Given the news of the states TRAC (Traffic Review Advisory Council) office, yanking the state allotted funds for the NUMBER ONE ranked state traffic project, has gotten more than a few people riled up in Cincinnati. The fact that the money was lost 4-3 is no help either, as Kasich appointed 4 members to the board, the board that was meant to take the politics out of the decisions… Just another thing our governor has fucked up for this state…
The fact that there were only 4 opponents that spoke today (All family/buddies of Tom Luken-who we all know is full of hot air and loves to hear himself talk… imho) yet not only did Cincinnati have the mayor and 2 other council members, but representatives from UC, Christ Hospital, and Sibcy Cline Realtors, took all allotted slots, even the the opponents didn’t use all of theirs.
Feel free to email TRAC and let them know how you feel, wether that that be, that their time is numbered (until November), that they’ve reinstated the politics back into a non-political board, or what have you. Below is my letter to them.
(I will also be posting links to other blogs below as they surface)
Seriously?! You should all be appalled with your decision to cut even more from Cincinnati. The streetcar is more than just some idealic dream of some school aged child. The strong fact that the supporters well outnumbered the opponents at the meeting this morning should have at least opened your eyes a little bit. But no. You went into this with your eyes wide shut and the politics you’ve been told to believe in whatever vessel you’re using as a heart today.
Your own own policies state
the ―Major New Capacity program.‖ These are projects costing more than $5 million which add transportation capacity, and are critical to the mobility, economic development, and quality of life of the citizens of Ohio.”
I guess the fact that Cincinnati is only the 3rd largest city in the state means that we are not a part of the once great state of Ohio? Cincinnati is not able to add to its own economic development? There is an entire chapter in your policies handbook just on scoring itself. 11 pages worth. The fact that you just pulled funding from the project just months before (and for the past few years) has ranked number one on the top of your funding list, shows to me that
1. You obviously have no idea how to do your job, as you can’t be bothered to read a handbook
2. You really don’t care how many more young professionals you lose that leave what was once the Great State of Ohio (but is now more just a lousy stop through with a few crumbling facades thrown in, on the way to somewhere more appreciative)
3. You have completely forgotten the whole reason TRAC was formed, to take the politics out of the decisions, something that today, has proved there are more politics thrown in than the entire metropolitan of DC.
4. There must be one hell of an “under the table” bonus thrown in for this. As really that could be the only other logical reason for doing what you did today.
What I’m hoping is that you can make as much as you can from these side deals to last you up until November… And I sincerely hope that if we have THAT much of a funding issue, that you will pull just as much from every other single project out there.
With deep regret,
Rachel C. Giere
‘TRAC@dot.state.oh.us’
PDF of TRAC’s policies and procedures for those interested
