MARTA Calls For "Special Session"; Perdue Spokesman Calls It "Premature"
April 7, 2009 | 8:49 amFor some reason the Georgia legislature thought that if it didn’t deal with MARTA’s shortfall, the problem would just resolve itself. Or they just didn’t think that public transit was all that important to a world-class city’s standing or its residents. Silly legislature.
Now that same legislative body is reaping the rewards of their inability to do anything that anyone cares about.
Unlike say our dysfunctional GDOT and its kingdom of ever-widening, neglected pavement, transit systems can just flip the switch and shut down. (Stupid politically inflexible transit! Why can’t you just accept your neglect like everybody else?!) And then a lot of impassioned, teary-eyed transit advocates and fat-cats with a stake in the image of this city gets majorly POed.
Its already happening. No one can stop talking about MARTA’s call yesterday for a special legislative session to free up capitol improvement funding to cover the drop in sales tax revenue. But according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the governor thinks MARTA is being a bit hasty.
Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said MARTA’s call for a special session is “premature” because the governor hasn’t seen details of the agency’s financial plight. While MARTA officials put that information together for lawmakers to consider as the bill went through the General Assembly, Brantley said, the governor didn’t receive a similar pitch.
“They didn’t come up and ask for help on the bill to begin with,” he said. Scott said MARTA’s board will decide in early June specifically how to carry out the planned service cuts.
I’m beginning to get the feeling that this is all going to end up with the Governor driving a MARTA train. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
Gov. Perdue has never met a photo op he didn’t like, so that might just happen.
The most likely scenario is that MARTA would be taken up again if a session was called to deal with declining state tax revenues.
Another example of the lame leadership coming from the second floor of the Capitol.
[...] camera bill from WalkBikeCT; a hopeful report on transit in Sacramento from RT Rider; and from Decatur Metro, proof that the Georgia state goverment is ready to compete with New York’s for dysfunction when it [...]
Gov. Perdue says, “Hold on, hold on. What is this ‘mar-tah’ of which you speak?”
[...] camera bill from WalkBikeCT; a hopeful report on transit in Sacramento from RT Rider; and from Decatur Metro, proof that the Georgia state goverment is ready to compete with New York’s for dysfunction when it [...]
Someone please explain to me how MARTA – which only operates in Fulton and Dekalb counties, and is only funded by fares paid in those counties, or by sales taxes in those two counties – is controlled by anyone outside of the two counties?
This is the root cause of all of MARTA’s issues. It is the political structure. Our local representatives should be calling for the dissolution of the current MARTA authority – turn it back over to the counties and city of Atlanta.
I know that opens another can of worms, but local control is step one to getting this thing on the right track (pun intended).
Perdue addresses MARTA funding issue, says special session isn’t needed, and makes it sound like its not his problem…
http://blogs.ajc.com/gold-dome-live/2009/04/07/perdue-wants-to-avoid-special-session-on-marta/?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
But at least he says this “We want to make sure they are able to continue their operations.”
Uh yeah. You think?
From AJC “Gold Dome Live” blog this afternoon:
Perdue wants to avoid special session on MARTA
12:39 pm April 7, 2009, by James Salzer
Gov. Sonny Perdue told reporters that his staff met with MARTA officials Tuesday morning in hopes of coming up with a solution to the transit system’s funding problems.
However, it doesn’t sound like he will go along with MARTA’s call for a special session to pass legislation to help the system.
“Certainly the governor can call a special session, but this is not the first time somebody’s bill has not passed and they’ve run to the governor’s office to ask for a special session,” Perdue said. “We will have to look at a lot of things. Special sessions are something we shy away from. We will do our best not to call a special session.”
The governor mentioned several times that MARTA made no effort to get him involved in passing legislation that would have freed up funding for the system. The bill failed.
“It’s always unfortunate when people who depend on MARTA have their service cut, and I hope they (MARTA) can find a way …. to make it through the end of the year,” the governor said.
Perdue said his transportation staffers and chief financial officer met with MARTA officials this morning “to see if there are other ways to resolve this. We want to make sure they are able to continue their operations.”
AJC Business Writer Tom Oliver’s column on transportation mess
THOMAS OLIVER
Legislators leave voters in traffic jam
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
That about describes why many Atlanta businessmen and women are so angry about the debacle that just ended under the Gold Dome.
For the second year in a row, the Legislature failed to pass a transportation sales tax amendment — one that would allow a regional sales tax to fund local projects.
This, despite pledges, promises, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, drinks, cigars and campaign contributions.
“There is so much outrage,” says Bill Linginfelter, one of the metro chamber’s point people on transportation and lead executive of Regions Bank’s North Georgia operations.
He said he’s not taking some calls from angry business executives, as he needs time to calm down himself.
This is deja vu.
Last year, the business community was spitting mad after the constitutional amendment lost on the last day by three votes in the Senate. This session, the Senate passed it, but the House threw a statewide sales tax in as the way to go.
This despite all the research that shows a statewide sales tax for transportation failing at the ballot box.
“No state in 15 years has passed a statewide transportation sales tax,” says Sam Williams, president of the metro chamber.
Williams remembers 25 years ago when another failure of state leadership led to our banking center moving to Charlotte.
As the rest of the states allowed their banks to grow by becoming statewide banks, Georgia lawmakers wouldn’t allow banks to branch beyond their own county. They were protecting their home county banks. By the time they allowed statewide banking, it was too late.
Much bigger, stronger North Carolina banks gobbled up all of our banks but the present-day SunTrust.
Charlotte is the banking capital of the South.
All because our provincial legislators and state leaders couldn’t do what needed doing.
Williams worries, rightfully, that this generation of legislators and leaders are going to fiddle away our economy.
You don’t need a survey to believe businesses are thinking twice about relocating to an area known for our kind of traffic congestion.
Just ask yourself: If you had a choice, would you drive in this mess?
Linginfelter said eventually the business community will have to decide how to continue pushing the issue, as the alternative is unthinkable.
Williams said the chamber would advise its members not to support any candidate for any legislative or statewide office that can’t support the regional sales tax plan.
“If we can’t deal with this, you might as well close down the borders,” Linginfelter said.
Georgia’s days of economic growth will be over.
Sonny Perdue is not a leader…he is a joke.
Hey, he helped lift the moratorium on high-gravity beer and wine imports. His legacy is secure.
**tongue firmly in cheek, eyes set to “roll”**
Fax Purdue and tell him how disappointed you are at his lack of leadership. Then contact individuals in the House and give them an equal arm-twisting. This is unacceptable! GA has such inept leadership! It’s like the tale of two states. There is the rural half of the state, then metro Atlanta. [edited]
That would require an overturning, by the legislature, of the 1960s MARTA Act. State authorities are created by the legislature.
If they can’t pass a bill to let MARTA have all of its funds, then they surely won’t agree to dissolve MARTA.
Listen, I’m as frustrated as you are, but antagonistic generalizations like that only exacerbate the problem.
Agreed lump. That particular part of the comment has been deleted.