Women’s seminar honors Haugen for leadership in transportation solutions

OLYMPIA – The Puget Sound Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) presented a Recognition of Achievement Award on Tuesday to Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, for her role in guiding the 2005 9.5-cent transportation tax package to passage.

“We thought Sen. Haugen and (other backers of the tax package) did a fantastic job of promoting transportation in the region,” said WTS President Pam Zilius.

Jaime Smith, a member of the WTS Government Affairs Committee, said the effort was all the more appreciated because “it wasn’t necessarily a politically popular stand to take.”

The award honored Haugen not just for her leadership in helping pass the transportation package but in defending it from an initiative that sought to repeal it. The nomination papers described the package as “the biggest thing to happen in transportation for many years.”

The package includes $972 million for Interstate 405, $500 million for State Route 520, $411 million for public transportation, $387 million for rail projects, $341 for bridge replacements and $185 million for ferries.

“The transportation package focused on projects we just can’t do without, so we couldn’t afford to let it fail,” Haugen said. “Whether you’re the owner of a business, an employee, or someone looking for entertainment or visiting a friend or relative, everyone has a stake in these projects.”

Also recognized with Haugen, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, were: Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, the chair of the House Transportation Committee; Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester; Rep. Beverly Woods, R-Kingston; and the co-chairs of the Transportation Partnership, Bob Drewel, Rick Bender and Steve Leahy.

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