Jill Chambers Threatens Fellow MARTA Board Members
Decatur Metro | October 12, 2009Rep. Jill Chambers is still really worked up about MARTA’s attempt to allocate $400,000 to hire a lobbying firm to help the authority navigate those scummy, savage waters at the capitol. According to her, any attempt by MARTA to get the state legislature to do anything about the still-failing transit system is a “waste of taxpayers money.”
And just in case any of her fellow MARTA board members disagree with her, she’s offering another option. Getting the hell out!
Atlanta Unfiltered has Chambers’ email to her fellow board members…
I hope I have made it clear to the Authority that I feel this is a waste of taxpayers money – MARTA already has two staff lobbyists and the firm of Holland & Knight to represent them in government issues.
…Should either of these two issues come before the Board, those members who vote in agreement to these staff proposals may see their Board seats eliminated with any future restructuring of the MARTA Act.
Seriously, who needs subtlety when you can just make people do what you want?
Jump over to Atlanta Unfiltered to read responses from Board Chairman Michael Walls and MARTA CEO Beverley Scott.
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Jill Chambers is an out of control, maniac.
should have voted for huttman!
She continues to be more out of control all the time. She has serious opposition in next year’s election.
FYI, Jill is threatening members of the MARTA board, not the MARTA Oversight Committee. Sorry if that was not clear enough in my post.
Thanks Jim. My mistake. I’ve made the correction above.
Thanks for continuing to provide great coverage on this!
Yeah, that shows she’s beyond irrational. She has no control over the MARTA Board.
Threatening the MARTA board with detention would seemed to have been more appropriate. As Vice Principal she has the authority.
Rep. Chambers should have added that if they mess with the bull, they will get the horns.
Rep. Chambers deserves a wedgy.
Hang on – if I’m reading this correctly, in the face of huge shortfalls in operating revenue, Chambers wants to NOT spend money on lobbying.
Considering (if it’s true) that they already have two full time staff, and have already engaged another lobbying firm (Holland and Knight) to do that job, why do they need to spend more money on more lobbying and less money on operations?
If the current staff and lobbyist aren’t getting it done, replace them. Don’t augment failure.
What am I missing in this equation?
What you’re missing is that, despite the efforts of the lobbyists and many others, Ms Chambers basically blocked MARTA’s request in the last legislature to spend their own money in the best way they saw fit. Chambers told them they didn’t make the case and to get some help making it, so they decided to get some outside professional help and now she’s criticizing them for doing what she told them to do.
So you can’t win with Ms. Chambers. Sort of like the national repugs, party of “no”, playing to their base.