Two TxDOT commission nominees got road hard and put away wet Wednesday after the Senate Nominations Committee grilled them with questions from tolls to secrecy to CDAs to big-ticket contracts.
A portion of the Statesman article:
"The exchange in the nominations hearing marked the latest signal that many lawmakers are not happy with the transportation mega-agency, amid a continuing series of skirmishes between Senate transportation committee Chairman John Carona, R-Dallas, and Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson.
During the nominations hearing, Ned Holmes of Houston and Fred Underwood of Lubbock at times looked like deer caught in headlights, as senators grilled them about their views on controversies that have been swirling for months around the agency's management and operations.
In the end, assured by the two men that they support more openness and will get answers to lingering questions about tolls and financing, the committee voted unanimously to approve their appointments. Both need to be confirmed by the full Senate.
"I think we've created a monster" in the Texas Department of Transportation, state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, citing the agency's rush to approve toll roads and private financing packages that stirred continuing controversy.
"I think we're headed in a totally wrong direction," Eltife said. "I'm not so sure we haven't already signed away the farm.""
Strangely, Sen. Kirk Watson, seemed concerned about accountability only, as he asked the two commission nominees questions of tolls. According to Watson, a toll monster is OK, if they appear to be upfront.
On the same day, one of the largest toll road operators in the world, Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG), reported gigantic profits of 76%, as it eyes to toll more Texas roads we've already paid for.
Senator John Corona has filed SB 149, which puts an end to non-compete agreements, which would put the brakes on efforts to toll Texas. An important transportation hearing is scheduled at the Texas Capital on March 1, at 8:30am. All citizens are encouraged to attend.
In the infinite wisdom that is the Texas Department of Transportation, the department is set to propose to the US Congress that limits on setting tolls on highways be removed, according to TollRoadsNews.
Under the guise of such a flowerly reporting entitled "Forward Momentum: Recommendations to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality, and enhance the value of Texas' transportation assets. A report to the 110th Congress, 1st Session" dated January 25 2007", TxDOT proposes that private equity become the primary resource for funding of highways. Note this is not only designated for new highways. The plan calls for "states to be able to buy back interstate segments by reimbursing the federal government its past contributions." Essentially, the state will be able to toll existing highways.
This is one of the bolder statements by the pro-toll road contingent lately. First, tolls were needed to "build roads faster". Now tolls are needed to pay for them in their entirety. The "builds roads faster" fib of course can be countered by the example of Austin's own TX45SE, which is a bypass that will begin north of Georgetown and resume on I-35 south of Austin. The road was originally slated to be opening this month when the contract with Zachary that was signed in 2004. However, the construction has just begun and is now slated to open in 2008. (Oh by the way-- wasn't the TTC supposed to relieve the I-35 corridor of the heavy traffic? So why does Austin need a toll road bypass?)
All the while TxDOT is wanting to toll the heck out of Texas, it is even going so far as to toll people who do not even travel on these roads. Tolling is supposed to be a "usage fee". However, Ms. Granny O'Neill has been getting her bill in the mail for traveling the new Loop 49 in Tyler. Unfortunately, Granny lives in Corpus Christi and doesn't even know where Tyler is. The new video toll collection idea (which uses video capture of license plates, and then either debiting your toll tag account, or mailing you a bill) doesn't seem to be panning out for roads such as TX 121 and Loop 49.
By all appearances the beginning of transponder/video tolling has gone smoothly. At least there is no flurry of public complaints. The dark secret of video tolling is that in the early days at least quite a lot of motorists simply don't get billed because their license plate wasn't properly photographed or the motor registry database lookups didn't work, and who is going to complain about not getting a toll bill?
Of course screwups are almost inevitable and the complaints and bad media will come from Granny O'Neill in Corpus Christi who gets a Tyler toll in the mail though never having been within a hundred miles of the place her whole life, "Never even heard of the darned place, where is it?" but whose license plate happens to have one character different from some Tyler resident.
Give it time for the Granny O'Neill stories to surface.
So as you can see, TxDOT is looking to get its money any way it can, even if it means robbing old ladies blind and sticking them with a $1 surcharge to boot. How long will it be before they steal candy from babies in the name of progress and clean air?
The ripples we?ve made are
larger than you may think.
I know it is disappointing that Strayhorn didn?t win.
But, I need to remind myself, it?s not about our candidates, it?s about our issues. And, our issues are finally in prime time, or what you might call bona fide statewide issues thanks to Carole Keeton Strayhorn. The time for statewide debate has just begun, as many Texans have just begun to be educated.
ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY.
We've made tons of progress over the last 2.5 years. We are fortunate to have such a great friend in Carole Strayhorn. Carole has helped us add to that long list of accomplishments.
Carole took our TTC and 'tolls on roads we?ve already paid for' issues and began to educate Texans for the first time ever just weeks ago. Perry and his cohorts didn?t allow us to vote on these issues and they've kept the facts away from the public. Carole made our issues her issues and thankfully Bell and Kinky followed her lead. Carole went to dozens of the TTC hearings an made them events, and the media just recently began to describe the TTC land grab. The TTC is also part of the NAFTA Superhighway, and that is just becoming a national debate. Carole spent millions of her war chest spreading our word.
