Regional Transit Authority: I've seen the enemy, and it is us.

[corktownyuppie]

To add insult to injury, getting the RTA approved would save the city some of the $60MM a year from its budget which is currently being used to subsidize DDOT. That's money that could go toward more cops, firefighters...even toward Belle Isle. So who's in the way? Is it L. Brooks Patterson? The Tea Party? The Mayor of Troy? Detroit City Council?!!

None of the above.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012102...xt|FRONTPAGE|p

It's politics. And race. And time-worn squabbles over power and control. Some legislators are concerned about how many appointees Gov. Rick Snyder will get on the transit authority board. Some are worried they'll look "weak" to Detroiters if they willingly cede control of the city's transportation infrastructure -- as if preserving control of a costly and dysfunctional bus system were a sign of strength...

Unfortunately, this no-show behavior tends to confirm outsiders' worst impressions of Detroit, and it overshadows the strong contributions of legislators who did show up, like state Sen. Bert Johnson, state Sen. Coleman Young II, state Rep. Fred Durhal and state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, among others. And for the record, folks at the meeting say the participants left LaHood with assurances they're ready to move forward.

Feeling motivated? Send an E-mail to one of the following, asking them to come to the table and make fair-minded compromises to do what has taken over 40 years: get a regional transit authority.Please reference State Bills S909 and S911.E-mail are here, phone numbers below...

LisaHowze@house.mi.gov,
AlbertaTalabi@house.mi.gov,
MaureenStapleton@house.mi.gov,
JohnOlumba@house.mi.gov,
FredDurhal@house.mi.gov,
JimmyWomack@house.mi.gov,
ThomasStallworth@house.mi.gov,
shanellejackson@house.mi.gov,
HarveySantana@house.mi.gov,
DavidNathan@house.mi.gov,
RashidaTlaib@house.mi.gov,
PaulClemente@house.mi.gov,
GeorgeTDarany@house.mi.gov,
bobconstan@house.mi.gov,
PhilCavanagh@house.mi.gov,

Michigan Representative




Please note, for locations, HOB = House Office Building and CB = Capitol Building.

Website	District	Name	Party	Location	Phone	Email
Link	001	Timothy Bledsoe	D	S 0585 HOB	[[517) 373-0154	TimBledsoe@house.mi.gov
Link	002	Lisa Howze	D	S 0586 HOB	[[517) 373-0106	LisaHowze@house.mi.gov
Link	003	Alberta Tinsley Talabi	D	S 0587 HOB	[[517) 373-1776	AlbertaTalabi@house.mi.gov
Link	004	Maureen L. Stapleton	D	S 0588 HOB	[[517) 373-1008	MaureenStapleton@house.mi.gov
Link	005	John Olumba	D	S 0589 HOB	[[517) 373-0144	JohnOlumba@house.mi.gov
Link	006	Frederick C. Durhal Jr.	D	S 0685 HOB	[[517) 373-0844	FredDurhal@house.mi.gov
Link	007	James Womack	D	S 0686 HOB	[[517) 373-0589	JimmyWomack@house.mi.gov
Link	008	Thomas Stallworth III	D	S 0687 HOB	[[517) 373-2276	ThomasStallworth@house.mi.gov
Link	009	Shanelle Jackson	D	S 0688 HOB	[[517) 373-1705	shanellejackson@house.mi.gov
Link	010	Harvey Santana	D	S 0689 HOB	[[517) 373-6990	HarveySantana@house.mi.gov
Link	011	David E. Nathan	D	N 0690 HOB	[[517) 373-3815	DavidNathan@house.mi.gov
Link	012	Rashida Tlaib	D	N 0691 HOB	[[517) 373-0823	RashidaTlaib@house.mi.gov
Link	014	Paul Clemente	D	N 0693 HOB	[[517) 373-0140	PaulClemente@house.mi.gov
Link	015	George T. Darany	D	N 0694 HOB	[[517) 373-0847	GeorgeTDarany@house.mi.gov
Link	016	Bob Constan	D	N 0695 HOB	[[517) 373-0849	bobconstan@house.mi.gov
Link	017	Phil Cavanagh	D	N 0696 HOB	[[517) 373-0857	PhilCavanagh@house.mi.gov