The unlikely partnership behind TSPLOST opposition
Colleen Kiernan couldn’t remember the exact day the alliance was formed. But it was over lunch, and definitely in the spring, said the director of the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club.
“Right around Earth Day,” Kiernan said, using a marker that probably never occurred to her partner, Debbie Dooley, a founder of the Atlanta Tea Party Patriots.
At table that day, the two women from opposite ends of the political spectrum quickly discovered they had something in common. “Conservatives and Republicans are not the only voters that distrust their elected officials. There is a lot of distrust among Democrats as well,” Dooley said.
If the transportation sales tax in metro Atlanta scrapes through on Tuesday, the partnership between Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and their last-minute efforts, will get much of the credit.
If the measure fails, victors raising their hands will range from Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, a Republican from Woodstock, to John Evans, the DeKalb County NAACP president who confronted Reed last week — however ineptly.
But the crux of this disparate opposition has been the partnership between the Sierra Club, one of the few environmental groups to stand against the sales tax referendum, and a tea party movement unafraid of forming temporary friendships.
Differences were supposed to make even a short-term alliance ineffective. The Sierra Club opposes the TSPLOST because its $6.2 billion spending package doesn’t include enough rail. Tea partyists have denounced the same package for including too much emphasis on rail.
But suspicion of cronyism and back-room deals has served as an effective, non-ideological glue for both sides. And by sticking together, the two groups have permitted right and left wings to communicate and coordinate in a way that otherwise would have been unlikely. For instance, state Sen. Vincent Fort, a liberal Atlanta Democrat, recently wanted a tea party presence at an anti-TSLOST event he was organizing He called an old ally, Sierra Club lobbyist Neil Herring, who completed the connection. Problem solved.
On Friday, the Sierra Club and Atlanta Tea Party Patriots held a news conference at the state Capitol – but not for a final push against the TSPLOST. They were much too confident for that.
They were there to talk about Plan B — what should be done beginning Wednesday, should the transportation sales tax be defeated. Leaders of the two groups picked out the areas – pipe dreams in some cases, common sense in others — where they will continue to agree. Among them:
— Consolidate the three current, complicated taxes on motor fuel into a single tax dedicated solely to transportation. A portion of a state tax on gasoline, worth about $175 million a year, currently goes into the state’s general fund. Additionally, some of the tax on gasoline is applied per gallon pumped. The two groups say gasoline taxes should be fixed to the price. Prognosis: Dim, given that this would likely be condemned as a tax increase.
— Rather than the current, proposed system of 12 regional tax districts, shift toward a system built on smaller agreements between pairs of counties. Prognosis: Interesting, but unlikely. And it would aggravate metro Atlanta’s basic political weakness – the fact that the region is already divided into too many separate and uncooperative fiefdoms. Should the TSPLOST fail on Tuesday, reaction from the state Capitol is likely to be directed toward more top-down planning, not less.
— Make members of the state transportation board more accountable by reducing their six-year terms to one year. Currently, DOT board members are elected by lawmakers, who cast secret ballots. The groups would have these votes cast in public. Prognosis: Needed, but unlikely to pass muster among state lawmakers who don’t want a governor or House speaker to know who isn’t following orders.
— Reform the operation of MARTA, and increase its funding. Shift revenue – about $300 million — generated by the current hotel/motel tax in Atlanta toward the transit agency rather than a new Falcons stadium. Prognosis: Impractical, given that a deal is likely to be struck with the football franchise before the Legislature meets in January.
But there was also agreement on an idea long overdue. Decades ago, when MARTA was created by the Legislature, white state lawmakers suspicious of rising black political power in Atlanta imposed a restriction on how the transit agency could use funds generated by a sales tax levied on Fulton and DeKalb counties. Only 50 percent could be used for operations. The rest must be used on capital improvements.
The restriction has been temporarily lifted, but that holiday will soon expire. Many Republicans want that restriction to remain – or at least want to exact a large price for lifting it permanently. That isn’t a tea party position, however.
“That may be a position of Republican legislators, but Republicans believe in local control,” Dooley said. “The voters in Fulton and Dekalb pay that tax. The state has no skin in the game. What are they doing, telling the voters that pay that tax what they can do with the money?”
Prognosis: Logical, and perhaps even possible.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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114 comments Add your comment
mehlman rings twice
July 29th, 2012
10:32 am
Just because Ronald Reagan signed a transportation bill in 1983 doesn’t convince me to vote yes on this measure. His judgement was questionable anyway. Later that same year, Reagan also sent 250 marines to their deaths on that Beirut tarmac.
