The New Transportation Accountability Commission - Real Change or More Smoke?
Pardon me if I don't give Governor Tim Kaine a hurrah for his new Transportation Accountability Commission. It's not that I don't think this is a good idea, but the Governor's track record is full of good ideas, but lacks follow-through. The Governor has retreated from a number of his proposals in favor of defending the status quo. Is the TAC for real or is it more smoke designed to pacify those who want change, while Mr. Kaine continues to conspire with those who would retain the broken system?
A lot will depend on who the Governor names to the Commission. Will he name people who have called for changes, those who want to keep the system that they've learned to manipulate, or some combination of both? I submit that, unless a clear majority are very different than the usual "let's raise taxes so we can build more" crowd, nothing will change.
Will the TAC's proceedings and deliberations be open to the public? Or will this be one more area where the lobbyists can go to work and deliver results for their clients? Will the Governor insist that all measurement standards be set forth publicly and projects openly ranked and rated? Will all of these materials be posted on the Internet? Will the public be able to submit comments? Will the TAC be required to consider public input? Will the TAC be anything but an extension of Virginia's Good Old Boy/Girl Network?
Will the measurement standards, including the consideration of land use questions, apply across the board? Or will they just apply in places such as Loudoun County, where the BoS has a Republican majority? Will these measurements apply to Dulles Rail, where landowners have given big bucks to darn near everyone, but especially to Governor Kaine and Chairman Gerry Connolly? Will the TAC address the fact that, as proposed, the Silver Line provides no traffic relief, but will cost billions? Or is the Silver Line a sacred cow because of vested interests connected with Tysons Corner?
Probably the best test of the merits of Kaine's proposal, as well as whether the Governor is truly sincere about reform, is whether those who like today's system begin to strongly criticize the TAC. If the chambers of commerce, the NVTA, the land speculators, the CTB, Senator Chichester and his cronies, the Richmond & Fairfax lobbyists and the like begin to express displeasure because the TAC is servingthe public interest, the Governor may well be on to something -- what he campaigned and won election on. If we see the TAC's standards flunking big projects (e.g., the Western Bypass that just happens to run near where many acres are owned for development) in favor of intersection improvements, the construction of reversible lanes, or timing of all traffic lights in NoVA, the TAC would constitute true reform. If we see the TAC rerouting the Silver Line down the Dulles Toll Road, bypassing the properties of the big landowners and campaign contributors, because it's more cost effective, then Mr. Kaine will have delivered. If he delivers, he will be repaid with the public's trust, which will greatly outweigh the anger of the special interest crowd that wins by manipulating today's broken system.
But if all these folks like the TAC, it's a very good sign that Tim Kaine is just blowing smoke. I sure hope that this is for real.
A lot will depend on who the Governor names to the Commission. Will he name people who have called for changes, those who want to keep the system that they've learned to manipulate, or some combination of both? I submit that, unless a clear majority are very different than the usual "let's raise taxes so we can build more" crowd, nothing will change.
Will the TAC's proceedings and deliberations be open to the public? Or will this be one more area where the lobbyists can go to work and deliver results for their clients? Will the Governor insist that all measurement standards be set forth publicly and projects openly ranked and rated? Will all of these materials be posted on the Internet? Will the public be able to submit comments? Will the TAC be required to consider public input? Will the TAC be anything but an extension of Virginia's Good Old Boy/Girl Network?
Will the measurement standards, including the consideration of land use questions, apply across the board? Or will they just apply in places such as Loudoun County, where the BoS has a Republican majority? Will these measurements apply to Dulles Rail, where landowners have given big bucks to darn near everyone, but especially to Governor Kaine and Chairman Gerry Connolly? Will the TAC address the fact that, as proposed, the Silver Line provides no traffic relief, but will cost billions? Or is the Silver Line a sacred cow because of vested interests connected with Tysons Corner?
Probably the best test of the merits of Kaine's proposal, as well as whether the Governor is truly sincere about reform, is whether those who like today's system begin to strongly criticize the TAC. If the chambers of commerce, the NVTA, the land speculators, the CTB, Senator Chichester and his cronies, the Richmond & Fairfax lobbyists and the like begin to express displeasure because the TAC is servingthe public interest, the Governor may well be on to something -- what he campaigned and won election on. If we see the TAC's standards flunking big projects (e.g., the Western Bypass that just happens to run near where many acres are owned for development) in favor of intersection improvements, the construction of reversible lanes, or timing of all traffic lights in NoVA, the TAC would constitute true reform. If we see the TAC rerouting the Silver Line down the Dulles Toll Road, bypassing the properties of the big landowners and campaign contributors, because it's more cost effective, then Mr. Kaine will have delivered. If he delivers, he will be repaid with the public's trust, which will greatly outweigh the anger of the special interest crowd that wins by manipulating today's broken system.
But if all these folks like the TAC, it's a very good sign that Tim Kaine is just blowing smoke. I sure hope that this is for real.
posted by Toomanytaxes at 9:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home