THANK YOU CAROLE AND ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES WHO FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT FOR TEXANS!
Carole led the way, it?s our turn to step up and do our part to save Texas.
HUGE BLOW TO ROAD AND LAND THIEVES.
Only 39 out of 100 voters wanted Perry back in office. This election was the beginning of the end for Mr. Perry, and his band of looters. Think about it - 61 out of 100 voters wanted Perry fired! That ain?t no mandate, that's the lamest duck ever.
The press, such as the Austin American Statesman, who endorsed the double tax tolls and the TTC and Rick Perry, fail to report the real news...
Mr. Perry?s errand boy in the house, Dist 52?s Mike Krusee saw the writing on the wall this week with his election. Krusee created the Perry bills that steal our roads and our land. Just weeks ago, the Statesman reported this Krusee statement. "Toll roads are enormously popular."
HUNGRY FUTURE CANDIDATES EAT THE WEAK.
State House - District 52
Krusee, Mike (i) GOP 19,947 50.19 Felthauser , Karen Dem 17,703 44.54 Simmons, Lillian Lib 2,092 5.26
Yet, Krusee won by only 5 (Five) percentage points! What is key here is that Krusee had a $400k war chest against an opponent with NO money. And Krusee, a Republican, is in an overwhelmingly republican district! Krusee will most likely NOT run again, for fear of being beaten by a candidate with some money in either his primary or the general election in 2008.
MR. PERRY?S DREAMS AS VICE PREZ MATERIAL GO POOF
Before the election, Perry was being discussed as a possible Vice Presidential nominee. It?s unlikely any Presidential nominee would want to be tethered to Mr. 39%. Perry is also in serious trouble with any future election.
GOT HOUSE AND SENATE BILLS?
Elected officials know a hot topic when they see it. The TTC and Freeway Tolls are now a very hot topic. Politicos don?t like issues they can get hung with in the next election. It is likely that we will see legislation changes to our benefit in the coming session. We all need to work together to make sure that happens. Begin to meet and talk with your representatives about these issue now. Tell your representatives that you are part of a larger group of Texans that are seeking to remove land and road thieves, if they don?t get on board with the coming legislation. And, send in those letters to the editor.
Our issue, is now a statewide issue that most candidates will continue to carry. Even Todd Staples, who voted for TTC legislation as Senate Transportation chair, is now magiclly against the TTC as it stands today.
There are other very big events that could take place soon, as the seeds have been planted months ago. Many I cannot discuss. Stay tuned to this blog to be part of an efficient way to take back Texas.
The ripples we?ve made in this lake are larger than you may think. We?ve just begun.
CorridorWatch.org is a non-partisan organization formed to educate and inform, not to participate in politics. CorridorWatch.org is not a political action committee (PAC) and therefore does not support or endorse candidates.
However over our four year existence we have observed and interacted with many of the individuals who are on this November’s ballot. During this time we have developed informed opinions about these candidates.
Our goal in presenting the following Report Card is to let you know how CorridorWatch.org feels these candidates reflect the beliefs and concerns of our members and others who are opposed to the Trans Texas Corridor.
The following candidates have been graded on information available to CorridorWatch.org and reflect our assessment of their position on the Trans Texas Corridor and related issues such as tolling, toll conversion private property rights and eminent domain taking for economic development. The grade also reflects the effectiveness (in our opinion) that the candidate would have in effecting positive change if elected.
U. S. Senator "A" Barbara Ann Radnofsky DEM "B" Kay Bailey Hutchison - Incumbent REP "C" Scott Lanier Jameson LIB
Governor "A" Carole Keeton Strayhorn IND "C" Chris Bell DEM "C" Richard "Kinky" Friedman IND "D" James Werner LIB "F" Rick Perry - Incumbent REP
Lieutenant Governor "B" David Dewhurst - Incumbent REP "B" Maria Luisa Alvarado DEM "C" Judy Baker LIB
Attorney General "A" David Van Os DEM "B" Greg Abbott - Incumbent REP "C" Jon Roland LIB
Comptroller of Public Accounts "B" Susan Combs REP "B" Fred Head DEM "C" Mike Burris LIB
Commissioner General Land Office "C" VaLinda Hathcox DEM "C" Michael A. French LIB "D" Jerry Patterson - Incumbent REP
Commissioner of Agriculture "A" Hank Gilbert DEM "C" Clay Woolam LIB "F" Todd Staples REP
State Senator - District 3 "F" Robert Nichols REP
State Senator - District 25 "C" Kathleen "Kathi" Thomas DEM "C" James R. (Bob) Thompson LIB "F" Jeff Wentworth - Incumbent REP
State Representative - District 13 "A" Lois W. Kolkhorst - Incumbent REP "D" Charles Stigall LIB
State Representative - District 17 "A" Tim Kleinschmidt REP "B" Robby Cook - Incumbent DEM "D" Roderick (Rod) Gibbs LIB
State Representative - District 20 "B" Jim Stauber DEM "D" Dan M. Gattis - Incumbent REP
State Representative - District 20 "B" John Zerwas REP "C" Dorothy Bottos DEM
State Representative - District 52 "B" Karen Felthauser DEM "B" Lillian Simmons LIB "F" Mike Krusee - Incumbent REP
State Representative - District 57 "B" Jim Dunnam - Incumbent DEM "D" Neill Snider LIB
State Representative - District 62 "C" Peter "Pete" Veeck DEM "F" Larry Phillips - Incumbent REP
State Representative - District 90 "B" Lon Burnam - Incumbent DEM "D" Rod Wingo LIB
State Representative - District 117 "A" David McQuade Leibowitz - Incumbent DEM "D" Ted Kenyon REP
(Posted by dksbook so the candidate could make it to a union endorsement meeting on time.)
