Monday, August 20, 2012
Transit Effort to bring transit back to Clayton County faces uphill battle
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Aug 20, 2012 at 3:35 PM
A grassroots group trying to bring MARTA service to Clayton County now that the T-SPLOST is a no-go might have a difficult time. At least in the short term. According to Tammy Joyner:
County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell, who pushed hard for passage of the regional referendum and is still smarting from its defeat, said this week there's little chance of putting more transit in Clayton anytime soon."The people (metro Atlanta voters) have spoken with a resounding no," Bell said after Tuesday's commission meeting. "To make an effort ... by asking for another penny is wrong."
Keep in mind that bringing MARTA to Clayton County wouldn't require another metro-wide referendum; just a ballot measure inside the county. Elected officials would have to act fast, supporters say. (However, not everyone thinks it's a good idea.)
Potentially making things more difficult for transit supporters: a newly created "citizen oversight committee," which recently announced its plan to aggressively monitor local government, says Clayton County residents shouldn't pay an additional 1-percent sales tax to fund bus service. It's led by Carl Swensson, the president of the Clayton County GOP and, judging by what his Facebook profile lists as his "official web site," a prolific curator of the latest hot news about Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
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