Election no substitute for opinion on Bypass

For those people who say that the last two local elections should serve as the voice of the electorate concerning the issue of the SE Bypass, I submit the following information recently received from the Issaquah City Clerk’s office.

May 15, 2008 2:28 am

For those people who say that the last two local elections should serve as the voice of the electorate concerning the issue of the SE Bypass, I submit the following information recently received from the Issaquah City Clerk’s office.

2005 election

• Mayor

Frisinger (for Bypass): 60.6 percent

Thomas (against Bypass): 39.1 percent

• Council Position 1

Kelley (for Bypass): 39.4 percent

Rittenhouse (against Bypass): 60.3 percent

• Council Position 3

Barber (for Bypass): 51.0 percent

Marsh (against Bypass): 48.8 percent

• Council Position 5

Conley (for Bypass): 49.7 percent

McCarry (against Bypass): 50.1 percent

2007 election

• Council Position 2

Butler (for Bypass): 66.8 percent

Weinstein (against Bypass): 32.9 percent

• Council Position 4

Ippolito (for Bypass): 47.3 percent

Schaer (against Bypass): 52.4 percent

• Council Position 7

Werner (for Bypass): 30.7 percent

Kappler (against Bypass): 68.9 percent

The two caveats to this information are that only contested positions are shown, and only sitting councilors are included.

In 2005, there were 11,319 registered voters with 55.5 percent voting. In 2007, there were 13,913 registered voters with 47.9 percent voting. Averaging the two elections, there was a 51.3 percent turnout with 49.74 percent voting for candidates supporting the Bypass and 50.26 percent voting for candidates against the Bypass. Over the seven races, the total difference between the two sides was 192 votes, which, if you divide by the seven races, amounts to 27 voters or 0.4 percent of the total votes cast and 0.2 percent of total registered voters. I am not a qualified statistician, but I doubt either of those last two numbers is significant.

This leads to a restatement from my previous letter. Regardless of how we feel about the Bypass, it is time to move forward, and the best option at this time is to obtain a statistically valid survey of transportation issues from the voters/residents of Issaquah.

You may help us do that by visiting our Web site, www.SafeRoadsforIssaquah.com, or contacting me at SRfI@hotmail.com.

There are answers out there. It is up to us to make them known.

– Rowan C. Hinds

Former mayor of Issaquah, and Reporter editorial board member