Frank Corte and I sat side by side in a question and answer session with the San Antonio Express News editorial board. Of course, Frank knew 4 of the 5 by name as he been through this rite 6 previous times. As we were waiting for the rest of the interview team to arrive, Frank talked to one team member about the recent Texas A&M versus Army football game; apparently they were at the game together.
Luckily for Frank,this was not a debate; just question-and-answer for one hour. We both answered the same questions. We actually agreed on two questions:
We drove 4500 miles with a car loaded with clothes, computers, skis, ice skates and unidentified objects to set up our son Billy in his dormitory and enjoy first-hand the ambience of Harvard.
This journey took us on some of the most sophisticated and well-established toll roads, tunnels, and turnpikes in the country. Our Texas Re-thugs want to toll 4000 miles of roads in Texas (including the Trans Texas Corridor) so studying carefully the well-established toll roads throughout the East Coast would be instructive.
When listening to Rick Perry and our other Republican lackeys in the state, you start thinking to yourself- "hey maybe this toll road thing is our only alternative to our federal highway dollars and Texas is just moving forward."
And then you see news like this from American Shipper:
President Bush Tuesday nominated former Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters to be secretary of transportation, replacing Norman Y. Mineta who left office in June. Peters served as head of the Federal Highway Administration under Mineta from 2001 to 2005. She is a vice president at HDR Inc., an engineering firm. Political observers had considered Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Marion Blakely and Maria Cino, the acting secretary, among the top candidates to head the Department of Transportation.
During her tenure at DOT, Peters pushed for greater private-sector involvement in designing, building and managing transportation infrastructure. She encouraged the use of roadside and vehicular technologies to reduce congestion, and new methods for building safer roads and streamlining the approval process for projects.
Peters' approach of expanding toll roads and using public-private financing to fund highway construction echoes the approach taken my Mineta in the past couple of years. Peters served as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation before joining the Bush administration.
Without watering down their populist message, Texas's most populist Democratic Challengers are winning over traditional Republican activists. The Trans Texas Corridor Hearings by TDoT are uniting activists who usually face off against each other. Democratic Candidates Hank Gilbert (TX Agriculture Commissioner), David Van Os, (Attorney General) and Fred Head (Comptroller) all face opponents who received money from Zachry which is the Corporation chosen by TDoT to share with Citras in the $190 billion 50 year tolled Trans Texas Corridor.
San Antonio has surpassed San Diego for the title of seventh-largest city in the United States. According to SAEN, prosperity and quality-of-life issues like the new Toyota plant and a clean environment have fueled the growth of San Antonio by 105,000 people in the past five years. Toyota passed up Houston for the plant because of Houston's poor air quality; San Antonio's growth is all the more evidence that economic growth and environmentalism are not mutually exclusive. The Houston Chronicle has more, covering growth in Fort Worth as well.
The Harris County Commissioners Court has decided not to sell Houston's toll roads. Charles Kuffner had been covering this story well explaining why it's a terrible idea. Glad to know when I hop on Beltway 8 I won't be at the mercy of the free market.
On Monday the lawsuit Texas Democrats filed to keep Tom DeLay's name on the ballot comes to full trial. Vince has more.
Carole Keeton Strayhorn has released data about abuse of children in the foster care system, claiming "[a] child is four times more likely to die in the Texas foster care system than outside it." Anyone knowledgeable about foster care policy (or election year politics, for that matter) care to comment on this? (Coverage in Chronicle, Statesman, DMN, and Star -Telegram).
Congressman Silvestre Reyes cites some stunning statistics about public health on the border:
If the 24 counties that comprise the U.S. side of border were the nation's 51st state, that "border state" would be 2nd in the incidence of tuberculosis, 3rd in deaths due to hepatitis, 5th in diabetes-related deaths, 50th in insurance coverage for adults and children, [and] 51st in the number of health care professionals.
The El Paso Times has a write-up on a conference on border health this past week.
Nice editorial from the Chronicle on the day of Houston's pride parade about strides the GLBT community has made the past twenty years, both politically and socially. This year students from Conroe High School's Gay Straight Alliance will march in Houston's parade. I was at the pride parade's planning meeting last week, and the two girls representing Conroe's GSA got a well-deserved standing ovation when they were recognized.
