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 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
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