The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 5

The News Tribune Toco Wii No 7 19N A-5 has slight lead Port race? 0 i Jr Port i 0 County transit 0 County tax levy to persons taking out absentee ballots Cotten did saying he was outspent by Gotten by a considerable margin during the campaign attributed his strong riww-) ing to wanting a in I still have faith 111 possibly get back in office" IBy BRUCE JOHNSON JTNT Maritime Writer Tacoma attorney Pat may have cored an upset over Port of Tacoma Commis-toner Walter Gotten in general election In unofficial returns the 34-year-old challenger received 136 votes more than did the 58-year-old incumbent But the Port race will not be decided until next week when the counting of 10700 absentee ballots is completed With all precincts reporting in the countywide race O'Malley received 34927 votes to 33991 While saying he was "cautiously that he would win O'Malley noted he did not end campaign literature change at the Port and wanting to see more communication with the Port" He said his campaign wu helped by a large number of volunteers from a wide spectrum of the community are a lot more important than a high said were able to doorbell a great deal which kept our costs to a Cotten a prominent lumberman was with the election results "but I feel I still have a chance not going to concede until the absentees come Although expecting a tight race Cotten said he wu surprised by the return guess I had more faith in the knowledgeable voters that they would support me" be said During the campaign Cotten repeatedly said the Port wu operating successfully and there wu no need for a change on the three-member commission If O'Malley wins he will take office in early January Port commissioners elected to six-year terms are paid $200 monthly A Pat O'Malley Voters favor expanded transit CHRISTMAS STOCKS ARE COMPLETE! FURNITURE CHRISTMAS RECORDS HOUSEHOLD GOODS EVERY ITEM IN OUR STORE transit service area known a Public Transit Benefit Area to cancel its house-' hold transportation tax of 75 cents per person per month which presently is paid only by city residents hu to be said Dick Hayes assistant director of Tacoma Transit Hayes said it is against state law to tax Tacoma residents twice for the same service Essentially last vote means that voters within the transit service area or PTBA have agreed to allow an increase in the local sates tax of three-tenths of a cent to finance the muHJmil-lion-dollar bus system Only voters within the PTBA cast ballots on the tax measure THE EXTRA TAX will increase the state sates tax in the PTBA from 5 percent to 53 percent Consumers purchasing retail goods within the PTBA will pay extra 3 cents on every $10 purchase because of the added tax The transit tax will raise about $63 million annually The budget of the expanded transit system which is scheduled to begin operations next year should be about $145 million annually according to transit officials In addition to the revenues raised by an increase in the sates tax the transit spending plan will be supported by revenues from bus fares and from state and federal grants 1 The amount passengers will pay in bus fares will be determined later at county transit authority hearings The PTBA which is supervised by an independent transit authority includes mast of the major urban and suburban areas of Pierce Comity except the Gig Harbor Peninsula the Bonney Lake-Lake Tapps area Buckley Orting and villt By ROB TUCKER TNT Staff Writer Voters in urban and suburban areas of Pierce County have overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to tax themselves to aid the expansion of Tacoma's transit system to rapidly growing areu outside the city Yesterday 32857 voters cast ballots in favor of a tax to finance the expanded transit system while 21617 voted against the proposal Pierce County Auditor Richard Greco said 10700 absentee ballots along with ballots from 14 additional precincts need to be counted before final vote totals can be tallied Until then all results are unofficial A simple majority voting in favor of the transit tax will pass the measure and start up efforts to expand the Tacoma Transit System so that nearly three-fourths of the residents will have access to bus service by 1982 the beginning of the studies since early 1978 people were saying want more transit had no negative reaction to expanding the system since we started said Yosfaio Kosai director of Tacoma transit and executive secretary of the county authority 8-f KOSAI ALSO SAID voters favored transit expansion after reflecting on the implication of the last oil and gasoline shortage' made many take a long look at-public transit And also we heard from a lot of people who have no other mean of transportation than transit yet they live in areu where not he added -r j- The favorable vote also will force the City of Tacoma which is part of the new THE NEW TRANSIT system will give about 331000 residents of Tacoma and other areas of Pierce County access to public transit There are about 455000 residents in the county The present Tacoma Transit System gives 198000 people access to bus service The expanded transit system should begin