Kasim Reed warns against ‘backseat quarterbacking’ on TSPLOST
Various number-crunchers tell us that the one place that treated the TSPLOST favorable in metro area was the city of Atlanta itself, which approved the transportation sales tax by a margin of 58 to 42 percent.
See a quick chart here. Other coverage can be found here. As a whole, Fulton County defeated the measure, 70,488 votes to 66,147. The sales tax also lost in DeKalb County, 61,792 to 57,915.
The city results are good news for Mayor Kasim Reed, who became the loudest voice for the referendum in the final weeks of the campaign – and who stands for re-election next year.
Below is a file from my AJC colleague Jeremiah McWilliams, on Reed and the final moments of last night’s doings:
Speaking at a subdued press conference late Tuesday night at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta, Reed was stoic in defeat.
“I’m here to stick out my chin and take the loss, to accept the loss … but to ask in a respectful way that we really do sit down and not wait six or eight or 10 years but work on it right away. Because the future belongs to those who figure it out. … We’re going to have to have politics of cooperation if we’re going to meet these big challenges.”
The first-term mayor embraced Metro Atlanta Chamber president Sam Williams, shook a few hands and walked off stage.
Speaking to reporters moments later, Reed warned against “backseat quarterbacking.” He said early vote totals hurt the campaign, as did the July 31 date and the hemorrhaging of Republican votes in the closing weeks of the campaign.
“Everyone deserves a fair share of responsibility,” Reed said. “We caught a couple of tough breaks…This is not really a time to blame anyone.”
“I think we have to get everyone at the table. I don’t think failing to move forward is an option. Most regions require more than one bite at the apple to achieve this (referendum-based traffic solutions). I wanted us to achieve it on the first try.”
Reed tipped his cap at the opposition.
“I’ve been in this business a long time,” he said. “I respect elections, and I respect results….I congratulate the folks who prevailed. I respect them.”
Reed said another traffic-oriented referendum “has to happen in the future,” calling that approach “the only method to try to fund the traffic improvements you need.”
“(But) I don’t know if it will be tried by me and my colleagues,” he said.
Reed said he believed the campaign failed for deeper reasons than a project list that drew many critics.
“We lost the ‘confidence in government’ argument,” he said. “And the argument around whether our projects are transformational.”Reed said he felt the need to jump into the campaign in a dramatic way two weeks ago after internal polls showed support slipping. After the business community helped raise $8 million for the pro-tax campaign, backing away “would have sent a terrible national message” about the seriousness of Atlanta’s leadership, he said.
“People took real risks in the process,” Reed said, citing Gov. Nathan Deal and others.“I did everything I can,” Reed told a television reporter.
It was shortly before midnight. The party had already broken up.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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157 comments Add your comment
midtown dave
August 1st, 2012
11:37 am
Jim, no victory for Kasim in Atlanta. He lost the vote in southwest Atlanta, where he is from and currently lives.
Bubba Smith
August 1st, 2012
11:42 am
That Obama Cabinet position is looking a little tougher for Kasim to get right now…
Irony
August 1st, 2012
11:43 am
From what I can tell, the resounding TSPLOST defeat was in the name of fiscal responsibility – or some derivation of. I’m well aware that victory parties are common; however, it just seems apropo that those in the Pro camp rented out a ballroom at a downtown hotel, which tend to be pricey, only to be told they shouldn’t be trusted stewards of an additional 1%.
Obviously, there are more components to the whole debacle (err..initiative?), but I thought those broad strokes needed to connect the dots.
Class of '98
August 1st, 2012
11:44 am
Once again, it is worth repeating…. when GA 400 is no longer a toll road, I MAY consider voting yes on a referendum like this. Like a majority of voters yesterday, I simply do not trust the government to do what they say they will do.
Jeff A. Taylor
August 1st, 2012
11:54 am
Jim, don’t you think Reed stayed in background far so long precisely to avoid sending a message that this was primarily a by ATL-for ATL deal? Besides, no one on the pro side expected this thing to lose in Fulton and DeKalb.
I appreciate Reed’s candor now and think the pro consultants were exactly wrong to try to bury the reality of this thing. And the reality is that it was a MARTA bailout in drag, dressed up with enough re-development goodies to win the love of the developer-realtor-builder-Chamber cartel. That might not have won either, but at least it would not have insulted the IQ of voters.
Now on to the matters at hand: a) Long-term solvency for MARTA and the extent of state participation in that b) Congestion reducing road improvements for the metro area without any developer-realtor-builder-Chamber input.
Atlantafare.com
August 1st, 2012
11:55 am
Don’t let them fool you by No more Ga 400 Toll news. Once the toll is removed they will add H O T Lanes just like Hwy 85 and folks will be paying a lot more than .50 cents.
joe
August 1st, 2012
11:55 am
“We lost the ‘confidence in government’ argument,” he said. Exactly. Government is not the way out of any problem…they are the problem. Instead of raising taxes, the government needs to turn to the private sector as a way out of our traffic and transportation mess.
Old South
August 1st, 2012
11:56 am
“People took real risks in the process,”
I kind of agree, and that’s what makes me think this defeat will hurt. What the national folks likely conclude is that the extreme political elements can take control, and Atlanta metro is as backward thinking as ever. The town that lucked(bought) Olympics.
AKA “I simply do not trust the government to do what they say they will do.”
@class of '98
August 1st, 2012
11:56 am
You do realize that the 400 toll booth is coming down next year, right?
aka
August 1st, 2012
11:58 am
Down with the government.
Kris
August 1st, 2012
12:00 pm
As Irony pointed out ” shouldn’t be trusted stewards of an additional 1%”… Both Deal and reed need to realize that the tsplost TAX was sent out of town o a RAIL and that they can be put on that same train.
DannyX
August 1st, 2012
12:03 pm
Of course TSPLOST had good support from the city of Atlanta. Atlanta won project list gold.
That gold turned out to be one of the biggest reasons TSPLOST lost. Mayor Reed got too greedy, the Beltline should never have been added to the project list.
Mayor Reed also hurt the cause when he botched the airport concessions bid. State and local politicians lack trust. The airport mess, Ga 400 toll, and lack of ethics were all major factors. Politicians have no one to blame but themselves. Reed is trying to deflect when he says now is not the time to place blame. He is deflecting because he is part of the problem, we don’t trust our politicians, Democrat or Republican, with 7 billion dollars.
A good “Plan B” start would be to enact tough new enforceable ethics laws.
@Midtown Dave
August 1st, 2012
12:05 pm
Stop spreading your falsehoods here’s the vote breakdown of the Tsplost’s resounding victory all over Atlanta!
http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/Fulton/40439/94553/en/md_data.html?cid=1280&
Vote no Tsplost
August 1st, 2012
12:05 pm
I worked hard against the TAX for 2 reasons. Roads need to be paid for by users. Eight year olds and 80 year olds should not pay road taxes
jd
August 1st, 2012
12:14 pm
Here lies Georgia’s Economy.
Killed by a misunderstanding of “Fiscal Responsibility”
Ga Values
August 1st, 2012
12:17 pm
.I can understand why Kasim Reed doesn’t want any”backseat quarterbacking’ , he is largely responsible for the loss. Although I did not vote for him I was hopeful that he would do a good job but when he attacked the APS school board that was trying uncover cheating, I became worried. He then tried to fire the head of public housing, who was 1 of the few in Atlanta actually doing a good job. After promising honest bid selection at the airport, he managed to get his corrupt cronies big contracts. Finally after the Feds pointed out that his corrupt cronies got favorable treatment he refused to disqualify them.In other words we have another Bill Campbell. But that was not enough he has a totally useless Belt Line added to what was to be a congestion relief project. As we say in the south “Pigs get fat , Hogs get slaughtered”.. Hopefully Mr Reed will not run for reelection
AngryVoter
August 1st, 2012
12:18 pm
@class of ‘98…
How adorably naive. You do know the toll came down last year, right? How did that end for us? Why would anyone think the man who shafted us before won’t shaft us again. I’ll believe it when I see it. Meantime, you need to learn – Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!
gnomeboy
August 1st, 2012
12:19 pm
well, I guess since the T-SPLOST went T-SPLAT, Mayor Reed can go back to his usual job and be a cheerleader for PresBO and his failed policies.
DannyX
August 1st, 2012
12:19 pm
Disconnect between politicians and voters,
Republicans and Democrats each had non binding questions asking voters if they support ending the current practice of unlimited gifts from lobbyists to state legislators.
