Local media covered Monday night’s Metro town hall meeting discussing which route the University Line should take — Westpark or Richmond. It appears from media accounts that the majority of those who attended the meeting opposed Metro’s plan to put a new light rail line down Richmond. (In 2003 voters approved Metro’s plan to put a line down Westpark.)
Rad Sallee’s story included Robin Holzer of the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition, who apparently is in favor of Richmond Avenue being used. I must say I was taken aback by her favoring Richmond, since she has been such a strong advocate for residents and municipalities having a say in road building projects:
“The process isn’t always designed to engage the public,” said Robin Holzer, who chairs the coalition. “We want to solve problems in the planning stage before contracts are let and before the bulldozers break ground.”
The coalition wants road-building entities, such as the Harris County Toll Road Authority, to seek approval of their projects from affected residents or municipalities and hold at least three public meetings — day, evening and weekend.
Yet in writing about Metro’s February board meeting, Robin said this:
What’s most notable to me about the elected officials’ comments is less about what they said than what they did not say: no one called for another expensive transit referendum and no one demanded that Richmond be taken off the table before it is studied. Chalk up one victory for democratic process and informed decision making!
I hope the CTC WILL support the democratic process by backing up what a majority of affected residents and business owners want when it comes to the University Line.
UPDATE: Chris Tritico is filling in for Chris Baker today and he thinks the 2003 referendum vote might be invalid, in the case of Westpark vs. Richmond, since Metro got approval for Westpark but now wants to build down Richmond.
I have used this example before and I still think it’s a valid comparison: let’s say a school district sells a bond vote by saying the funds will go to building a new library, a new science lab and a new health clinic. The citizens say yes to the bonds, then the school district comes in and says, well, we changed our minds. We think that instead of building the library, the science lab and the health clinic, we’d like to build a new media box for the football stadium, a new indoor swimming pool and some soccer fields.
A school district can’t do that. They sold the vote on a specific list of items and the district needs to abide by what was on the ballot, or present a new list of wants for a new vote.
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