It was more than a little disconcerting to read the front page report in Sunday’s Seattle Times about the inability of the city’s Department of Transportation to manage even the most basic projects. Examples include 350 feet of curb on First Avenue that had to be jackhammered and replaced just weeks after it was installed—at a cost to taxpayers of more than $20,000—downtown crosswalks that had to be repoured three times, and wheelchair ramps that had to be rebuilt.

As the former CFO for a major law firm, I found it even more disturbing to read the response to that article from the chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, who said: “You can’t fix what’s broken if you don’t even know it’s broken.”

If the Seattle Department of Transportation can’t build curbs, crosswalk, and wheelchair ramps, why are we on the verge of asking them to play a significant role in the construction of a $4.2 billion deep-bore mega tunnel under Seattle’s waterfront that will be the largest project of its kind anywhere in the world?

And if the City Council doesn’t know what’s working and what’s broken at the Department of Transportation, why should we trust them to make sure that the tunnel will be built within budget?

This is a critical question—the city is on the hook for any and all cost overruns for this risky project.

Transportation is one of the most important issues that that the city must grapple with and it is the City Council’s job to provide oversight when it comes to how your tax dollars are spent to deliver the transportation system this city needs.

If elected to City Council, I will see that the council implements systems and approaches that will ensure that the Department of Transportation operates with greater efficiency and effectiveness. As a former CFO, I spent most of my professional career tracking the financial aspects of projects. I know that you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

It’s shocking to me that the City Council lacks the ability to monitor and measure whether projects are on-budget or not. As a member of the City Council, I will bring the financial knowledge and skills needed to ensure that someone other than reporters at the Seattle Times are overseeing the work the city is doing.

Until we have systems to ensure that we can build curbs and crosswalks, does it make sense to embark on a multi-billion dollar deep-bore tunnel—the most expensive and risky transportation project this city has ever attempted?

It’s time to be smart about how we replace the viaduct—there are cheaper, greener, and more effective alternatives that do a much better job of meeting the city’s transportation needs.

And it’s time to elect someone with real, proven financial skills to serve on the Seattle City Council.