Toll Road BACKLASH - Recall Petition Drive Gains Momemtum
Keath Milligan
This story keeps getting bigger - since CAMPO voted for the plan earlier
this week, a backlash against the plan's supporters has been
snowballing. People for Efficient Transportation has collected over
5,000 signatures in a petition drive to recall Mayor Will Wynn and other
elected officials. 40,000 signatures are required by the Austin charter
to initiate the recall process (I don't know what this means just yet -
I'll post another update soon). At this rate, gathering the required
signatures is going to be easy.
Despite public input 10-to-1 against, CAMPO Transportation Policy Board
members passed a modified version of the toll plan Monday 16-7. Loop 360
will require another vote, but parts of Mopac, US 290, US 183 and the
new SH 45 will be converted to toll roads.
Here is the official tally - be sure to remember these names next time
you're at the ballot box:
Voted FOR the plan:
Gonzalo Barrientos
Greg Boatwright
Steve Ogden
Dan Gattis
Dawnna Dukes
Mike Krusee
Sam Briscoe
Karen Sonleitner
Bill Burnet
Will Wynn
Brewster McCracken
Danny Thomas
Nyle Maxwell
Dwight Thompson
John Trevino
Bob Daigh
Voted AGAINST the plan:
Terry Keel
Todd Baxter
Elliott Naishtat
Jack Stick
Eddie Rogriguez
Gerald Daugherty
Daryl Slusher
Many thanks to Reps Baxter, Keel, Naishtat, Stick, Rogriguez,
Commissioner Daugherty and Councilman Slusher for supporting (and
listening to) their constituents.
The petition drive has some CAMPO board members on the defensive. Mayor
Will Wynn and Councilman Brewster McCracken have released statements
attempting to explain their votes. Councilman Daryl Slusher, who voted
against the plan has also released a memo explaining why he believes the
plan is flawed.
Folks, this is democracy in action - when elected officials brazenly
ignore the will of the public, they ought to be held accountable and
that is precisely what is happening here. You can join the petition
drive online at http://stopdoubletax.org/action.htm.
--
Keath Milligan
Austin, Texas
http://keathmilligan.net - News, Tech, Politics, Software
Werner J. Severin
to use in future elections. Please keep us posted as things develop.
In article <10fdgo5...@news.supernews.com>, Keath Milligan
Dr Mossberg
"Keath Milligan" <ke...@keathmilligan.net> wrote in message
news:10fdgo5...@news.supernews.com...
God Bless Texas
I don't know these individuals personally, but from my observation over
the years that list represents a pretty good split along the lines of
intelligence.
I know that Barrientos, Dukes, Sonleitner, and McCracken are all dumber
than posts, or at least have appeared that way in the past.
OTOH, Naishtat never impressed me with his snap, and I always thought
Wynn was pretty bright.
Ah, well.
This is definitely one of the "damned if you do, damned if you don't"
issues for local politicians. We need more roads, anyone who denies
that is not paying attention or just got here. Toll roads appear to be
the best of a sorry lot of options to pay for them, but that doesn't
mean it's a good or the right thing to do.
IMO, cutting back on other programs to pay for the roads would have been
a smarter choice.
Dr Mossberg
lanes instead of just 3. Parking spaces would be smaller, orme parking!
Collisions would not be as bad either, as the lemon only goes about 45 flat
out full speed downhill, with a tail wind.
If it is on its side, you can push it back up right.
"God Bless Texas" <no.wher...@no.how.no.way.no.spam.com> wrote in
message news:3WAJc.32787$857....@fe2.texas.rr.com...
mh
<ke...@keathmilligan.net> wrote:
The funny thing is that all the whiners signing this petition are no
doubt the same whiners who bitch and moan about Austin's "awful
traffic."
Trouble is, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
There is no double taxation going on. Just doublespeak from whining,
petulant children.
Y'all knock yerselves out. It's gonna be quite a show watching you
fall flat on your faces.
Kelly Younger
>
> No, we need smaller cars, like that French Citron, that way we could have 5
> lanes instead of just 3. Parking spaces would be smaller, orme parking!
>
> Collisions would not be as bad either, as the lemon only goes about 45 flat
> out full speed downhill, with a tail wind.
>
> If it is on its side, you can push it back up right.
You wouldn't need *ANY* lanes if everybody drove a Citron. They're
always in the shop.
--
Kelly Younger
Bob
week, painted nice an purdy
but just a rolling piece of sheet metal.
"Kelly Younger" <nos...@nowhere.org> wrote in message
news:40F6F53D...@houston.rr.com...
