MARTA rail push assigned a skeptical Senate chairman
Only a day old, and already MARTA's push to greatly expand rail service in metro Atlanta is in trouble.
S.B. 313, which would permit a referendum to accomplish this, was dropped Monday by state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, as had been advertised.
Also on Monday, at 8:35 a.m., state Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, tapped out the following on Facebook:
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Miami wanted to expand heavy rail which drew accurate criticism from then President Ronald Reagan, who stated that it would have been a lot cheaper to buy everyone a limousine.
State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, confers with colleague Bill Heath, R-Bremen. AJC file
… The plan stated that no more than five percent of tax proceeds would go to administration costs. Not only was the money used for other things, it was later revealed by the federal government that Miami-Dade Transit could not actually afford to support and operate these lines even if their construction was 100% federally funded…. Most all of the assumptions were wrong and over 70% of riders use buses. Facts must rule the day.
On a first reading today, S.B. 313 was assigned to a committee. One might think that a MARTA bill might go to the Senate Transportation Committee.
This one didn’t. The bill was assigned to the State and Local Government Operations Committee. Chaired by the aforementioned rail skeptic, John Albers. The committee is nicknamed SLO-GO.
About the Author
Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.