Combined results:
YES…1,244,468…82%
NO…280,166…18%
Get to work on serious ethic reform Georgia politicians, then present your “Plan B.” Admit you are part of the problem.
LMAO
August 1st, 2012
12:22 pm
It is simple our gas tax is too high. In Alabama gas is $3.15 this week. We are paying 30¢ more per gallon in taxes that is not being spent properly. Hell no to paying another penny when the money we’repaying is not spent properly.
Crossover voter
August 1st, 2012
12:33 pm
I think recent opinion pieces in the AJC struck a nerve with many voters. Our elected officials primary responsibility is to effectively and effciciently run our government. This includes prioritizing our collective needs and establishing policies and implementing tax policy to pay for those needs. If every spending decison is turned into a referendum, they are not governign, they are getting paid to be elected to office and run for re-election. We need elected officials that will make the tough decisions in an atmosphere of collective good without regard to influence from any special interest group or party that stands to gain more than the next. The cumilitive effect of poor tax policy (tax breaks) coupled with a lack of leadership has brought us to the position we find ourselves. To those candidates that appear on their way to winning a seat in our local governments or state governments you need to step up to the plate and make a differnce in getting the train back on the track. The failure of the TSPLOST was a failure of leadership over many years through a lack of overisight that includes both planning and execution.
marymac
August 1st, 2012
12:41 pm
I am so glad that crooked KR deal did not win………….did you get the message, KR?
JB
August 1st, 2012
12:41 pm
Joe: No private company is going to want to build a road or transit system unless there is significant profit to be made. So not only would users like you be paying for the cost of road construction and maintenance, but ALSO maintaining profits. How is that cheaper/better for the average citizen? And if roads were such a great money-making investment, why didn’t private companies build them in the first place? Delusional…
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
12:47 pm
Reed – “warned against “backseat quarterbacking.” “People took real risks in the process”, ““I did everything I can”.
Granted their is some truth at least in the last statement. Mayor Reed unfortunately has demonstrated clearly that he is not up to the task of Leadership the People of Atlanta need and require of their Mayor. Mayor Reed is a legislator and not a City Leader. If their is no one to blame and he has an aversion to Monday morning quarterbacking of his decisions, it is time for him to return to his old Job back at the Dome. This vote was not a LOST for confidence in government!
This Vote was a Lost of confidence in LEADERSHIP across the board!
To disregard the concerns of ones constituents over the Corporate community wishes and desires is a recipe for FAILURE every time. Mayor Reed should now remove himself from this already toxic issue and concentrate more on the real issues and needs of Atlanta that has and is still continuing to pile up on his desk this very moment.
Atlanta and its residents will no longer tolerate self serving politicians. You can be rest assured the next Mayor will never repeat this error again! Mayor Reed is damaged goods now! His legacy will be remembered for what he does now from the end of his term and many of us now feel even that will be a disappointment as well.
Daniel
August 1st, 2012
12:49 pm
I don’t believe the TSPLOST loss will have anything to do with Kasim Reed’s Political Future. I did not vote for it, I am definitely NOT a member of the Tea Party. I just did not have confidence that the added revenue from the tax would be spent honestly and correctly. I also did not believe it would benefit Everyone equally.
Feel like a dummy
August 1st, 2012
12:51 pm
Okay, I know this is a stupid quesiton, BUT….where did the money come from the advertise in favor of this? Where did the money come from the rent the ballroom?
Carol
August 1st, 2012
12:51 pm
I liked Kasim Reed when he first took office. I thought he would be a very good Mayor. Now I foresee him being the first one-term Mayor in modern history.
May Reed and all of your business cronies, wake up. Why do you think we would trust the people who gave us these bright ideas:
Peach Pass;
emergency/express lane on GA 400,
continuation of the tolls on GA 400; and
entrance ramp lights
And we’re supposed to hand over our hard earned money to them for more boondoggles?
hammerhead
August 1st, 2012
12:52 pm
Interesting that back to back commenters, which probably think they’re in agreement, lament the likelihood of tolls while proclaiming that the private sector is the answer over a government solution. It’s pretty straight-forward here – there’s no such thing as a free ride… You either pay a tax or you pay a toll. The 7cents/gallon motor fuel tax we have now is not sufficient to cover sorely needed new projects. Debt service on what’s already built and maintenance on the same takes the lion share of the current revenue stream. You can’t have a world class transportation system (which we all should strive for) without funding it someway, somehow.
redweather
August 1st, 2012
12:53 pm
Although I am about as far from being a member of the Tea Party as it is possible to get, I voted against this. It had boondoggle, or boondoggles, writ large all over it. Deal and Reed seem to want to get points for showing leadership. It’s easy “to lead” when you’ve got a huge pot of money.
gm
August 1st, 2012
12:55 pm
Whats amazing is how the AJC is giving credit to tea party for the TSPLOST defeat, all branches of the NAACP and other organizations were out in the streets helping to defeat this.
Reed with his disrespect for John Evans and the NAACP helped doomed him in Dekalb, no one wants to give Deal and the state this type of money, please someone ask Sony Perdue where is all the the millions that was sent from Obama administration?
jd
August 1st, 2012
12:55 pm
If you look at the results by county, 7 out of 10 counties voted it down 70% to 30%. Wondering which counties came the closest to approving Fulton, Dekalb & Clayton . Which counties are the most corrupt, Fulton, Dekalb and Clayton. Worst schools (with some exceptions), Fulton (Atlanta City), Dekalb and Clayton. See a pattern??????? Just remember when the Falcon’s Stadium comes up for a vote, the voters will want a say (but they won’t get one). I live in Gwinnett and remember the Cool Ray Stadium disaster.
Do you think Kasim Reed will go to Chick-Fil-A today?????
hammerhead
August 1st, 2012
12:59 pm
Just read LMAO’s comment – the difference in price between a gallon of gas in Alabama versus what we’re paying Georgia has absolutely nothing to do with the fuel tax. Georgia’s fuel tax is capped at 7 cents per gallon. If a gallon of gas is $5 the tax on that gallon is 7 cents. If a gallon of gas is $1 the tax is 7 cents. Guess which scenario brings in more tax revenue? hint: the cheaper the fuel, the higher the tax revenue and vice versa. It’s a very poor and horribly outdated way to fund transportation. This has to be reformed. Politcians were terrified of attempting to raise motor fuel tax, so they threw it over the wall to the general public to vote on it and, well, without understanding the implications of a referendum people predictably vote against a new tax. NO LEADERSHIP. I applaude Kasim Reed for the stance he took. The tepid endorsement of the Governor is an embarrassment. I would’ve been more impressed if he had opposed it outright.
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
1:02 pm
Jim, I also wanted to state that the article here on AJC that this was a BIG WIN for Georgia’s “TEA PARTY”. I found the title offensive,misleading and not truthful. The Tea Party was just one of many groups to oppose this T-SPLOST plan. In no way was this a affirmation of support in this opposition was a support for this EXTREME Right Wing organization.
Much like the T-SPLOST plan the Tea Party and its supporters represent a mind set
of the thinking of the WHITE CITIZENS COUNCIL of the 40’s & 50’s. As a matter of fact the majority of its supporters were teenagers who witnessed that organization growth and influence through their Parents and neighbors growing up in the deep south.
The Tea Party’s mission and political thinking is an angry voice of Americans who are intolerant and wants to return America to the ” GOOD OLE DAYS”. To many of
US that means to a time when it was okay to discriminate against any group that did not conform to their way of thinking!
I personally reject that misguided mindset as well as many of the readers here!
A reader
August 1st, 2012
1:03 pm
Of course the city of Atlanta wanted the TSPLOST. The projects with ATL city limits got approximately 13% of the funds, including the Beltline boondoggle. As usual, the city of Atlanta wants the rest of the region to pay for their privileges. That is why the cities in North Fulton came into being 5 years ago — the tax payers of North Fulton were getting tired of being sucked dry by Atlanta. And now the city needs another source of free funding.
