Friday, September 4, 2009
News Oxendine still wants 'parallel downtown connector'
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 8:01 PM
Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine managed to lose the two or three intown Atlanta supporters he had on Aug. 31 with a proposal to "talk about" building "parallel downtown connector" that, if made a reality, could potentially slice through much of Inman Park, East Atlanta and other popular neighborhoods.
Inman Park residents, familiar with such ideas after they successfully helped squash I-485 in the 1970s, demanded he drop the idea. The frontrunners in the Atlanta mayoral race say it's a terrible concept.
Well, The Ox© hath responded:
“I love East Atlanta, Morningside, Grant Park, Inman Park and that entire wonderful part of our great state,” said Oxendine. “But I know we must find a way to move Georgia forward towards “greener” roads, mass transit, light rail—every option must be on the table.”
In other words, the proposal stands.
In an interview with CL yesterday afternoon, Oxendine spokesman Tim Echols said Inman Park residents might be "getting the cart before the horse" and that the proposal is "just an idea." The video in which the candidate pitched his idea, Echols said, was part of an initiative to recruit everyday Georgians to help craft transportation policy.
"The only transportation projects that are set in stone are the Western Bypass, the completion of the Fall Line Freeway, and this east-west connector north of Lake Lanier," Echols said. He added that Oxendine is a proponent of all modes of transportation, including light-rail, high-speed rail and something oxymoronic called "green roads."
When asked if Oxendine was familiar with the I-485 battle, and that even proposing a discussion about an intown interstate borders on blasphemy, Echols said the commissioner was aware of historic fight. But he said that "east metro Atlanta's congestion problem must be managed."
"We're one state," he said. "This is not 'the state of intown Atlanta,' it's 'the state of Georgia.' And [Oxendine]'s going to work to find a positive solution for the east side of metro Atlanta."
If you think about it, Oxendine can't go wrong with this strategy. The City of Atlanta, while not 100 percent Democrat, isn't an area Republicans necessarily try to win. There's enough urban/suburban resentment that his proposal easily wins him OTP fans. He better be prepared for another candidate, one eager to chip away at his rank in the polls, to call him out for proposing what could essentially come down to eminent domain issues. Even if the interstate is never built (and it most likely never will), that's not a charge to which a conservative candidate wants to answer.
Until then, anything to woo the long-suffering voters in the suburban outer ring, we suppose.
Comments (3)
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How is it that Karen Handel, who didn't even graduate from high school, is coming across as the smart candidate in the Republican primary? Are Deal, Johnson, and the aforementioned Oxendine and Handel the best the dominant party has? Really? Is the guy whose girlfriend is a mule still in it?
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I think we ought to seriously consider building a massive new drinking water reservoir centered on John Oxendine's home in Peachtree Corners. At the very least, we should have the conversation. Georgia is in crisis mode with its water situation, and all options should be on the table.
In an interview with CL yesterday afternoon, Oxendine spokesman Tim Echols said Inman Park residents might be “getting the cart before the horse” and that the proposal is “just an idea.” Right. It's just an idea to help the Ox pander to his base. It's not like he thinks it would actually go anywhere. We all get that. Folks in Inman Park get that. They also know that the Ox is not their candidate, and if he's going to hand them ammunition to use against him then they're damn well going to use it.
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