operations in 1980 and should be running at full capacity by 1981 Essentially the revenues gathered by the new transit authority will be used to expand the existing Tacoma Transit System Through the new PTBA Tacoma Transit will be expanded so that it can serve Fife Milton' Steilacoom Puyallup Sumner Ruston Fircrest University Place Lakewood South Hill Parkland Spanaway Dash Point Browns Point American Lake Gardens and Tillicum in addition to Tacoma BOTH McCHORD AIR FORCE 'Base and Fort Lewis will be connected to the expanded transit system King County's Metro transit system will connect with the Pierce County system in Federal Way Currently Tacoma Transit has 115 buses to serve the city and selected suburban areas but the system was scheduled to get an additional 13 buses from manufacturers next month However Kosai said today the delivery time on those buses has been delayed until February 1980 He said the transit system also is attempting to tease' an additional 27 buses to insure that the new transit system will have 175 buses which is the number needed to operate the expanded' system at full capacity Kosai said the transit authority is attempting to determine if King County Metro will tease buses to the Pierce County system THURSDAY 9:30 am to 9:30 pn AND (FRIDAY 9:30 om to 9:30 pn i i Big 90 percent nix county tax hike THE TAX MEASURE officially it would have allowed the county to sidestep a state limit On property-tax increases would have raised between $500000 and $700000 for the coffers next year Commissioners did not specify any particular project for the money rather they said they needed the extra cash simply to balance the 1980 budget That budget based on current revenue estimates will be fractionally lower than this year's The county anticipates general revenues next year at some $252 million a bit more than $100000 lower than this1 year Stortini contended today the tax crashing defeat was an expression by voters that they want to boost their taxes not a reaction against a series of ByALGIBBS TNT County Writer Pierce County voters added a whole new dimension to the word yesterday when they defeated a proposed property-tax hike by a devastating 90 percent margin More then 66000 said they want their property taxes increased by a dime for every $1000 of assessed valuation Only about 7300 agreed with county commissioners who placed the measure on ballot in an attempt to raise more money for their 1980 budget the people have said county Commissioner Joe Stortini In what -coyld become a classic understatement have to continue to make (budget) cuts to meet our county government scandals and problems or against the rather slapdash manner in which commissioners originally placed the matter on the ballot Election observers however were chortling in-ill-disguised glee last night over the fate of the proposaL THE 96 PERCENT opposing vote is by far the widest margin of defeat ever suf- fered by any major issue or candidate in county history county Auditor Richard Greco said Others compared the defeat to those suffered by such notable presidential losers as Alf Landon Barry Goldwater and George McGovern Greco tongue planted firmly in cheek aid be doubted the outcome would be reversed when absentee ballots are tallied Port Orchard retains mayor PORT ORCHARD Neither was an incum-Incumbent Mayor Paul bent Powers Jr apparently rarp won re-election over viOUnciI race John Wallace here last gtiJl undecided 0M OUR ENTIRE STOCK nviTii coupon below 0 USE KRESS LAYAYIAT VISA OR MASIERCRARSE Algona mayor inns re-election 0 state warehouse and state equipment Contested council races in the South King County town found Paul Mallory defeating James Koubete 120-74 and Charlene Whetham topping Mary Nod 118-107 Algona voters also passed a levy to raise $30000 to buy new equipment for the utility and street departments 142-91 ALGONA Incumbent John Matchett a retired painter easily defeated controversial businessman Xavier (Tim) Timmer for mayor of Algona yesterday174 to 78 Timmer was an official of Ever-: green Food Sales Vending and Management Inc Newspapers published reports last week accusing the firm of using a night 468-401 In the only contested Port Orchard city council race James Wilson easily won the council-man-at-large post from Roy Franko 446-322 ENUMCLAW An Enumdaw City Counci race between incumbent John Chicota and Roy Dal Santo apparently was headed for a count absentee ballots today Mitchell elected mayor of Morton than 20 years Elmer Jastad did not run for re-election In the contested council races Pat Clevenger defeated Vean (Bud) Hendricks 235-153 and Henry Hathaway downed Norman Sather 246-146 None was an incumnL 'MORTON Morton got a new mayor yesterday with former councilman Jim Mitchell winning over Steve frMnodi sawmill employee! 167 to 124 The mayor who served for more fit TNT phone Tbs ielewhn we sains sf TV OyNm 5974686 SufawbanNnM 5974616 Sporti icorat pad mwt inf ormohoa 5974629 Sporti dapartimnt 5974680 "Dowy MocGoufloa 5974638 John lawranca 5974638 Sound Ufa 5974675 TGtF 5974673 luiinaii Now- 5974664 GraMon 5974711 Ckmifiod-wanladi 'T 572-9511 Retail cxWhwig 5974748 For adwr Nows Tribuaa nwnboi 5974511 ft 1.