Rad Sallee brings us the news that the Greater Houston Partnership is backing Metro’s efforts to consider a Richmond light rail line, without the need for a new referendum:
The Greater Houston Partnership, whose clout helped get the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s first light rail line built, upped the ante with a resolution saying Metro should be allowed to explore alternative routes without having to fight another referendum campaign.
Metro’s $2 billion long-term transit plan would be “severely impacted and delayed” by another referendum, the resolution says.
With the route studies in progress, it says, “it is premature and ill-advised to eliminate alternative alignments.”
The GHP’s press release is here (pdf) and includes this:
We should evaluate before we decide, instead of deciding before we evaluate.
Ummm, didn’t Metro evaluate and decide when IT wrote up the 2003 referendum?
I do wish Sallee had pointed out that three of Metro’s board members are also on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership: David Wolff, Gerald B. Smith, and George DeMontrond. It does seem worth mentioning.
And as an aside, at this week’s city council meeting Mayor White will be offering up some renominations for Metro’s board:
2. REQUEST from Mayor for confirmation of the reappointment of the following to the Board of the METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, for two year terms:
