Thursday, March 5, 2009
News Senate passes Perdue's transportation overhaul — by a hair
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 10:52 PM
Hear ye, hear ye! The re-arranging of the deck chairs continues!
The state Senate today narrowly passed Gov. Sonny Perdue's controversial overhaul of the state's transportation power structure. The final vote was 30-25.
Under the governor's plan, a "State Transportation Authority" would be created. The new agency would be led by a transportation secretary and an 11-member board. The governor would appoint the secretary and five board members. The lieutenant governor and speaker would each appoint three. Two other people-moving agencies — the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the State Road and Tollway Authority — would merge.
But it's what the bill would do to the Georgia Department of Transportation that has some lawmakers in conniptions. Perdue's plan would strip GDOT of most of its powers, essentially turning it into a glorified road-paving service. That asphalt-spitting power would shift to the new agency, appointed by the state's leadership.
And that'd be a major loss of influence for state lawmakers who currently elect GDOT's 13-member board.
Senators opposed to the bill said it would be a dangerous concentration of power in the executive branch.
Sen. Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna, told lawmakers the bill would send Georgia back to the Dark Ages — aka the days before GDOT existed — when transportation decisions were allegedly made in the governor's office and then relayed based on political preference. Anecdotes of lawmakers having to "kiss the governor's ring" to get a road built in their districts serve now as warnings rather than old yarns.
"The good ole days weren't always good," Stoner said. "And unfortunately, I don't think people have changed when it comes to concentration of power. We have a history of the State Highway Department being used a political weapon for members of the Legislature."
He also warned lawmakers — especially rural lawmakers — they'd lose considerable influence if the bill passed.
But supporters said GDOT was disorganized and broken.
"My experience when I've observed Georgia DOT, I cannot comprehend the mess that's currently there," Sen. Dan Weber, R-Dunwoody said. He and other supporters of the measure pointed to the board's recent firing of Gena Evans, its reform-minded commissioner.
The bill now moves to the House transportation committee. Lawmakers in the lower chamber are rumored to oppose Perdue's plan. If state lawmakers want to see either one of their transportation funding proposals pass, they'll have to grant the governor's request. If not, we'll still be in gridlock.
Comments (3)
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So what does this mean for http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2009/03/05/beltline-deadline-looms-rezonings-of-project-areas-on-monday/ And where should we be along the panic continuum?
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Somewhere between "this-will-never-happen" and "run-for-your-life." I'm kidding. What this means for the Beltline is really unknown. While the project has regional impact, it's primarily overseen by the city. There are, however, transit rights-of-way GDOT owns that the Beltline needs to connect and form a loop. Beltline transit would also cross GDOT-maintained roads. We'll keep you posted.
A story is told in the corporate world about a talk between a CEO who has been fired and his successor CEO. The outgoing CEO gives his successor three envelopes and tells the new CEO to open them one at a time when troubles arise. Sure enough, the new CEO runs into difficulties and opens the first envelope. It advises him to “Hire a new Chief Operating Officer.” The new CEO jumps on the advice and cans the existing COO. But not long after, new challenges rise up and he opens the second envelope. It tells him to “Change the organization chart,” which he quickly does. But once again, and in what seems like no time, significant new problems confront him. He remembers there is a third envelope and how the past two envelopes came him good cover. So he slits open that last envelope. It says: “Prepare three envelopes.” Governor Perdue has put his person in charge of Ga DOT. Now he is about to change the state’s transportation organizational structure. It seems to be time for Governor Perdue to prepare three envelopes.
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