Cloudodust
August 1st, 2012
1:03 pm
The next attempt (and it will come) to tax, er, extort money from those of us that would benefit little to none for the projects wanted will be forced in some other manner to pay for the goodies for the favored few. I suggest rickshaws.
midtown dave
August 1st, 2012
1:07 pm
Using Jim’s spreadsheet, the TSPLOST lost in southwest Atlanta. Hardly a sign of strength for a mayor of Atlanta who resoundingly won that area in his previous election. Reed won 85% of the votes in that area in the mayoral election and got less than 50% of the vote in TSPLOST. Buyer beware.
hammerhead
August 1st, 2012
1:11 pm
When you meet someone from other parts of the country or even from outside the country, do you tell them you’re from Johns Creek or you’re from Atlanta? My guess is, you tell them Atlanta. So, why would you be against something that’s good for Atlanta? This was a REGIONAL referendum. I grew up in this state (not Atlanta) and no one understands “home rule” better than I do, but unitl we start planning and acting like a region we will continue a steady decline. Atlanta, at one time, was well on its way to becoming a world class city. Until we unify ourselves toward a common cause and agree to help fund things that don’t DIRECTLY impact our daily lives, we’ll continue to gripe about the “free loaders” and get absolutely NOTHING accomplished.
oldfart
August 1st, 2012
1:18 pm
The AJC printing a headline giving credit to the Tea Party for the defeat of the referendum is not only overly simplistic but borders on Hearst-style yellow journalism. The fact that Cox Enterprises backed this with an acknowledged $250k in cash and I suspect a good deal of free advertising both here and on WSB television and radio along with editorial endorsements should not interfere with reporting facts. I suspect the headline chosen is planting a seed in the people’s minds that don’t normally ally themselves politically with the Tea Party to second guess themselves next time. Regardless of what I suspect however the fact is the headline and the story are biased beyond the ethics of journalism.
locdog59
August 1st, 2012
1:18 pm
Sales tax is a bad way to fund transportation,period. TSPLOST was ill-conceived from the beginning. Georgia seems to be clueless on transportation. That is why I have packed my things and will be moving my business elsewhere. No because TSPLOST lost, but because it was the plan to begin with.
Judi
August 1st, 2012
1:30 pm
FYI, this was not a Kasim Reed deal, but a bipartisan deal which was agreed on by representatives from both parties (bi-partisan). Stop calling it a Kasim Reed deal, try a Nathan Deal deal and all the other players that supported it… Sadly I will have to continue to add two extra hours to my daily commute to and from work.. In my opinion the only losers here are the ones who have to navigate Atlanta traffic to get from point A to B..
John Galt
August 1st, 2012
1:32 pm
Is this the same Kasim Reed, who last night stated that he respected the decision of the voters in a democracy, but that he would work to start changing their opinions the very next morning?
Let’s see Reed pass a 1% sales tax on the residents of the city of Atanta and then he can build all the pet projects he desires.
Marlboro Man
August 1st, 2012
1:32 pm
Traffic is killing jobs.
PLAN B---HA!
August 1st, 2012
1:38 pm
Ironically, all you ‘no’ voters have basically guaranteed you will get a worse version of all the things you didn’t like about TSPLOST. LOL.
I’ll spell it out for the no voters who are able to read past 2 sentences.
-You don’t trust government – Your ‘no’ vote just gave more money and control to government with even less oversight.
-You didn’t like the projects developed through years of study and research by traffic professionals – Your ‘no’ vote just put project selection in the hand of somebody who has zero transportation experience. And you won’t know how much they cost. LOL.
-You thought it was too much money at this time in our economy. – Your ‘no’ vote just guaranteed traffic will not get any better and now you’ll waste more time (time = money remember) sitting in traffic and you’ll spend more money on fuel/tolls.
Again, well done. You’ve voted for a worse version of the things you didn’t like about TSPLOST.
Mary
August 1st, 2012
1:38 pm
How dare Mayor Reed act like he was a key player in the TSPLOST vote!! Did everything he could?? I don’t think two weeks of campaigning and promoting yourself counts as doing everything you can! He was just shopping for votes from the MACOC and now I am shopping for a new Mayor! Thanks for nothing Kasim! You are an utter disappointment!
CobbGOPer
August 1st, 2012
1:39 pm
“…the hemorrhaging of Republican votes…”
This makes it sound as if they had lots of Republican votes in the first place. That is highly unlikely.
Darwin
August 1st, 2012
1:41 pm
When do people vote FOR taxes? OK, maybe on a county SPLOST vote. But even those are with small margins today. The Republicans demonstrated a lack of leadership by pushing this tax onto the voters. If it passed, they could shift responsibility of it on the voters. The future for Republican controlled regions will be very interesting.
Puerile Pedant
August 1st, 2012
1:43 pm
Sonny Perdue and the GOP majority under the Dome designed the TSPOLST to fail — that’s why the chose the July 31 vote date (when the great unwashed masses of dems would not be voting).
They succeeded. Congrats GOP. Now go out and show up how the GOP cannot build infrastructure — more HOT lanes anyone? The singular metor Atlanta transportation project of 10 years of GOP rule was turning the I-85 HOV lane into a toll lane (at a cost of $110 million).
Excellent Job
PLAN B---HA!
August 1st, 2012
1:45 pm
I hope good ole boy Nate raises the gas tax by 20 cents and keeps 5 cents for himself. Maybe then you tea bagging dolts will understand how to read a law before you vote on it.
John Galt
August 1st, 2012
1:45 pm
“-You don’t trust government – Your ‘no’ vote just gave more money and control to government with even less oversight.”
So by not voting for a tax increase we gave more control and more money to which government?
KrystalsBalls
August 1st, 2012
1:46 pm
@Hammerhead
Don’t waste your time. You are talking with TOO much sense. You are much too conscious and level-headed in your perspective. There is no room for that in these parts (of the world).
PLAN B---HA!
August 1st, 2012
1:48 pm
@John Galt. The state government and GDOT. The very entities you didn’t trust to begin with. They will get the revenue from somewhere. It might be tolls or higher fuel. Can’t wait to find out!
CobbGOPer
August 1st, 2012
1:49 pm
@jd
August 1st, 2012
12:14 pm
So you admit this was an ‘economic stimulus’ plan, not a transportation plan? Cause if what you were after was economic stimulus, you should have messaged it that way. Or not had it tied to transportation. Either way, you only have yourselves to blame, so you can stop looking down your nose at the rest of us like the Chamber of Commerce elites are doing right now.
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
1:51 pm
Mayor Reed why not NOW!…. provide to the Citizens an itemized listing of the expenses paid for Radio and Televison, consulting fees, advertising, printing, mailing, postage, transportation, robo calling, meeting rooms, food, catering, drinks, car rentals and labor costs by the City’s employees and former city employees in regards to this T-SPLOST support vote.
Just as in the CarFAX commercials… Show us the REPORT! If you dare!
Jim, you should be helpful in providing and facilitating this most curious piece of information through your thoughtful and provoking journalism skills. show us the cards that are on the table before they get lost, misplaced, deleted, not back up, before all of the server transfer error issues which typically happens when thesee requests are made.
PLAN B---HA!
August 1st, 2012
1:53 pm
oh yeah, and if you live in outlying counties get ready for more property taxes!!! All of which illegals won’t pay! Well done ‘no’ voters, well done indeed.
TR in ATL
August 1st, 2012
1:54 pm
T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-C-Y
Work openly with your constituents, and maybe something good will happen around here. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good in ATL, but we need to be the light upon the hill and your effort is a C- at best.
One last thing, please check out http://www.runawayslavemovie.com. It will change your life.
PLAN B---HA!
August 1st, 2012
1:56 pm
@TR in ATL. You mean like all that transparency that was in HB 277? LOL.
john barry
August 1st, 2012
1:56 pm
I am excited and eager to hear a private sector solution that has the scope and vision (limited as it may be) of the plan the TSPOLT would have funded.
The private sector will build point solutions at best, the least amount of product with the most profit, with no regard to future “customer” needs, and with no regard for the “general good”.
But then again, we have not seen any private sector solutions yet……..
Sam the Sham
August 1st, 2012
2:03 pm
It’s “armchair quarterback”, not “backseat quarterback” (that would be backseat driver, you Rocket Surgeon).
Gwinnett's Issues Uncovered
August 1st, 2012
2:05 pm
jd
August 1st, 2012
12:55 pm
Do not speak too fast. Gwinnett has been in the news lately and it does NOT look good over there! There is corruption all around so open your eyes a little wider and you will be able to see the trees!
Road Scholar
August 1st, 2012
2:22 pm
Hammerhead: You are partly correct. There is also a 4% tax on gas. 3c/$ is pledged to GDOT and 1 c/$ goes to the general fund. So if gas is $3 the sales tax is 12c. 30-12=18c/gal…where is this coming from?
