[Texgreen] Fwd: MoPac Tolls

[Roger Baker]

On Jan 15, 2007, at 10:15 PM, Bill Holloway wrote:


> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Sondra Sondregger <ohnereue@mac.com>
> Date: Jan 15, 2007 8:11 PM
> Subject: what do you think?
> To: Bill Holloway <bill.holloway@gmail.com>
>
>
>
>
> BEN WEAR: GETTING THERE
>
> Looking at 'managed' tolls on new MoPac lanes
> Monday, January 15, 2007
>

Reworking a crowded three lane in each direction road to get four =20
lanes makes some sense, and a lot more sense than building a big new =20
toll road with borrowed money, but where does the money go and what =20
is the goal exactly? Congestion relief or revenue?

There are many kinds of managed lane strategies and the study that =20
justifies this solution has not been released yet. In a congested =20
city like Austin adding more capacity attracts more traffic from =20
other roads at rush hour.

If the revenue went to support alternatives to the automobile that =20
would be good but thats not the way TxDOT usually operates. They want =20=

to get more cars on the road despite peak oil, sprawl problems, and =20
global warming.

Several new commissioners just got appointed to TxDOT and needless to =20=

say, they have no transportation planning experience (no professional =20=

transpo planners have ever been appointed so far as I know) ; they =20
are political operatives who probably gave Rick Perry lots of money =20
-- being appointed to an agency with about a $6 billion budget, and =20
few rules on spending it, is a huge political favor by a governor =20
known for influence peddling.
Craddick, who won house control, tends to support the TxDOT/Perry  =20
transpo agenda.

See the article below for an interesting account of how state =20
politics works.

TxDOT is an arrogant politicized agency held in increasingly low =20
regard even in the Texas legislature; there is a bill to make TxDOT =20
Commissioners an elected position, largely due to statewide toll road =20=

backlash, but  TxDOTs political clout is such that it probably won't =20
pass. -- Roger

                 ****************************************************

 =46rom San Antonio Express-News, Jan 15, 2007:

Weaker positions likely to bring thaw to the state Capitol
Web Posted: 01/14/2007 10:48 PM CST

R.G. Ratcliffe
Express-News Austin Bureau

AUSTIN =97 Damp arctic air is expected to blow over the inauguration =20
ceremony for Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Tuesday. =20
House Speaker Tom Craddick, standing nearby, will watch as his fellow =20=

Republicans are sworn in on the Capitol's south steps.

Relations among the "Big Three" state leaders sometimes have been as =20
frosty as the winter weather, and over the years they have often =20
governed like the undisputed lords of their realms.

But times have changed. This year, each will come to the legislative =20
negotiating table with political problems that could weaken him in =20
the eyes of the others.

Perry won re-election last year with just 39 percent of the statewide =20=

vote. Craddick won re-election as House speaker last week with 45 =20
percent of his members voting against him on a key procedural vote.

And Dewhurst is returning to a state Senate in which the Democrats =20
can force him to compromise because they have the votes to block =20
anything from passing. Additionally, freshman state Sen. Dan Patrick, =20=

R-Houston, already has made it clear he will be a maverick who tries =20
to push the Senate to the right.

"Perhaps that translates back to the Big Three burying the hatchet," =20
said Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, a key Craddick ally.

"Every place there's a different dynamic than we've had in previous =20
years: A 40 percent governor, 40 percent 'no' votes against the =20
speaker and then the Senate a few more issues for them out there," =20
Chisum said.
Backroom battles

The behind-the-scenes battles among the leadership were legendary =20
between 2003 and 2005.

Perry once got angry when Dewhurst failed to show for a leadership =20
breakfast.

On another occasion, Dewhurst told reporters he had filled Craddick =20
in on some Senate plans on legislation, and Craddick replied by =20
saying Dewhurst must have been talking to someone else.

And when negotiations on congressional redistricting stalled, =20
Dewhurst said Craddick negotiated like "an Iranian cab driver."

In those days, Perry was the governor who had crushed his 2002 =20
Democratic opponent. Dewhurst had the upper hand in the Senate, and =20
Craddick was firmly in control of the House. The frictions led to the =20=

Legislature failing to pass public school finance reform and property =20=

tax relief in either 2004 or 2005.

The atmosphere began changing during the 2006 election. Republican =20
voters were demanding a solution. So was the Texas Supreme Court, =20
which had declared the public school finance system unconstitutional.

With the hammer cocked on the electoral pistol, Perry, Craddick and =20
Dewhurst came together to pass such legislation.

Dewhurst said that began the healing.

"This past spring I was able to put together a very solid and =20
constructive working relationship with Speaker Craddick that enabled =20
us to put together bold elements in school reform," Dewhurst said. =20
"He's told me, and I've told him, we each want to continue to build =20
the progress that we've made."

Craddick has been avoiding the news media since the speaker's race =20
began shortly after last year's election. His spokeswoman, Alexis =20
DeLee, said the three leaders "like and respect" one another.

"At times, they differ because they have different constituencies. =20
They will continue to pursue their respective agendas and issues, and =20=

any differences will be worked out between them," DeLee said.

State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said anyone observing the =20
leaders has to remember Craddick is a state representative from =20
Midland who is elected by House members, while Dewhurst is a =20
statewide politician with hopes of winning higher office.
"Dewhurst is concerned about the statewide constituency and the =20
statewide press," Whitmire said. "Craddick is solid in his House =20
district and his Midland constituency and then focuses on maintaining =20=

support from at least 76 House members. So they both have different =20
pressures that they face as they go to work every day."

Perry said he believes the tales of the leadership battles are =20
overblown, as is the perception that he lost any clout by winning re-=20
election with less than 40 percent of the vote.

"When I take my hand off the Bible, I'll be 100 percent governor. I =20
won't be 39 percent governor. I'll have 100 percent of the =20
authority," Perry said. "When the session is done, take a look and I =20
believe we'll have had a pretty successful session."

At the moment, though, the scorecard is mostly blank.

Perry spent most of the election defending his programs. His biggest =20
campaign promise was to obtain $100 million from the Legislature for =20
border security =97 not a difficult task when the state has an =20
unencumbered budget surplus of about $8 billion.

In an interview last week with the San Antonio Express-News, Perry =20
said that over the next month he will lay out an agenda for improving =20=

higher education, health care in the state and border security. He =20
declined to discuss any details.

Aides have said Perry wants more line items in the higher education =20
budget, so he can veto some spending. Most higher education budgets =20
are set as lump sums, campus by campus.

The governor also wants to repeal or change the top 10 percent law =20
and, according to spokesman Robert Black, Perry also may want to =20
consider some kind of exit test for some college graduates.

Dewhurst won re-election campaigning on a simple platform: protect =20
children by passing a version of Jessica's Law that mandates life =20
sentences or the death penalty for repeat child sexual predators; and =20=

protect student athletes by putting an automatic external heart =20
defibrillator in every Texas school.

House Ways and Means Chairman Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, another =20
Craddick ally, echoed that sentiment. He said lawmakers need to make =20
certain there will be no problems with the new state business tax =20
that was passed last year. The first round of business reporting =20
under the new tax is not due until Jan. 1, 2008.

Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, also said making sure =20
the business tax will work as intended will be a legislative priority =20=

this year.

r.g.ratcliffe@chron.com