2015 is less than forty-eight hours old here in the Pacific Northwest, but already, we have some good news to celebrate: Tim Eyman has failed to qualify his scheme to repeal local minimum wage laws in Seattle and SeaTac as an initiative to the Legislature for 2015. Today was the deadline to submit signatures for initiatives to the people for the forthcoming long session, and Eyman didn’t have any to turn in.

Eyman had hoped to launch a signature drive for I-659 on the first of September of last year, but his solicitations for money fell flat. Despite repeatedly asking around, Eyman received just three donations totalling $105,000 from Suzie Burke, Faye Garneau, and Don Root – not enough to mount a signature drive.

Although Eyman had been hoping that some of the firms and trade associations that donated to qualify I-1053 in 2010 and I-1185 in 2012 would stake him in support of his newest scheme, none responded to his overtures.

The result? No initiative.

As we have said before many times, the gears of Tim Eyman’s initiative factory cannot turn without money. Eyman does not have a grassroots base; he is a salesman who needs wealthy benefactors in order to stay in business. There are a few individuals still giving him money, but they’re not six figure check writers like Michael Dunmire was. Consequently, these days, Eyman is just churning out emails and aimlessly shopping for ballot titles – not launching signature drives or qualifying initiatives.