Plan B: We are behind on funding our transportation needs; when is a”good time”?
Someone yesterday defined Plan B as “condensing” the gas tax. Take the 7c/gal and the 4% gas sales tax and combine them into one tax. Would adjusting the gas tax to inflation (last set in 1988) be acceptable? Folks, it cost more to do most things (except complain and whine) so what is your recommendations for new revenue? The people have spoken…they elected the same scalawags back also!!! They resented PRIVATE COMPANIES that were practicing capitalism. What is your solution; please hold the do nothing, can’t trust anyone, and other non factor comments on howxdo we address transportation?
John Galt
August 1st, 2012
2:24 pm
” The state government and GDOT. The very entities you didn’t trust to begin with. They will get the revenue from somewhere. It might be tolls or higher fuel. Can’t wait to find out!”
So they have no more power than they originally had. And that’s their charged responsibility.
Yet somehow you thought creating yet another level of unaccountable government entity would have made it different this time. Now that’s funny.
Billy Wise
August 1st, 2012
2:29 pm
The mass media and politicians just don’t seem to be getting the message contained in the defeat of the T-SPLOST tax. The seeds of this resounding rejection by the voters were sown by Governor Purdue when he reinstated the toll on GA 400 after the construction bonds had been paid off. The HOT lanes on I-85 and proposed toll lanes on GA 400 added seasoning to voter distrust. Heavy-handed advertising and support for the referendum by MAVEN, Untie Atlanta, Governor Deal and Mayor Reed further stoked the resentment of the voters. Governor Deal’s “promise” to stop the tolls on GA 400 (in 18 months) was viewed as just another last minute political ploy to save the tax. Voters are tired of being abused and ignored, and they are neither ignorant nor stupid. The T-SPLOST approach never was or had a “plan.” The project lists were nothing more than wish lists assembled by the RRT, an appointed board. The media want to “blame” the Tea Party for its role in defeating the T-SPLOST initiative. The Tea Party merely served as a spear point for the voters. The voters were the stout shaft that sank the referendum. It will be interesting to see what happens with the GA 400 toll, now that the voters have rejected the T-SPLOST tax. SRTA must still vote to eliminate the tolls. When was the last time anyone saw or heard of a government agency voting itself out of business? Governor Deal has yet another opportunity to demonstrate some leadership by following through with his promise on the GA 400 toll, and by working to pull together the various parties to the debate to pursue a viable solution to the traffic issues in the Atlanta Metro area. If Governor Deal instead “focuses today on the price of austerity, as chosen by T-SPLOST opponents,” then all is lost.
John Galt
August 1st, 2012
2:29 pm
“Folks, it cost more to do most things ”
And since taxes increases proportionally to those increased costs, why the need for ever more funds?
Why does transportation demand a greater % statewide GDP than it did 30 or 40 years ago? Where are the economies of scale that exist in so many other areas of production?
Why could we afford to have street car networks 75 years ago and cannot even afford them today without special taxes? The rights of way are already there.
Why can we not get the lights synchronized when we have paid for this technology over and over again?
Why rely on a system of mass transit that will still, in the end, rely on you taking a car to and from the transit station?
bigbill
August 1st, 2012
2:40 pm
Here is some “backseat quarterbacking”: Mayor Reed reached out to the wrong people to get this done, specifically Atlanta Metro Chamber CEO Sam Williams and his army of grasping, greedy,self-interested, wealthy business leaders who, by putting up $8 Million to influence the passage of the T-SPLOST referendum, the very purpose of which was to make these already fabulously rich individuals and their corporations even richer than they already are, failed miserably to persuade the voters that this plan was good for them and their communities. The real advocate for the community here was Senator Vincent Fort who, one year ago, took on Sam Williams over the Chamber’s involvement in trying to cover up the full extent of the APS cheating scandal and now, one year later, defeating Williams and his cohort of influential “business movers and shakers” by exposing them, by pulling back the curtain to reveal what they were really up to: a plan to enrich themselves with a steady stream of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds over the next ten years. Now they will have to earn their incomes the hard way, like every else suffering through this brutal recession. As Senator Fort said: “Don’t buy into the hype.” Looks like the voters listened to Senator Fort and not the $8 Million in hype foisted on Atlantans by Sam Williams and Kaseem Reed.
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
2:43 pm
TR in ATL @ 1:54 pm – Your sad attempt to provide a back door support of the Tea Party is not not worth viewing at all. This is purely Tea Party propaganda and you are one of its many tools utilized to try to spread its support. It may get you invited to many exclusive parties and social events but it will never get you an invitation to move next door or join their church. You will be cheered on for your wise intelligence and acceptance of their ideas, but never the support of the ideas that support you or your community.
The only lives that movie would change are the people who are not interested in changing anything, but back to 1950’s America!
Moving Forward From TSPLOST | A is for Atlanta
August 1st, 2012
2:44 pm
[...] Defeat never comes easy, especially when dealing with the reality of the ballot box. I’ve written over 500 blog posts, and my advocacy for a “yes” vote on TSPLOST was the first time I used this site to advocate for a political issue. The final numbers haven’t been tallied, but it looks as though the pro-transit, pro-solution and pro-gress have been lost in a blow out (except in the actual City of Atlanta itself, where a resounding 58% of voters voted yes… but l…). [...]
Ted
August 1st, 2012
3:04 pm
I am a Democrat…a Liberal…someone totally inclined to vote for measures like this. And I voted no because it seemed to me that the project list included mostly projects that local communities had decided weren’t a top priority. Widening county roads, improving intersections should be done at the local level. And if the local community doesn’t want to raise taxes then it has to prioritize and these are the projects that fell off that list. Now building an extra lane on 285, a reversible lane on 400, extending commuter rail deep into the suburbs…these are things that people understand and can turn around and say….my tax dollars paid for that.
Discursive
August 1st, 2012
3:20 pm
It’s great to hear people’s complaints about T-SPLOST while simultaneously offering no alternative solutions. Anyone can complain.
I love you people who think only “users” should pay for transportation improvements. What’s a “user”? Name one thing you consume that hasn’t been effected by transportation. It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80 years old. Every member of society benefits from infrastructure improvements. Now that you’ve voted it down, how are you going to celebrate? You haven’t come up with another plan. Perhaps you can celebrate by complaining about the state of transportation in Atlanta. Yay, nothing’s changed.
Distrust of government. Hilarious. How’d the roads get there in the 1st place? Who built them? Government. Where does a government get money to improve society? Taxes. You realize roads cost money, right? You never seem to have distrust of government when it delivers your mail, builds your roads and bridges, provides your education, and picks up your trash, or when you scream “Get your government hands off my medicare and/or medicaid!”
Keep on sucking, Atlanta!
Equality > Liberty.
Trusslady
August 1st, 2012
3:23 pm
We have shown politicians something they are very afraid of – we the people. They were trying to deflect/adhere to their allegiance to “No Taxes” by making us tax ourselves, and it blew up spectacularly in their faces. Power to the people baby! Now, please don’t blow it in November by voting either a) their sorry behinds back in office, or b)blind obedience to a particular party.
Larry J
August 1st, 2012
3:57 pm
I can hear the politicians, ceo’s and other so call leaders saying “How dare the great unwashed go against our desires. They must be punished.”
brookhaven bummed
August 1st, 2012
4:08 pm
adios- atown down.
Carol
August 1st, 2012
4:09 pm
Trusslady I am with you 100%. I don’t think the “powers that be” were expecting the backlash they received on this item. Like others, I don’t have a problem paying a higher tax if it’s with “representation” and responsibility. I don’t believe the project list was either. But more importantly, I don’t trust the people who would oversee them.
Tinkerella
August 1st, 2012
4:11 pm
Amen, Trusslady. I know for a fact there are plans for hot lanes everywhere. I have seen them from the design team that did the I-85 ones. All you whiners that are mad because it “wasn’t the best plan but its a start”….that is the stupidest reason to support something. Make ‘em go back and do their jobs. They knew it was going to fail and that is why it was a referendum in the first place. Don’t get caught up in the minutia. Vote these crooked folks out of office and keep voting them out until someone grows a spine and puts ethics inside the gold dome. I was going to say “put back” but I’m not sure it was ever there.