Ga Values VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 29th, 2012
10:42 am
$600,000,000.00 for the waste/belt line that is a jobs bill alright because it won’t reduce congestion. Only problem is the created jobs will be for Deal & Reed’s corrupt cronies.
GaBlue
July 29th, 2012
10:44 am
I saw Ms. Dooley on the television a little while ago. While there are valid points on both sides of this impending vote, I was struck by the irony of her statement:
“Conservatives and Republicans are not the only ones who don’t trust our government.”
Um… Hello? In Georgia, the conservatives and Republicans RUN our government. Y’all don’t trust the people Y’ALL got elected? Lord have mercy, maybe people need to start paying attention for a change instead of just trusting and poking the screen for whichever candidate has an R by his nor her name!!!
We have the government we deserve.
honested
July 29th, 2012
10:53 am
Ms. Dooley, I’m waiting for a response.
Proud Voter
July 29th, 2012
11:53 am
I really don’t give a tinker’s dime what Reagan or Bush or Perdue or Barnes or anybody else has DONE. It’s over. Ka-put. Gone. Did ya’ll like it because you’re the ones who voted them into office.
What I do care about is today and what I can do for tomorrow for my region of my state. T-splost will at least give my region a chance to improve itself. All business and industry including agriculture need better roads and bridges. Whining and pointing fingers never improved any system. This local tax money left in my region at least gives my region a fighting chance to improve itself. Thank the good Lord none of you naysayers were around when the first idea of interstate travel came up in the political conversation. You’d probably vote against it because that would bring too many “dang furiners” into our schools and churches.
We need to approach this problem like adults. NO, the t-splost is not perfect, but it’s so much better than the alternative: same ol’ same ol’.
Some of ya’ll need to stop, move over, but get out of the way so Georgia can do something positive for itself. The rest of the United States is looking at this vote very carefully because they are seeing Georgia on the brink of setting a nationwide trend in transportation progress. Why don’t we choose to be leaders in our nation in something else besides tunel vision? It’s time.
DannyX
July 29th, 2012
12:00 pm
“NO, the t-splost is not perfect, but it’s so much better than the alternative”
Congratulations Proud Voter, that is the 1,000th time you have repeated your “NO, the t-splost is not perfect,” phrase. Talk about tunnel vision and same ol’ same ol’.
Ga Values VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 29th, 2012
12:01 pm
Proud Voter
July 29th, 2012
11:53 am
Double time on Sunday???
honested
July 29th, 2012
12:59 pm
I certainly hope that with the new ‘alliance’ it suggests the teawhatevers have come to accept simple, factual information, like global warming and the appropriate sharing of the costs of civilization.
Who knew, there may be hope for the lowest common denominator yet.
Proud Voter
July 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
Yes, and this makes the 1001 statement of “it’s not perfect but we’ve got to do something.” I don’t want to see Georgia slide any lower into the last place in the U.S. business and industry will consider expanding because we’re too short-sighted to improve ourselves. I’ve not read one good reason in any of these blogs as to why t-splost is so bad, and I have read far too many lies and other misleading statements about how bad it is. Mostly what I’ve read is just from angry misled people who will always vote against change.
This is a bi-partisan effort to help Georgia limp into the twenty-first century. Nothing like t-splost has ever been done before. It’s a very simple creation to solve some mighty complex transportation problems. This is why the rest of the nation is watching this very closely. Many states have already contacted the creators of this innovative way to fund transportation and are planning its implementation in their own states. And ya’ll want to continue to argue about “they done us wrong” over issues that aren’t even issues in this vote?
Danny X and GA Values, we are miles apart in our idealogy, and from the attitudes and opinions ya’ll have offered here, I am thankful for that. I still believe in the American Dream for anything that now exists began as an idea. I strongly feel the idea of t-splost can help Georgia, particularly my region. I cannot say no to something that offers so many jobs and so much finanacial expenditure in my region. I cannot turn a blind eye as others obviously are to the possibility of more jobs and an improved economy in my region. I cannot.
Ga Values VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
Proud Voter
July 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
I’d try to cash your check before wed. don’t think the tsplost is going to pass…TOO MANY THINGS WRONG WITH THE PROJECTS & TOO MANY CROOKS WITH THEIR HANDS OUT.
