What light rail?

In (last) Sunday’s paper there was an article by reporter Jonathan Brunt titled “City seeks Riverside extension.”

The piece itself was shocking, but one sentence really caught my eye. While describing the Riverside extension, the description included the language two lanes “with a median set aside for a future light rail system.”

What light rail system? Who approved it? Didn’t the voters reject light rail two years ago because of costs? Who’s paying for this median set aside?

Who is running this city? Does government just ignore the voters and answer to another dictate, and who would that be?

In a town that can’t afford enough police to keep us or our property safe, enough snowplows to be timely and effective, or enough funds to even catch up with all the road repairs needed, how can we afford to buy extra dirt for a future light rail system the majority of us don’t want?

With Stone-Age tax systems that desperately need revision and budget cuts more the norm than the exception, what powers in Spokane manage to ignore the voters and spend tax dollars on special-interest wants?

I want to know: Who did this and how?

David Bray

Spokane