Carol
August 1st, 2012
4:11 pm
Just a guess, the people in Fulton, Dekalb and Clayton probably voted for it for a couple of reasons:
1. They Dekalb and Fulton have been paying for MARTA for years. They no doubt wanted everybody else to share the load if it was to put another 1 cent burden on them.
2. Clayton County has no bus service. Maybe this would free up some money for that to come back.
Just my thought.
Sparks
August 1st, 2012
4:12 pm
You know it is possible to be black and still be an advocate for lower taxes and fiscal responsibility.
Kasim !
August 1st, 2012
4:12 pm
kasim furious that his people didn’t vote for tplost—he’ll get revenge with cutting out money to anyone not on board his thing
Shep
August 1st, 2012
4:14 pm
If the city is so concerned about traffic, why did Midtown take away two lanes from Peachtree St to widen the sidewalks and install “traffic calming” devices? Marta buses can just barely turn some corners because these new curbs and medians have taken away so much of the road. What a waste of money. And don’t even get me started on the red lights at the freeway entrance ramps that are rarely, if ever, working. How much did we spend for that? I am sure some well connected contractor laughed all the way to the bank on that one.
zeke
August 1st, 2012
4:33 pm
who are the main investor/beneficiaries of the beltline? anyone know?
Baby's daddy
August 1st, 2012
4:35 pm
Don’t need no mo taxes. 8 peer cent in Fulton is too damn much–more than the rest of the State. T-Splost takes from the poor and gives to the rich contractors who be friends wit the likes of Mayor Reed. DeKalb belt line ain’t gonna move nobody. It’s time folks started wakin’ up and stop buyin’ this government crack.
Imon Lylooking
August 1st, 2012
4:44 pm
T-splost was definitely needed; it’s loss represents, primarily, a little selfishness, and perhaps a lot more lack of understanding.
Politics aside–let’s leave them out of the discussion altogether–no one can, when properly managed, compete with government when it comes to essential services, provided that three conditions are met.
The first is that the service is offered frequently. Think garbage pickup, pot-hole filling, water treatment, fire protection, police services, etc. The second is that there is not a terribly high barrier to entry, that is that the capital costs associated with the provision of the service is not out of sight, compared to how frequently the service is delivered. And, third, that the learning curve to provide the service, as compared to the frequency of delivery an capital cost as a barrier to entry, is not too steep.
Think about it rationally. Entity A exists as a type of cooperative, that is it provides a value-adding service but seeks no profit; instead it seeks to add the value at the lowest sustainable price. Entity B seeks to add value, too, but is a for-profit entity that exists to maximize return on investment for shareholders, or other stakeholders. Now, which of the entities, all else being equal–equal access to management, labor, technology, etc., will be able to offer the added value at less cost to customers? Obviously it is Entity A. That’s what the government model is supposed to do.
When it does not, it is for one reason, and one reason only: poor management. What privatization advocates fail to consider–and privatization is great if one or more of the aforementioned conditions, that is, frequency, capital cost, and learning curve apply–is that somebody always has to manage a private contractor, and, if a government entity cannot manage its own employees, the ones that it has direct control over and can hire or fire, what makes it anywhere near reality that they can manage an entity whose employees that the government doesn’t directly control, employees who represent and entity that, by design, is trying to maximize return on investment, that is, profit?
The real solution is to put mechanisms in place that result in best management practices, and to make a clear distinction between those things, see the conditions above, that governments can do best, and those where it is best to outsource, that is when the service is to be provided infrequently, equipment costs are high, and there are learning curve/expertise issues.
Better management of existing resources would be a confidence enhancer that would make it more likely that necessary initiatives like T-splost would receive the support that they need.
T-splost failure is likely, in the longer-term future, to result in a less-competitive Atlanta and Georgia. We already see Atlanta’s growth slowing, in relation to other southern competing cities. Progress seen in Birmingham, Nashville, Charlotte, etc., is at Atlanta’s expense.
Atlanta made itself unique amongst these competitors in two ways: a progressive stance on race relations and a commitment to transportation.
That commitment to transportation has taken a serious blow. One wonders how long it will take those celebrating to see what their victory has wrought.
fca
August 1st, 2012
4:49 pm
The problem for me with this issue was that those who support the campaign for its approval are the ones who engage in “creative tax avoidance’” and send money of shore yet, they want their infrastructure paid for by taxes. The tea party who I see as puppets of the wealthy stepped out to take credit on its defeat but it was really the people who are tired of being taken advantage of.
rawmilkdrinker
August 1st, 2012
5:02 pm
Joe @ 11:55, Perhaps you missed the proposals 2-3 years ago that would turn over portions of I-75, I -85 and 316 to private companies in exchange for expansion of existing roads and building new ones. The Private Corps predicted $8-13 tolls one way to break even on Hwy 316 alone. Is that what you want for your daily driving pleasure?
Shar
August 1st, 2012
5:14 pm
This was not a Tea Party win. There are lots and lots of voters, myself included, who were pleased that transportation was being addressed and were supportive of additional taxes to achieve it.
The problems were in the execution, and were endemic. A sales tax was too universal and too regressive for use in funding this specific initiative. The gas tax should be increased, without question. The very people who were pushing this so hard were the people who would be in line for the contracts as well as those who use their clout in the Legislature to minimize their own tax burden. For example, the spectacle of Delta donating to the marketing effort and pressuring their employees to vote for it while at the same time returning to the Legislature (successfully) for another 3 years of fuel tax exemption WHILE making record profits was truly disgusting. The politicians and GaDOT personnel who would administer the funds have shown themselves to be unethical, untruthful and untrustworthy, and are completely unconcerned about their incompetence as long as they can rouse the party stalwarts with stupid diversions like gay marriage amendments.
The biggest failure, however, was the fact that the projects on the approved list simply would not improve the ability to move around the metro area. The fact was that the supporters anticipated a thirty year tax, not a ten year one, and that there might have been appreciable improvements at the end of that time. However, they couldn’t admit that the tax was actually designed for that period and therefore they couldn’t get around the fact that the billions collected in ten years wouldn’t affect transit issues at all.
Developers need to be forced to pay for infrastructure improvements as part of their license to build. The gas tax should be used for transportation of all kinds only – no slush fund into the general budget coffers. Transportation must include mass transit – there will never be enough roads to compare with the transportation efficiency of rail and bus. Politicians should have their reserved parking spaces returned to citizen use and they should be required to take public transportation to the Gold Dome. Maybe then their unreasoning prejudice against mass transit will be counteracted.
Bottom line, there was too much money being raised the wrong way going to the wrong projects and handled by the wrong people. Those who say that we should have done “something”, that TSPLOST was “a start” or “better than nothing” are dead wrong. We should demand the best possible use of tax money to benefit the greatest number of taxpayers, and TSPLOST failed on every count.
Amazing
August 1st, 2012
5:18 pm
You don’t trust government with T-Splost but you generally voted to keep incumbents (the very people you do not trust) in place. Ironic?
Beverly Fraud
August 1st, 2012
5:25 pm
Gee Kasim, with your steadfast support of Beverly Hall even after she was exposed as being the HEART and SOUL of the largest cheating scandal in United States educational history, you would have thought the voter implicitly trusted your integrity.
What happened Kasim, you couldn’t get with Sam Williams and “finesse this past the governor” LOL
Beverly Fraud
August 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Hey Kasim, why didn’t you just get with Sam Williams and form a “Blue Ribbon Commission” to make a report on the T-SPLOST for the voters.
After all, the last “Blue Ribbon Commission” report Sam came up with was so UNIVERSALLY RESPECTED wasn’t it Kasim?
It’s ALMOST as if the voters had a trust issue, isn’t it. But with SUCH integrity as Kasim showed when it came to Beverly Hall and the school board, who wouldn’t trust Kasim with even their very life, much less taxpayer dollars?
SWAT Native
August 1st, 2012
5:55 pm
Kasim delivered his jurisdiction by a healthy margin. Why is he being criticized?
Dean
August 1st, 2012
6:19 pm
hammerhead, well said. Maybe the next time some people are out of town, they can fly into the Norcross I’tnl Airport, or cheer on the Marietta Falcons in the NFL playoffs. Perhaps the Kennesaw Braves will win the World Series this year.
Without Atlanta, the surrounding counties would die (and never would have been born). If the region die the whole State of Georgia becomes a welfare state.
EG
August 1st, 2012
6:19 pm
Every major city in America has toll roads!!!!
