Can you believe it? What a house of cards? Talk about fiscal irresponsibility…the RMA actually voted to consider selling bonds in order to pay -off their ILLEGAL LOAN from the City. To his credit, Lyle Larson’s appointee to the Board, Bob Thompson, said the CDA process is delaying the traditional design/build process TxDOT could put in place, toll-free. He also asked them to assign a cost to the delay this protracted public-private partnership contract negotiation is costing the County and tens of thousands of motorists as well as businesses in the 281 corridor. However, no one listened to him or responsded…in his usual railroad fashion, Chair Bill Thornton, just plowed through the meeting calling for and passing votes faster than you can blink.

I found it interesting that Leon Valley Councilman Hubert Lange attended the meeting (the first time any representative of Leon Valley has been in attendance) and asked for the elevated, limited access corridor to be added to Bandera Rd. at the earliest possible date whether it’s tolled or not, he thought it would be great! Ask the folks of Leon Valley if they think a bypass highway will serve their community and the local businesses “just great.” Their Mayor, Chris Riley, doesn’t agree with Lange’s assessment.

Here’s the list of the companies in attendance who are obviously seeking to profit from the toll roads that will empty our pockets for private gain:

HNTB (transportation-engineering firm)
LEIHMAN BROTHERS (Investment Banking)
POPULAR SECURITIES (Investment Banking)
CITI GROUP (Finance/Investment Banking)
ESTRADA HINOJOSA (Investment Bankers)
R.J. RIVERA (Transportation-engineering firm)
Loeffler, Tuggey, Pauerstein, Rosenthal (or LTPR) Law Firm (Senator Jeff Wentworth is an attorney there)
LOCKE, LIDDELL, & SAAP Law Firm (up to their necks representing the “distinguished” highway lobby eager to stick it to the taxpayers)

Here’s the text of my statement to the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (tolling authority) Wednesday, March 8, 2006 –

We come before you VICTORS today. The Toll Party scored two MAJOR upset victories unseating two toller incumbents, Karen Sonleitner in Travis County and Carter Casteel, MY State Rep who I put on notice when she refused to stop this toll nightmare. The winds of change are a blowin’ and our politicians who are more interested in representing special interests rather than the public good are going to one by one be removed from office! Governor Perry being the top of the list.

There are issues surrounding the competitive bidding process on the CDA for 281/1604. Cintra and Macquarie are being billed as two competitive bidders when they are partners on projects around the world and in the U.S. I’ll name them: Madrid, Ontario, Indiana, Illinois, here in Texas for the TTC I-35 project, and now they’re pretending to bid as separate entities in name only when the public can see full well that they’re partners!

There are also concerns about HNTB being hired by TXDOT to conduct a new “independent” environmental assessment for 281 when this Board has hired them to do the preliminary engineering of the toll roads all over town to the tune of $6.5 million in taxpayer money.

We met with HNTB yesterday and mentioned some very important aspects being overlooked here. NAFTA /CAFTA traffic was stated as justification for toll roads on I-35 by the Bexar County delegation at the Transportation Commission Meeting February 23, 2006, yet the Governor’s brainchild, the Trans Texas Corridor, has been promoted as the priority corridor to relieve truck and commercial traffic from I-35. So which is it? You can’t have it both ways!

Also, why isn’t the federal government being asked to foot the bill for this trade route? Why should Texans, especially San Antonio whose median income is near the bottom of the barrel for the top 50 U.S. cities, bear the sole burden of our Nation’s commerce? Texas is a donor state and continues to send more of our gas tax dollars to Washington than we get back. Not only should we receive back what we pay in, it’s arguably justified that Texas should receive even more than we pay into the system due to our geography being the natural gateway from Mexico on up into Canada and the conduit for much of the Nation’s trade. You seem to be looking everywhere for money, look no further than last year’s highway bill with 6,000 earmarks for congressional pet projects!