Ken Leander
Austin without referendum or consent of the governed and it's just fine with
you , isn't it *mh*?
Why don't you just admit it *mh*? You think we should tear up our
Constitution, pass out the little red books, and swear allegience to your
*mh* manifesto!
Ken Leander
"mh" <nosp...@undisclosedlocation.net> wrote in message
news:esgdf055arlhlusm4...@4ax.com...
Grumpy au Contraire
Froggy revenge!!!
--
JT
Just tooling through cyberspace in my ancient G4
Keath Milligan
* You will not be able to sign the recall petition by email or web - it
has to be a physical signature. Work is in progress to get proper
documents distributed for collecting the signatures (the forms will be
distributed on the web and by email). We have to be very careful here -
as Ralph Nader found out recently in Arizona, it's very important to
mind every detail lest petition signatures get invalidated on some
technicality.
* Mayor Wynn appeared on Jeff Ward's radio show yesterday afternoon - on
the defensive trying to explain his "Yes" vote. Overall, I found his
arguments pretty weak and at the same time a bit paternal. Essentially,
he voted for the plan because "we have to do something" (and apparently
this is the best they could come up with) and he "isn't going to dive
under the table" (trying to play martyr, knowing this may be his
political Waterloo). And if Wynn was trying to calm Austinites' anger,
he might want to consider using a different tactic than telling us that
it's all our fault in the first place and to stop complaining and take
our medicine. Oh, and toll road opponents are liars, too.
* I guess Daryl Slusher and Gerald Daugherty are liars too. Both
released well-written and thoughtful statements to their constituents
explaining why this is not a good plan for Austin and why they voted
against it. No one has worked harder in this community on transportation
issues than Gerald Daugherty - the man knows what he is talking about.
The mayor claims he's "run all over the city, East to West, North and
South" talking to people about this issue. That's funny, because I've
heard from Commissioner Daugherty, Councilman Slusher and my state rep,
Todd Baxter several times, but I haven't seen anything from Mayor Wynn
on any issue ever.
* Multiple groups are joining the recall effort. In addition to the
drive to recall Austin's mayor, new petitions are being drafted
targeting Travis County Commissioner Karen Sonleitner, City Council
Member Brewster McCracken, State Rep. Mike Krusee and others.
* Finally, Mike Kelso weighs in on the issue:
Toll roads will hurt Austin's panhandlers:
"Spare change? Are you nuts? I just gave at the tollbooth!"
http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/kelso/07/16kelso.html
J. Steven Swinnea
Keath Milligan
> The funny thing is that all the whiners signing this petition are no
> doubt the same whiners who bitch and moan about Austin's "awful
> traffic."
Well, your point is valid, but it doesn't apply in my case at least and
I think the same goes for many others opposed to this plan. At a
community meeting on 360 prior to the vote, an overwhelming majority of
the several hundred attendees voted by show of hands against doing
*anything* on 360 and continuing to deal with the traffic if tolls were
the only alternative. I have to travel on business to both the Bay area
and the Boston area and I can tell you, studies or no, Austinites don't
know what real traffic is. Sitting on 880 for an hour and a half just to
get six miles helps put things into perspective. But Austinites do love
to complain about traffic and politicians are happy to play to that.
> Trouble is, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
You are absolutely right, there is no free lunch. And as Bob Daigh and
other toll proponents like to say, there is no "road fairy" either.
Austin's bobbleheads have bungled transportation issues for decades and
this is more of the same.
> There is no double taxation going on. Just doublespeak from whining,
> petulant children.
Citizens in the communities around the State Highway 45 project fought
for years to get the road built, dealt with environmental issues and we
all paid for it. Now we'll have to pay to use it. How is that not
double-taxation? (and I read the "usage fee" vs. "tax" argument in the
other thread - *that* is doublespeak)
The Mopac bridge at William Cannon has already been paid for - now they
want to toll it. How is that not double taxation?
Same goes for Ed Bluestein and Highway 71.
The "free alternative" argument is specious as well. Imagine driving the
length of 183 on the access road during rush hour. That's your "free"
alternative - in some cases on roads where you would not have otherwise
had to deal with stoplights.
> Y'all knock yerselves out. It's gonna be quite a show watching you
> fall flat on your faces.
We've already scored a huge victory. The issue is on the public's radar.
People are talking about it and they're angry.
However, I am not naive. Austin's inbred political community will
protect its own in end, but this effort is sending a very loud, very
clear message that has some of our elected officials listening and
others wishing they had.
Keath Milligan
Oops, I meant John Kelso.
Grumpy au Contraire
Maybe we should include Perry on this list...