The main problem here is that too many do not want to see Atlanta become a modern 21st Century world-class city. They want to keep it as the country bumpkin capitol and no more. The fiscal responsibility argument is simply absurd. I for one am taking my business out of here within the next 18 months.
Buckhead: Councilman Shook thinks bonds may follow TSPLOST failure | Reporter Newspapers
August 1st, 2012
6:50 pm
[...] a thumping at the polls regionally, losing 2 to 1 among voters, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that city of Atlanta voters approved it 58 percent to 42 [...]
middle of the road
August 1st, 2012
6:50 pm
“Backseat Quarterbacking”
Mix Metaphors Much?
middle of the road
August 1st, 2012
6:51 pm
“You do realize that the 400 toll booth is coming down next year, right?”
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
ROTFLMAO!
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
August 1st, 2012
7:05 pm
America’s blessings and hope is from the Creator alone, by “Annuit Coeptis,” not steel rails or ribbons of asphalt profiting the same false elite in our society willing to order or condone Rockefeller-fronts Bush’s and Cheney’s 9/11 treason, using the JFK-assassinating Roman Catholic CIA and Jews of Mossad, after only the Roman Catholics on the Supreme Court violated settled law to cheat them into the White House.
G-d is not mocked.
The government first duty to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign AND domestic, not siphon money from the People to the Fifth Column of the Roman Anti-Christ we came here to escape.
S
August 1st, 2012
7:08 pm
I sure did NOT vote NO on the TSplost because of the Tea Party, in fact I thought about voting YES because the Tea Party was against it. You can see what the Republican religious leaning extremists Tea Party has done for the State of Ga. and this Nation, absolute nothing but cause Obstructionism and turmoil for this state and country. Who needs enemies when we have a political party such as this involved in Government, a political Party bought and paid for by the wealthiest amongst us.
SWAT Native
August 1st, 2012
7:10 pm
Since Atlanta supported it, can we still do our projects?
The ATL has Kasim Better Days
August 1st, 2012
7:29 pm
Why do black politicians always talk about putting other people in the backseat? Then they remind you that they are in the front seat. You don’t need to remind us of that as we know it in, uh, hearts.
Mr. Reed, I’m not Rosa Parks and you are not Tom Brady though you’re working on becoming Bill Campbell.
And don’t continue those foolish comments about YOU having to get a bigger table to invite the people who just BEAT YOU to sit around and discuss T-SPLOST again. If we choose to, we may invite you to our (the taxpayers’) table–but probably not.
We don’t trust you and we don’t appreciate untrustworthy politicians.
Atlanta has the near-highest water rates in the country because of ineptitude.
Atlanta has among the poorest and most corrupt public schools in the country.
There are rampant concerns about corruption in awarding contracts at Atlanta’s airports.
A recent Atlanta mayor served time in prison.
The police dept. seemingly could meet their quota in-house.
Connect the dots Mr. Mayor. And get out of the car and place your hands on top of your head.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
8:10 pm
Has td been in line at chick-fil-a all day?
Ester Mae
August 1st, 2012
8:16 pm
My family members voted ‘NO’ simply because Kasim Reed was 100% behind this. We knew if he was behind this there would be corruption. We made the awful mistake of voting for him in 2009 and will never support anything he does again. Right about now Atlanta needs a strong Mayoral candidate to run Reed out of town.
Kris
August 1st, 2012
8:52 pm
@ hiram think he will show Friday?
Lets go ahead super-size this Dirty DEAL…watch this moron Deal hes up to no good. Already blaming Sonny, heck deal was there with his asphalt covered hand out.
Good ole boy Natie Deal never met a tax het did not like.
Good luck getting a plan b
August 1st, 2012
9:07 pm
The Marriott hotel room and food were DONATED. But like so many things about TSPLOST, incorrect and cynical assumptions designed to reinforce ones preconceived notions continue to abound.
Let’s just keep riding in the emergency lane down 400 and hope that one day we will all have jet packs.
Look before I leap...
August 1st, 2012
9:07 pm
Quote from Nathan Deal today:
“I felt that it was my responsibility to embrace it,” Deal said. “It was not an approach that taxpayers embraced, but that doesn’t mean that many of the projects on the list didn’t have merit. The ones that have merit will still be considered and will hopefully have prioritization.”
Seems like tacit admission that there were indeed proposals without merit.
Which was my problem with TPSLOST to begin with.
Message to the gold dome: I would have supported a half cent tax on a pared down list that made sense or even a 1 cent tax for 5 years for projects that would actually help alleviate traffic congestion in key areas.
But I have elevated blood pressure and my doctor says pork laden gravy trains are bad for my health.
So now, we will do what needs to be done with less money because this was BUNGLED from the get go and Nathan will be the only one with his hand in the cookie jar.
TruthBe
August 1st, 2012
9:16 pm
Amen Brother DannyX, I totally agree with your statement.
DannyX
August 1st, 2012
12:03 pm
Of course TSPLOST had good support from the city of Atlanta. Atlanta won project list gold.
That gold turned out to be one of the biggest reasons TSPLOST lost. Mayor Reed got too greedy, the Beltline should never have been added to the project list.
Mayor Reed also hurt the cause when he botched the airport concessions bid. State and local politicians lack trust. The airport mess, Ga 400 toll, and lack of ethics were all major factors. Politicians have no one to blame but themselves. Reed is trying to deflect when he says now is not the time to place blame. He is deflecting because he is part of the problem, we don’t trust our politicians, Democrat or Republican, with 7 billion dollars.
A good “Plan B” start would be to enact tough new enforceable ethics laws.
Attack Dog
August 1st, 2012
9:16 pm
1. Amen Mayor Reed. 2. Democrats may be irrelevant in the State of Georgia, but as each day goes by, Georgia are becoming more irrelevant…Period. 3. Someone recently mentioned that Atlanta may fall soon behind Birmingham, but they fail to reference that Atlanta was the only reason Georgia was ahead of Alabama and Mississippi in economic development.
Attack Dog
August 1st, 2012
9:19 pm
So if Mayor Reed is so bad, just think of Atlanta having a mayor like Sonny or Clarence, or even Karen. Tell us again who is the mayor of Lawrenceville?
Attack Dog
August 1st, 2012
9:24 pm
Now each day that I ride against the traffic and not be double taxed, I just smile at those Tea Party folks stuck in traffic. Choke on your smoke Dixiecrats because the less you pay in taxes, the more you pay BP and Exxon.
MikeB
August 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
Hammerhead, if state government simply returned its expense line to where it was pre-Perdue, we’d have three times the funds Tsplost aimed to raise. Cost containment and corruption are the issues here. We don’t need a new money pot.
td
August 1st, 2012
9:45 pm
I like Reed. If I lived in Atlanta I would vote for him as mayor. Best African American mayor Atlanta has ever had.
Look before I leap...
August 1st, 2012
9:50 pm
@td
“Best African American mayor Atlanta has ever had.”
Why?
td
August 1st, 2012
9:54 pm
Since raising taxes is out of the question now what is the answer? Our budget is made up of 70% Education (45%) and Medicaid (25%) and the other 30% pays for Transportation, law enforcement, Public health, Mental Health, social services, Labor, DNR, Justice system ect…
Where are the cuts going to come from? IMHO and a clue, why are we paying almost as much to pay for peoples health insurance as we are for the rest of state government?
td
August 1st, 2012
9:56 pm
Look before I leap…
August 1st, 2012
9:50 pm
@td
“Best African American mayor Atlanta has ever had.”
Why?
More physically conservative. I also have a history of working with him in the legislature. He was the only Democrat to co sponsor a bill the group I was working with wanted to pass.
td
August 1st, 2012
10:03 pm
td
August 1st, 2012
9:56 pm
” physically conservative” Long day. Should be fiscally conservative.
REALITY CHECK
August 1st, 2012
10:13 pm
@ GA Values
As I read your comments, you know what else dawned on me that Fulton, Dekalb & Clayton have in common – majority black residents & elected officials. You sound blatantly racist…not subtle at all & we wonder why GA is still backwards in 2012. Tax ourselves to improve quality of life for all people, even those that don’t look like me…what was this region thinking???
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:16 pm
@ look before I leap
Another Deal Quote about the Tsplost defeat:
” But metro Atlanta residents could also find themselves enduring pot holes and worse for the sake of better roads around the Port of Savannah, he added.”