None of this escapes our notice and this continues to constitute the wholesale railroading of ONE agenda down the throats of taxpayers in this state. Rest assured these issues will be addressed. This Board needs to reconsider its meeting location. We were told last December that come April, the meeting location would change to the US 281/ Thousand Oaks area. Then you pull yet another bait & switch and say the Board meetings will remain at Kelly through the end of the year…the furthest possible location from those most affected by the toll plans. Are you going to change that? Will you answer the question or speak to any of these issues?

No one answered.

Read about it here.

Download this petition and get everyone you know that didn’t vote in the primary to sign it!: go here.

See complete list of races where we won or made it to the run-offs statewide: here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Terri Hall, Director San Antonio Toll Party
PHONE: (210)275-0640 Email: terri@satollparty.com

New Braunfels, TX, March 8, 2006 – In what could be called a coup, the San Antonio Toll Party and the Texas Toll Party exercised their political muscles in the primaries yesterday and came up with two key victories in unseating tollers State Representative for District 73 Carter Casteel and Travis County Commissioner Karen Sonleitner. Nathan Macias won by a hair, only 45 votes, to upset incumbent Casteel.

“There can be NO doubt, in a race that close, our votes helped tip the scales in Macias’ favor! We energized folks who normally don’t vote in the primaries to get out and de-elect tollers despite the two independent races, and we scored a HUGE VICTORY!” said an elated Terri Hall, Regional Director SA TollParty.com. “Carter Casteel WAS my State Represenative and she stubbornly REFUSED to listen to her constituents on the toll issue. We sent her packing! Macias beat her 2 to 1 outside New Braunfels (Casteel’s stronghold).”

Though Casteel tried to make the campaign about who funded her opponent, at the end of the day, it’s votes not money that wins elections. SA Toll Party.com and the Texas Toll Party have now earned some serious political capital they intend to bring into the general election November 7.

“Rick Perry has been put on notice, and Strayhorn is well on her way,” Hall noted. “All politicians are on notice that if you refuse to represent the will of the supermajority of Texans, you’ll be thrown out of office!”

There was clearly an anti-incumbent backlash that began last night. Incumbents were tossed out in at least 5 house races and, notably, Senator Frank Madla on the senate side.

UNBELIEVABLE FOLKS! Thanks to all of your efforts, to make phone calls, work the polls, and spread the word, we just won some serious political clout! Read the story in the Herald-Zeitung below. They got the number of votes wrong, it was actually 45 votes according to the Secretary of State’s web site. EVERY SINGLE VOTE MATTERED! The anti-incumbent winds are blowing (House Dist. 9, 72, 73, 94, 101 to name a few) and it doesn’t bode well for Rick Perry. Incumbent Senator Frank Madla was also sent home and so was another toller, Karen Sonleitner up in Austin! I’m elated and exhausted. More to come…

Macias defeats Casteel by 44 votes

By Leigh Jones — The Herald-Zeitung — Published March 08, 2006

Carter Casteel lost her bid for re-election to the District 73 Texas House seat Tuesday by an unbelievably thin 44-vote margin.

After watching her early lead slowly erode throughout the evening, Casteel conceded the race at about 10:45 p.m.

Her announcement, made to roughly 50 die-hard supporters who stayed by her side until the end, was met with stunned silence.

Not 20 minutes before, the crowd on the Wurstfest grounds had breathed a collective sigh of relief, thinking their candidate had squeaked in under the wire.

But Casteel later gathered her family around her and comforted them and her supporters with motherly wisdom.

“It’s fine. Shush, it’s fine,” she said, putting her arms around as many of them as she could. “We might have lost tonight, but we are winners for two reasons. First, we did not break the 9th Commandment — do not lie. And secondly, our family for the first time in four years will be able to spend more time together.”

While Casteel was willing to call the race, the apparent winner was not.

Reached on his cell phone, Macias would not say anything about the outcome.

“I have no comment at this time, thank you,” was all he would tell the Herald-Zeitung at about 11 p.m.

Macias campaign coordinate Candace Turitto later called to say she had heard of Casteel’s concession but also declined to comment.

Although several Casteel supporters began clamoring for a recount as soon as her concession speech was finished, the defeated incumbent was not willing to talk about it yet.

