Who’s Your Daddy?
February 20th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Not TXDOT, Ric Williamson, the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, assured lawmakers this morning.
The pugnacious Williamson made another appearance before the House Transportation Committee to discuss the state’s toll-road-building binge. Accompanying him was Geoffrey S. Yarema, a soft-spoken attorney from LA who was recently dubbed a “Super Lawyer” by a California magazine and has become the go-to man for state agencies wanting to jump into the toll-road biz. (We put in a call to Yarema’s office to get his hourly billing rate and were informed he’d buzz us back just as soon as his plane touched down in LA.)
Yarema gave the lawmakers a dense, highly technical tutorial on the benefits of contracts known as comprehensive development agreements. Texas legislators are infuriated over several provisions in those contracts, including non-compete clauses which would discourage the state from building free roads that would compete with a tolled highway.
They’re also deeply concerned about the length of the contracts themselves, which currently are 50 to 70 years in length. TXDOT wants to make the contracts even longer, a concept that Yarema embraced. He yammered on about how the longterm contracts free up a lot of new money for developers in the form of “tax benefits.” Naturally, these tax bennies will be shared with the motorists who’ll be paying taxes and tolls.
TXDOT, which has an annual budget of $6 billion or so, has been accused of forcing toll roads down the throat of every local government agency in the state. But Williamson said that just ain’t so. The behemoth agency is more than willing to work with locals, he said. “This ain’t your Big Daddy TXDOT.”
Well, responded Nathan Macias, who represents District 73, where toll roads are extremely contentious, “Big Daddy’s not listening.”
February 21st, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I do not want my airport sold to private interests for short term profit, even if the City of Austin can’t legally profit from the operations of the facility. I don’t want roads and highways that have been paid for with tax dollars to be tolled (no matter what clever name might be attached to the scheme).
Governments are not necessarily “in business for a profit.” Governments are public service entities that exist for the shared benefits of constituent citizenry. An understanding of this should be a requirement in holding public office. Do we need to add an integrity exam as a requisite to holding public office?
February 24th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Using ‘Big Chief Tablets’ : Drawin’ up the TTC 35-CDA
A little bit less of the OBAMA-RAMA & a little bit MORE of ‘Concrete News’ for Texans.. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4578068.html & Entire report from the ‘front’… http://www.thedailylight.com/media/ttc.pdf
The light still shines in the WACH Daily LIGHT through JOANN LIVINGSTON Managing Editor… Thanks MEDIA!!
RIC WILLIAMSON may now claim that the State AUDITOR is one of the malcontent, unemployed KOOKs who OPPOSE the CORRIDORS. I would venture a guess that he & TxDOT are using BIG CHIEF TABLETS provided by our own ‘Big CHIEF’ in Austin in drawing up the CDA (Comprehensive Development Agreement contract with Cintra Zachry). Rumor has it in my kooky neighborhood that the use of the Big Chief Tablets is an attempt to avoid the use of the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to discover “work product”. I’d speculate that the Governor might deny the rumor & claim that he has been using Big Chiefs (with ‘extra wide spaces’) since grade school. Who could argue with that! See YOU in Austin on March 1 (HEARING) & 2 (RALLY)..
martha in waller county.. but soon to be ‘beamed up to Austin’ as time Marches on..
February 24th, 2007 at 11:48 am
CORRECTION:
Using ‘Big Chief Tablets’ : Drawin’ up the TTC 35-CDA
A little bit less of the OBAMA-RAMA & a little bit MORE of ‘Concrete News’ for Texans.. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4578068.html & Entire report from the ‘front’… http://www.thedailylight.com/media/ttc.pdf
The light still shines in the WAXAHACHIE Daily LIGHT through JOANN LIVINGSTON Managing Editor… Thanks MEDIA!!
RIC WILLIAMSON may now claim that the State AUDITOR is one of the malcontent, unemployed KOOKs who OPPOSE the CORRIDORS. I would venture a guess that he & TxDOT are using BIG CHIEF TABLETS provided by our own ‘Big CHIEF’ in Austin in drawing up the CDA (Comprehensive Development Agreement contract with Cintra Zachry). Rumor has it in my kooky neighborhood that the use of the Big Chief Tablets is an attempt to avoid the use of the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to discover “work product”. I’d speculate that the Governor might deny the rumor & claim that he has been using Big Chiefs (with ‘extra wide spaces’) since grade school. Who could argue with that! See YOU in Austin on March 1 (HEARING) & 2 (RALLY)..
martha in waller county.. but soon to be ‘beamed up to Austin’ as time Marches on..