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DEL.ICIO.USOn the transportation sales tax and family connections
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday’s Marietta Daily Journal had an editorial noting the high wall faced by a referendum that would permit groups of counties - specifically metro Atlanta - to levy a one-cent sales tax for transportation.
Said the MDJ:
At a time when even Georgia’s vibrant economy is starting to wobble a bit, and in the absence of a clear plan for how to spend the revenues from a regional SPLOST for transportation, that measure’s proponents may find voters less than eager to climb behind the wheel.
As MDJ columnist Don McKee aptly put it in his Friday column, “Most citizens of Georgia are looking for tax relief - not more taxes.”
What makes this editorial worth noting is the fact that MDJ publisher Otis Brumby’s son-in-law is Heath Garrett, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. Garrett is now a private citizen, and formulates media strategy.
Should the House and Senate vote this week to put the regional sales tax on the November ballot, Garrett will be one of those putting together the campaign for passage of the referendum.
Another prominent Mariettan, former state GOP chairman Chuck Clay, has been carrying much of the water at the state Capitol for those who want more cash pumped into transportation infrastructure.
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