I’m serious about Brother Deal and Savannah. After Sonny’s real estate boondoggles crashed and burned(Oakey Woods, etc.) he focused exclusively on setting up his personal export business, http://www.perduepartners.com After interrogating state employees at the port authority, he proceeded to load it up with relatives and cronies, and started making junkets overseas to drum up business for his company – all on Georgia’s citizens money.
Brother Deal is following Brother Sonny’s footsteps – he’s already appointed his junk car inspector partner, in Gainesville, to the port authority and there’s millions to be made exporting chicken feet to China for his Gainesville poultry farmer sugardaddies. Look for him to partner with Sonny, and continue the overseas junkets – just like Sonny – at the expense of Georgia’s citizens.
td
August 1st, 2012
10:19 pm
REALITY CHECK
August 1st, 2012
10:13 pm
“Fulton, Dekalb & Clayton have in common – majority black ”
This type of comment only comes from people that only want to see every issue in color and not reality.
You could also say these area are bastions of liberalism and that is the reason for their failures but you instead of looking at a philosophy that may be failing and only see racist reasons for failure.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
@td
Did you eat all three meals at chick-fil-a today? Lots of long lines?
td
August 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:16 pm
And? Do you really think these rich people run for office out of the goodness of their hearts or for the best interest of the people only? Get in the real world. The politicians run to help their friends, themselves while at the same time doing what is in the best interest of their state. (Both Democrat and Republican).
Sounds like to me you are just either a little wet behind the ears unaware or a little jealous that you have not made friend in the right places.
td
August 1st, 2012
10:25 pm
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
@td
Did you eat all three meals at chick-fil-a today? Lots of long lines?
Only Breakfast today to show my appreciation.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:31 pm
@td
They’re not rich when they run for office – they get rich while they’re in office. It’s why you shouldn’t elect trailer trash.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:33 pm
I ate at KFC to show my disdain.
Jason
August 1st, 2012
10:41 pm
When do we get to vote on the new stadium? Oh, wait, we don’t. Giving billionare Arthur Blank several hundred million dollars of tax money is too important to let the unwashed masses decide for themselves.
td
August 1st, 2012
10:42 pm
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:31 pm
Really? Are you trying to tell us all our governors were broke? Now that is a good laugh. Let us see Carter (poor or wealthy), Joe Frank Harris (Poor or Wealthy), Zell Miller (Poor or Wealthy), Barnes (poor or wealthy), Sonny (poor or wealthy)? Deal is a retired Congressman and retired Judge and an attorney and he was only in debt on paper and it was only because he wanted another office or he would have made his kids file bankruptcy.He could be charging $500 an hour to represent people in court.
Next thing you are going to tell us is that if the people would elect you they you would NEVER use your office to help any friends, family or yourself.
Look before I leap...
August 1st, 2012
10:43 pm
@td
Well I think Shirley Franklin is in much better physical shape than Reed.
The jury is out IMHO on Reed.
I don’t like how the airport concession contracts were handled.
I don’t like the weaselly way he came out in support of TSPLOST.
I really don’t like the 10 “discretionary” employees he has in his budget.
I have a gut feel (but no concrete proof) that he is racially biased towards blacks in the city
I liked Franklin’s pro-business approach. I liked her response to addressing Atlanta’s poor water quality. I liked her measured and balanced approach to addressing Atlanta’s pee poor finances. I liked that she recognized that the homeless and panhandling issues were detrimental to Atlanta’s growth and image.
I did not care much for the “The ATL” branding campaign and she could have been more aggressive in booting some of the City Hall deadbeats and incompetents.
I had the opportunity with work with Shirley and her administration to develop some cost/spending models and a revenue projection model. Shirley and her top advisers got the message. The finance folks did not. Municipal bureaucracy at its worst and while my model had a 97% accuracy rate, Reed discarded my model.
td
August 1st, 2012
10:44 pm
Jason
August 1st, 2012
10:41 pm
When do we get to vote on the new stadium? Oh, wait, we don’t. Giving billionare Arthur Blank several hundred million dollars of tax money is too important to let the unwashed masses decide for themselves.
Building that new stadium has a better chance in returning the INVESTMENT to the taxpayers then paying their medical insurance.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
10:46 pm
td,
Have you ever had a serious head injury?
Kris
August 1st, 2012
10:46 pm
@ hiram & td….holding out for the love in at chick-fil-a …Kinda reminds me of the 70’s, hugging a tree and all that fun stuff.
Watch dirty deal….he’s up to no good! Oh let recall DEAL..
Invictus
August 1st, 2012
10:48 pm
I commend the Mayor for sticking his neck out there on behalf of the city of Atlanta! He has and will continue to do GREAT things for the city of Atlanta. He took this punch to the kidneys from the TIA defeat and he will bounce back like a true warrior! The true test of a person is not during times of comfort and convenience but they are during conflict and controversy. The Mayor will bounce back from this and continue to lead the city into the future!
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
10:50 pm
td @ 9:45 pm – TD says many things here but his heart is with the Baggers. We all know who hangs out with them.
Bernie
August 1st, 2012
10:53 pm
Invictus@10:48 pm – Wishful thinking does not make it so. Mayor Reed is a good Legislator first and foremost. In The role of Mayor his Leadership is seriously lacking. One does not make the other automatic.
longbread
August 1st, 2012
10:54 pm
Get off the Mayor’s back! Wake upppl!
REALITY CHECK
August 1st, 2012
10:55 pm
@ td
Yea, liberalism is another way to describe what those 3 counties have in common & I am a fool. I call it like I see it. Hide behind this blog, nice terms & whatever else to cover up the ugly underlying tones of many of these posted comments if you want to…
Jim
August 1st, 2012
10:57 pm
I’d like to try this experiment…shut down all MARTA train service for one week and then reevaluate how worthwhile mass transit is to the casual rider from North Fulton or Gwinnett or Forsyth county who can no longer park and ride to the airport…or to the non-riders who now have to contend with thousands of more cars on the road to add to his/her existing commute.
Look before I leap...
August 1st, 2012
11:01 pm
@Invictus
Please name 5 things that Reed has done as mayor that are a plus in your book?
Facts and citations are a plus.
That you seem to have a woody because he is the first black male mayor in 20 years who has not been indicted does not count.
Look before I leap...
August 1st, 2012
11:13 pm
“…and he was only in debt on paper and it was only because he wanted another office or he would have made his kids file bankruptcy.”
Wow.
So had Deal NOT been running for office, he would have done the right thing and filed for bankruptcy?
When you co-sign a loan and the person you co-signed for falls on their face, you are morally and legally responsible for the loan. That is pretty much sums up what co-signing for a loan means.
And while I don’t expect an honest answer, ask yourself, would you be so forgiving to Mr Deal and his lousy financial acumen if his name was Obama?
td
August 1st, 2012
11:14 pm
REALITY CHECK
August 1st, 2012
10:55 pm
Yes, you have convinced me that racism is the only reason African Americans have all the problems in their community. If we could get rid of those nasty white racist then everything in the African American community would turn around and be perfect overnight. Keep believing that if it is the only way you can get through the day and you are afraid of taking a real hard inner look at real problems
Invictus
August 1st, 2012
11:26 pm
@Look Before I Leap: Port Dea!l done. International Termina!l done. Police and Fire Officers pay raise ,done. Pension deal, done. Balanced Budgets .done. City Hall East Sale, done. 100 million in cash reserves ,done. Consent decree extension for water/ sewer ,done. Fully funded arts ,done. Re-Opened all community centers, done. Senior Ball reinstituted ,done. And the list goes on and on and on. All done under the Reed administration with the help of Council. I rather have a person fight for what they believe in and learn from a failure than get defeated without fighting!
td
August 1st, 2012
11:32 pm
Look before I leap…
August 1st, 2012
11:13 pm
He would have either filed for Bankruptcy or would have used some legal moves to get a plan that was favorable to himself to pay the money back.
The real question is what did Deal really do. He cashed out his retirement, sold his houses, sold the default property and paid off the debt. Where is the credit for doing the right thing?
Hamilton
August 1st, 2012
11:50 pm
…as Georgia slides backwards, I am reminded of the Lesters- that cruel, savage and debilitatingly poor family created by Esrskine Caldwell. Eighty years come and gone. Progress? Or no progress? While there may not be so much tobacco lining our roads going forward, 20 years of unenlightened transportation policy may return them to their native condition.
hiram
August 1st, 2012
11:56 pm
@td
Brother Deal sold the building to a porn distributor with a chain of peep shows in Southern California, and claimed the wasn’t aware of what the man’s profession was. So, you sell building to someone without knowing anything about them? How stupid does he think people are?
td
August 2nd, 2012
12:02 am
hiram
August 1st, 2012
11:56 pm
@td
Brother Deal sold the building to a porn distributor with a chain of peep shows in Southern California, and claimed the wasn’t aware of what the man’s profession was. So, you sell building to someone without knowing anything about them? How stupid does he think people are?