Proud Voter
July 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
I don’t bow to special interest groups as you seem to do GA Values (for you seem to back the tea party, sierra club, etc., of this original article). My check will be good the day before and the day after July 31st. I hope t-splost will pass so that I will be able to earn more money in my region by more job opportunities and the incresed economy brought about by the t-splost. If you aren’t open to compromise for the improvement of all and are only interested in your own selfish aims, then you probably don’t need to be a part of the t-splost process. None of the t-splost is about bettering only a few citizens, but bettering it for all so that the industry and business folks will see Georgia as a progressive state who wants to work not only within itself to improve but who wants to be a part of the twenty-first century improved economy of the U.S. This t-splost is only the first step for Georgia for when it is implemented, many more positive events will happen for Georgia. I doubt very seriously that you will turn up your nose at an improved economy or are you that stubborn?
Well, we’ll just have to see.
DannyX
July 29th, 2012
2:52 pm
Proud Voter @ 1:37 said…”I’ve not read one good reason in any of these blogs as to why t-splost is so bad, and I have read far too many lies and other misleading statements about how bad it is.”
You need to start reading, there are posts from hundreds of people that spell out the reasons why they don’t support TSPLOST.
Here a few of the reasons I don’t support it.
From a very local standpoint I don’t like the fact that I would be paying a 2 cent sales tax for transportation. It wouldn’t be so bad if the project list didn’t basically ignore the county I live in, DeKalb. The I-20 bus service is insulting. The Clifton corridor rail project is at the extreme west side of the county and mainly benefits Atlanta. In the mean time Atlanta scored big time with the Beltline that isn’t a regional project at all. In fact the Beltline already had a funding mechanism in place but Mayor Reed got greedy. Here’s a plan, I-20 gets the rail, the Beltline gets the buses, which probably makes more sense.
When it comes down to it the project list isn’t going to do anything to relieve traffic. The car happy suburbs need new freeways/toll roads, but this plan doesn’t fund them. One of the reasons is because the developers were allowed to develop every last inch of Cobb and Gwinnett counties, there is no place left to build them. Interchange upgrades and new freeway lanes will do nothing. Places like Dallas are using a combination of rail and new toll roads to relieve traffic, this plan offers none of that in the suburbs.
Nobody can answer the “big if.” What happens if all the projects that are on the list don’t get the matching federal funds that are required? Can a project be cancelled? If so who gets to decide? What happens to the money that was budgeted for a project if it gets cancelled? What happens if a project goes over budget. Does it get cancelled? How is the shortfall made up? The new nuclear power plants are already facing $700 billion in cost overruns, surprising no one! Of course there will be overruns, some significant.
Our politicians cannot be trusted. PERIOD! Democrat or Republican. Our politicians simply don’t have the trust of the people. Everywhere you look they are up to no good. I have absolutely no confidence that they can be trusted with 7 billion dollars. Come back after they get serious with sensible ethics laws and strict enforcement, until then forget it. Some may say that TSPLOST includes policing measures to keep it honest, well look around, start with the Georgia Ethics commission and you will find that it is a useless joke, manipulated, underfunded and staffed by yes men. Look at the Georgia Public Service Commission totally dominated by big dollar lobbies and big dollar donations given to them by the utility companies. We are supposed to trust these same people keep things on the up and up? Laugh.
And finally the state needs to fix the funding system for transportation. Metro-Atlanta is being ripped off. If the state really wants to do something about transportation in metro-Atlanta they need to stop sending 35% of metro Atlanta’s gas tax revenue to other parts of the state. This entitlement program is a big reason we are in the mess we are in. Now we are being asked to pay more to make up for it, insulting. Listening to people from other parts say “why should we pay to help Atlanta out of their transportation nightmare” is hilarious, how about you give up your entitlement!
There are many, many reasons to oppose TSPLOST, open your eyes.
Is this the Get Schooled blog?
July 29th, 2012
2:53 pm
Re: GCAE, GAE, CCAE etc. …
I always chuckle when teachers’ union officials describe their local groups as being “affiliated” with the National Education Association. As if it’s a vague, proximity thing.
They ARE the National Education Association representatives in their localities. There are no others. And 100% of their members ARE therefore also dues-paying members of the NEA and thus fund the union’s liberal Democrat politics.
Which explains the coyness.
The amount of money the NEA and its local chapters spend on politics ranges upwards of $450 million per year, by the way. Read more about that here: http://goo.gl/CR089
Unions aren’t only about militancy in the workplace.
Slip
July 29th, 2012
3:22 pm
Yes to TSPLOST. YES to a great city.