Fitzsimon File

The status quo continues to be one of the most powerful forces in Raleigh, even when some establishment figures join progressive advocates in speaking out for new ways to address the state’s vital needs.  

That was clear again this week as the 21st Century Transportation Committee continued its work to find ways to revamp state transportation policy. No final decision was made about recommendations for the General Assembly this year, but the writing appears to be on the wall.

Chair Brad Wilson keeps saying that the panel will ask lawmakers to come up with money to begin toll road projects and end the annual $172 million transfer from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund.

Toll roads may be inevitable, but it’s not clear why they are being rushed to the top of the priority list or where the money will come from. Ending the transfer from the Highway Trust Fund is an even worse idea, given the pressures the struggling national economy is putting on the state budget, which is already strained by the costs associated with the state’s growth, not to mention the unmet needs in affordable housing, child care, and mental health services.

It is likely the Committee will have two more meetings before the General Assembly convenes May 13, so there is still time to rethink what Wilson says will be the Committee’s short term priorities.

The good news is that unlike in many state level policy debates, alternatives to the conventional wisdom have been presented directly to the committee. This week, representatives from the progressive transportation coalition NC TRAM made presentations, as Rob Schofield details in his latest Weekly Briefing.

And former DOT Secretary Sam Hunt presented a bill from his subcommittee that would match local investments in mass transit with state funding to help ease traffic congestion in urban areas.

Several committee members seemed less than enthused with either option. Rep. Nelson Cole and Sen. Clark Jenkins both objected to assertions that other states had a better handle on managing the complexities of transportation planning and the role that transit, land use, and environmental concerns must play in any comprehensive strategy.

The Committee has recognized the credibility problems of the scandal-plagued N.C. Department of Transportation and heard a subcommittee report that changes were underway at DOT, though some top officials were not being entirely cooperative.

Doesn’t sound like the time to increase the Department’s budget, especially less than a year before a new governor appoints a new DOT secretary and transportation board.

The 21st Century Committee deserves credit for hearing from all points of view. Now committee members need to listen to the advice they were given and continue their debate to come up with broader recommendations for the 2009 General Assembly.

David Farren from the Southern Environmental Law Center, a member of NC TRAM, told the committee about a fix-it-first policy adopted by some states, a pledge to repair crumbling roads and bridges before building new ones.

That makes sense and the concept could also apply to DOT itself. It needs to be overhauled before taking on any huge new responsibilities.

The Committee met just a few days after Governor Mike Easley announced a replacement for DOT Board member Tom Betts from Nash County, who resigned after revelations that he was raising money for Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue’s gubernatorial campaign from folks involved with the Randy Parton debacle in Roanoke Rapids.

Public interest groups have complained for years that Board seats are awarded to campaign fundraisers and the practice has led to scandals and resignations in the past. State Treasurer Richard Moore, Perdue’s primary opponent, has proposed banning political donors from serving on the DOT Board.

Easley doesn’t think much of that idea and neither does the publisher of the Rocky Mount Telegram, who complained about Betts’ resignation in a recent column, saying that the fact that Betts was appointed to the Board because of his business background and his fundraising for Easley’s campaign is “the way governors have done it since roads were first paved, almost.”

Late last week, Easley appointed Gus Tulloss to replace Betts. Tulloss and his son have contributed more than $12,000 to political campaigns, including Easley’s, according to the State Board of Elections. That’s not huge money in the political world, but it’s far more than most people can give.

Tulloss is also former member of the UNC Board of Governors, a job reserved for the most politically well-connected people in the state.

Political insiders and fundraisers still run DOT. Let’s fix that first. Until we do, nothing else is going to matter very much. 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 4:44 pm and is filed under Fitzsimon File. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.