide average. Our transit-dependent community has lacked adequate resources to meet both our existing and future transportation demands, but Tuesday’s vote will soon bring better options right to our doorstep.
“Special thanks for the NE 130th Street Station must be given to Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Ed Murray, Councilmember Rob Johnson, and Councilmember Mike O’Brien. Together we successfully coalesced regional sentiment behind this important decision, when the opportunity could have otherwise easily faded into oblivion.”