So you know who you sold your last house too? If you have ever owned a home then you would know that most of the time you do not even meet the purchaser until you go to closing and I have never heard of anyone checking the back ground of a person before selling to them.
First you show how unaware you are about how politicians do business and now you show you know nothing about selling property. You must be really young and that explains a great deal about your post.
hiram
August 2nd, 2012
12:56 am
On property of that value, I usually ran a background check on the person making the offer, before signing a contract, so that I didn’t waste my time. It is ludicrous to assume that Deal would have signed a buy/sale agreement without checking out the buyers ability to produce the funds.
Beverly Fraud
August 2nd, 2012
1:14 am
“The first-term mayor embraced Metro Atlanta Chamber president Sam Williams, shook a few hands and walked off stage.”
So two people who tried their hardest to prop up Beverly Hall AFTER it was apparent to anyone with even a SHRED of integrity that she was at the heart and soul of the largest cheating scandal in United States educational history are actually questioning why the voters didn’t trust them?
What’s next, Bernie Madoff wondering why he didn’t get the bookkeeper’s job in prison?
Reactions to TSPLOST Defeat
August 2nd, 2012
4:43 am
[...] Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
jezel
August 2nd, 2012
7:05 am
Appears Georgia has a problem larger than than the traffic issue….it is called a TRUST ISSUE. Several things might be done to restore this trust. Take down the toll station on Ga. 400 now…Determine where the HOPE money went and who is responsible for diverting these funds years ago. And….help me fill in the rest of the blanks. Am quiet sure there are several things i am missing.
2DPoint
August 2nd, 2012
7:22 am
In these economic times, the people stood up (FINALLY) and cried with their votes, “We’ve had enough!” Those people floating with the cream at the top didn’t seem to understand that….perhaps they still don’t.
*The people were mostly misinformed about the layout of this plan (who it would affect, how many jobs would truly be created, what kind of jobs they would be, where they would be and long long they would last).
*Investors…..who were they and could it be some of them were the same benefactors of contracts at the airport?
*How would the money be handled? Many people don’t trust the state’s government to deal with money because we tend to misappropriate it.
*A promise is a promise: If you ran for office on a pledge that you won’t raise taxes, don’t go back on your word.
This measure did not sound or feel right. Georgia has a problem getting clearly stated information out to its citizens in a timely and truthful manner. I wish I had a solution for it – but that seems to be culture around here. The fact is – Georgia need better solutions for its transportation problems but it will take some time to devise a true plan that the citizens can comprehend and agree with. The government might want to get citizens involved next time rather than trying to cram another bitter pill like this down our throats.
Edmund Ruffin
August 2nd, 2012
8:10 am
I’m all for the powers to be figuring out how to resolve the traffic puzzle, just as long as they can eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and do it without raising taxes. The feds, the state and counties are awash with our money, they just have a serious problem spending it appropriately as you and I have to do.
hiram
August 2nd, 2012
8:16 am
jezel
August 2nd, 2012
7:05 am
“Appears Georgia has a problem larger than than the traffic issue….it is called a TRUST ISSUE…
And….help me fill in the rest of the blanks. Am quiet sure there are several things i am missing.”
td
August 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
“And? Do you really think these rich people run for office out of the goodness of their hearts or for the best interest of the people only? Get in the real world. The politicians run to help their friends, themselves while at the same time doing what is in the best interest of their state. (Both Democrat and Republican).”
You live in the most corrupt state in the country, because the majority of Georgia’s voters expect and accept the fact that all politicians are crooks, who’s only purpose for running for office is to rob the citizens blind. And, they weren’t disappointed with Sonny Boy, and Brother Deal is out to set the new standard.
Bob
August 2nd, 2012
8:34 am
They thought the idiots would vote to increase their taxes, but NO the plan backfired.
If you thought GDOT was dictatorial before, you ain’t see nothin yet!
td
August 2nd, 2012
8:56 am
hiram
August 2nd, 2012
8:16 am
“You live in the most corrupt state in the country”
Pure BS statement coming from a BS article.
“, because the majority of Georgia’s voters expect and accept the fact that all politicians are crooks, who’s only purpose for running for office is to rob the citizens blind. And, they weren’t disappointed with Sonny Boy, and Brother Deal is out to set the new standard.”
Crooks? Some of them are but not most of them. To sit there and deny that people run for office for their own best interest is to live in a fantasy world and goes against all logical and established studies into human nature.
Sonny was no more corrupt then Roy or Zell or any other governor we have had. They all appointed friends and contributors to boards and other positions of power and they all directed legislation that looked out for their own self interest. If you want to compare money value of such legislation then you would have to say that Roy is the most corrupt because the law reform allowing more suing in consumer matters and then the power to appoint all those judges has made him extremely wealthy after he left office.
double
August 2nd, 2012
9:10 am
I thought TD ate BQ 3times per day.As long as the vendor had vote Romney signs posted.
jezel
August 2nd, 2012
9:10 am
Makes the idea of one term…no incumbents…ever..anywhere….all the more appealing. And this is something we can all do. Vote for the new guy.
double
August 2nd, 2012
9:14 am
At times we elect,not knowing the person.Then as now we elect knowing,so if you get the shaft ,you voted for it.
hiram
August 2nd, 2012
9:38 am
td
August 2nd, 2012
8:56 am
” If you want to compare money value of such legislation then you would have to say that Roy is the most corrupt because the law reform allowing more suing in consumer matters and then the power to appoint all those judges has made him extremely wealthy after he left office.”
You are quoting Deal’s smear campaign verbatim. Here’s Barne’s rebuttal to the specific accusations you are citing, which I’m sure you haven’t read, because you don’t won’t be confused with facts.
http://www.roy2010.com/images/stories/39.pdf
td
August 2nd, 2012
9:55 am
hiram
August 2nd, 2012
9:38 am
So Deal’s campaign said what I had been saying for years when Deal was still a Democrat. Where is the independent rebuttal? Of coarse the Barnes campaign would deny that he enriched himself, they all do. Common sense tells any reader that Barnes was the leading advocate to change the consumer protection laws and a result was that his law firm made more money in the 8 years since his term then the previous 30 years in business. Now did Barnes change the law just for his own personal gain that also benefited the citizens of the state or did he change the law for the benefits of the citizens and it also happen to make him more wealthy?
Like I said before everyone running for office is it it for themselves as well as for the citizens and to believe otherwise proves how little a person knows about human nature and politics.
oldfart
August 2nd, 2012
10:11 am
Like it or not the only Governor in recent years that was less than wealthy after his term in office was Lester Maddox. I went to his estate sale and he had a black and white 8 X 10 on the wall depicting himself and Hosea Williams, each wearing overalls and posing with an arm around each other. It was inscribed; “To Lester Maddox, The most honest Governor Georgia ever had. Hosea Williams”.
Wondering
August 2nd, 2012
11:32 am
For all of you that complain about too high state taxes, please look at http://taxfoundation.org/maps. The issue is not state, or even local. It’s federal. Also, remember that 50% ($19.2 billion of $39.5 billion) of the state’s spending in Georgia is actually pass through from the feds.
I voted against T-SPLOST but not because of taxes. Corruption and lack of accountability were both significant. Also, every study I read and trusted indicated the ten year tax would have marginal to no benefit.
Ole Guy
August 2nd, 2012
12:14 pm
Never mind the back seat qb…this entire event spells out/no, make that SCREAMS out the governments’ refusal to listen to the people; to govern, NOT by their own agenda, but by the (how did those 9th grade civics books call it…oh yeah) WILL OF THE PEOPLE. After expending…what was it…some 8 mil (against the oppositions’ coupla thousand), these people seem perfectly willing to expend yet more of the same, all the while yelping “NO MONEY, WE GOTTA LAY OFF TEACHERS, OH MY, THE SKY’S FALLING”! GD POLITICIANS…
mensa141
August 2nd, 2012
3:13 pm
In this digital world why do we feel the need to have any businesses downtown – any downtown? Anachronistic perhaps?