Jim Walls reports on Atlanta Unfiltered of a heated altercation during a meeting of the MARTA Oversight Committee that ended with Rep. Jill Chambers cutting off the mic of Rep. Doug Stoner “mid-sentence”.

Here’s the money quote from Chambers…

“I can save you $400,000 right now,” Committee Chairman Jill Chambers told GM Beverly Scott. “As MARTOC chairman, I will not do business … or allow myself to be lobbied by anyone hired by this authority and paid with tax money.”

$400,000 down, $79,600,000 to go!

The AJC reports this morning that MARTA is pouring more money into it’s PR efforts after the economy tanked and we discovered that our state legislature thought that MARTA was some sort of optional Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

According to MARTA – relayed through the AJC – the word around the state house was that MARTA “needed more people down here” during the struggle to allow the agency to use infrastructure money for slumping operating costs.  So, MARTA has decided to submit to the game and take $592,000 of its operating budget and put it towards “PR”.

(I’m picturing a smiling MARTA bus cartoon mascot with a voice like Barney saying “It’s smarta to ride MARTA kids!”  It’s all about the kids.)

Of course, MARTA can’t redistribute, let alone spend any money, without raising the ire of some state reps.  I bet you can guess who’s about to be quoted…

[Rep. Jill Chambers] added that she was disturbed at the spending decision. “If they are so short of operating funds, it concerns me that the board will continuously vote to spend more on issues that are not transportation related,” Chambers said.

Ah yes.  Nothing like driving past the premise of an argument and straight to the result.  I hope this lapse in rational thinking can be attributed to the AJC’s editing process and not to Chambers lack of actual solutions for MARTA’s state legislature-caused troubles.

Oh politics, is there anything you won’t do?

I informed no one in particular in a previous post that I would keep everyone up to date about Dunwoody’s incorporation, not only because our mayor has stated that he expects DeKalb County property taxes to rise as a result, but also because they are all part of our fair county.

Apparently reports on the Dunwoody city bill’s death had been greatly exaggerated earlier this year, because it is now through both the House and Senate and hanging out on the Governor’s desk. And even though Sonny has his issues with city incorporation, he says to the AJC,

“I issued a warning a couple of years ago about all the creation of cities,” Perdue said Wednesday. “I think the cows are out of the barn on that. I think Dunwoody needs to be treated like all the others that are there. Frankly, if the … Legislature sees fit to pass that, then I will see fit to bless that as well.”

At least Sonny had better composure than Representative Jill Chambers.

Yikes.

Anywho….it looks like DeKalb citizens within the proposed boundaries of a city of Dunwoody will vote yay! or nay! on July 15th.