Transportation vote tied into races of region's leaders

Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee, who faced a roads vs. transit dispute as the project list came together, has been under fire from his rivals in his re-election bid. Meanwhile, Gwinnett Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash, who didn't take on the same suburban transit line fight that Lee did, is running unopposed.

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis says it's just one issue of many, while Clayton County Chairman Eldrin Bell boasts of what the list can do for his county. Fayette County Commission Chairman Herb Frady, who was being hammered for his roundtable vote by an opponent, chose to retire after 20 years in office rather than run again this year.

Roswell resident Tom Cork, a staunch opponent of the referendum, is keeping a close eye on roundtable members, particularly those still supporting the tax plan, and he promises the issue will carry into elections beyond this year.

"I will definitely oppose those candidates who still support [the transportation plan] because this is not the correct way to handle the transportation issue," said Cork, a North Fulton and Friends Tea Party member, but not speaking on behalf of the group. "I think these [roundtable] members will definitely pay for it when they are up for re-election. This is not the time to tax people."

Choosing sides

Some of the same officials who approved the projects or voted for the state legislation that created the referendum later withdrew their support.

One example is Holly Springs Mayor Tim Downing, a roundtable member who faces re-election this November. When the roundtable approved the final project list last fall, he was absent because he had worked all night, he said. Reached by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time, he said that he would have voted for it had he been there, and he supported the list.

Downing says he's still a proponent of the transportation plan process, but now he is actively campaigning against the July ballot question.

Although anti-tax plan sentiment has been high in his county, Cherokee, Downing insists his reversal wasn't politically motivated.

"I took a stand on the issue before I started hearing from anybody in my constituency," he said. "I realized that politics had played too big a role, so it became a free-for-all of funds."

Elections for many of the other mayors on the roundtable were held last year. Three-term incumbent Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele was unseated by an anti-tax challenger, but several others — including the mayors of Kennesaw, Norcross, Lake City and Decatur — won re-election.

Recent polls send mixed signals about the popularity of the referendum.

This week, a Rosetta Stone Communications poll conducted for Channel 2 Action News found 33 percent of voters in 10 metro counties support the proposed tax, while 56 percent oppose the plan. Last month, a similar poll found 38 percent supporting it and 49 percent opposing it; and that was a drop in support from the May numbers.

Proponents cite their own polls that show the referendum with a slight lead going into Election Day.

This week, with the start of early voting, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who initially voted for the transportation legislation and was a nonvoting member of the roundtable's executive committee, amped up his opposition. He maintains his opposition is a long-held position.

Cherokee County resident Gerald Scott said candidates' positions on the transportation tax aren't the only consideration in determining his vote, and he doesn't respect those who change sides.

"I do have problems with those who were part of the plan and pulled this together, then who looked around and saw which way the wind blows and decided they were not going to be a part of it," said Scott, who is still deciding how to vote on the referendum. "... Everybody's looking to the next election and not looking at what's the best thing to do [for] the broader community."

For roundtable members supporting the plan, this election season also brings a fight against groups such as the Sierra Club, the NAACP and the tea party, which oppose the referendum for varied reasons. Those groups' ardent opposition is likely to increase turnout, which could equal more "no" votes for roundtable members.

Making it an issue

Nowhere has the battle played out more than in Cobb County, where roundtable member and Lee has faced three GOP challengers all using his referendum support against him, particularly former county Chairman Bill Byrne.

Byrne has labeled Lee a tax-and-spend Republican intent on once again raising the county's taxes through the transportation plan. For his part, Lee dismisses much of the opposition as "rhetoric" that doesn't influence his work for the county or his campaign.

One factor that polls might not reflect is that the referendum has strong support from the Metro Atlanta Chamber, representatives from large area companies, including Home Depot, and community improvement taxing districts.

"The elephant in the room is the role of the business community," said David Shock, an associate political science professor at Kennesaw State University. "While many of the conservative voters are opposed to [the transportation plan] and may vote against roundtable members, historically the business community usually wins out when it comes to these types of issues."

Despite the challenges, Lee has outraised — and outspent — all of his opponents combined, with much of his campaign funds coming from the business community and on-record transportation tax supporters. If his race goes to a runoff, that support gives him an advantage, Shock said.

Business advantage or not, the tax plan is still a bad deal for counties, said Jerome Edmonson, a business owner running against Ellis, DeKalb's incumbent CEO.

"All the talk about economic development and jobs that this tax will create is not enough. Who will benefit from them? There needs to be more accountability for our county," he said.

For Ellis, his campaign is based on his work in the county more so than the referendum, he said.

"I think the voters understand that they are voting for my record [like creating jobs and opening libraries]," Ellis said. "The transportation referendum is something standing on its own merit, and I think [voters] are separately making decisions about the CEO's race."

Clayton County's Bell, who is vying for his third leadership term, is proud of his work on the roundtable. Passing the penny tax would restore Clayton's C-Tran bus system that was halted two years ago because of budget cuts.

"I've debated the issue and afterwards had naysayers tell me they would vote for me," he said. "I didn't change their mind on the tax issue, but they appreciated my explanation and the diligent work we did for the county."

County commission chairs/CEOs

Seven of the 10 who were on the roundtable that crafted the project list for the transportation referendum are running for re-election:

Clayton: Eldrin Bell (D); challengers: Roberta Abdul-Salaam (D), Jeffrey Turner (D)

Cobb: Tim Lee (R); challengers: Mike Boyce (R), Bill Byrne (R), Larry Savage (R)

DeKalb: CEO Burrell Ellis (D); challengers: Gregory Adams (D), Jerome Edmonson (D)

Douglas: Tom Worthan (R); challengers: Romona Jackson Jones (D), Rita Rainwater (R)

Gwinnett: Charlotte Nash (unopposed)

Henry: Elizabeth "BJ" Mathis (R); challengers: Carlotta Harrell (D), Jane Askew Rutledge (R), Tommy N. Smith (R)

Rockdale: Richard Oden (D); challengers: Brian Jenkins (D), Jason Hill (R)

Here's the status of the other three who were on the roundtable:

Cherokee: Buzz Ahrens; re-elected in 2010

Fayette: Herb Frady; chose not to run for re-election

Fulton: John Eaves; re-elected in 2010

Mayors

Most of the 11 mayors on the roundtable are not up for re-election, as municipal elections typically occur in odd-numbered years.

Holly Springs (Cherokee County): Mayor Tim Downing, up for re-election in November; candidate qualifying period Aug. 27-31

Source: Atlanta Regional Commission; city/county elections offices