“I never make those kind of decisions late at night on an empty stomach,” she said with a smile.

Casteel might have been hesitant to commit to redoing Tuesday’s count, but she wasted no time making a pronouncement about how important her loss was to the entire state.

“What this means is that no representative can take an independent vote because someone with money might take issue with it,” she said. “That’s the tough part. I’ll be all right, but this race has changed Texas politics.”

Casteel and many Texas political observers think the two-term legislator was targeted by San Antonio-area physician James Leininger for elimination from office because of her vote against a school voucher bill he had his heart set on seeing passed during the last regular session in 2005.

Through individual donations and money spent with the Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, Leininger poured $786,096.36 into Macias’ bid to send Casteel home.

The money bought hundreds of minutes of television commercials and sent dozens of printed mail pieces into district residents’ mailboxes.

Casteel was able to raise $398,942.40, an amount she never thought would be required to get back to Austin.

Now that she is not planning a third term in the House, Casteel is vowing to put her energy behind efforts to help equalize the flow of money into Texas political races.

“My desire is to see that no seat is for sale. I want to make sure a school teacher’s $10 donation means as much as the millions someone else has to spend,” she said.

To her well-wishers and party faithful, Casteel offered a warning.

“Let me tell you, the Republican Party is in trouble. And we’ve got to do what we can to save it,” she said, which was greeted with a hearty chorus of “amen.”

Although she has lost the primary, Casteel still will serve in the upcoming special session Gov. Rick Perry is expected to call in April.

Macias will face a Libertarian candidate in the November general election. His opponent will be selected at the regional Libertarian convention later this month.

See Driscoll’s blog here.

Isn’t it interesting how Ric Williamson, Governor-appointed Chair of the Transportation Commission, is responsible for diverting gas tax money to projects NOT related to transportation when he was a State Rep. (See this post for proof.) and now tries to scare us with cooked-up stats that make it look like we had better tax the living daylights out of Texans just to get us to work! To hear Williamson is to hear “the sky is falling!” Message to Williamson: taxpayers aren’t going to allow you to charge us a whole new toll tax on what we’ve ALREADY BUILT AND PAID FOR, especially when we’d be dumping more money into your leaky boat!

Williamson also says we need to throw in some free market principles into the mix to ENCOURAGE private investment. You and I know what that means, it’s what Collin County Commissioners say “automatically translates into the highest tolls for our citizens” (See post here.) Another message to Williamson: as I stated in my presentation to the Commission Feb. 23, 2006, what you’re doing doesn’t remotely resemble free market principles. This is granting a monopoly to a private company over our PUBLICLY OWNED FREEWAYS! Read this post for more on how private investment in highway corridors DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FREE MARKET PRINCIPLES!

Then, David Casteel, our SA District Engineer, who apparently drinks the same Kool-Aid as the rest of the pro-tollers, starts spouting off growth and traffic “projections.” Read about faulty traffic projections for toll roads here. TxDOT clearly DOES NOT HAVE ONE SHRED OF CREDIBILITY LEFT!

March 07, 2006
Who really decides toll issue?

When state officials began talking about building toll roads in San Antonio a few years ago, they said they’ll do it whether the local community wants to take part or not.

But when it comes to using gas taxes to help construct local toll roads, that’s purely a local decision — at least that’s what state officials are saying now.

“The San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization is in control of those funds,” Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson said in a recent letter to state senators Jeff Wentworth and Frank Madla.

“This is a local and regional control issue,” the letter says.

Williamson was responding to letters from the senators, who were reacting to requests from county commissioners Lyle Larson and Tommy Adkisson to consider non-tolled options for widening U.S. 281 north of Loop 1604.

Besides saying the matter is out of the state’s hands, Williamson also said it’s important to look to free market economics and invite private-sector innovation to deal with tight budgets. He also threw in some scare stats:

Over the last 25 years, population increased 57 percent and driving increased 95 percent while new road lanes went up just 8 percent, and in the next 25 years, population will go up 64 percent and driving will jump 214 percent.

Meanwhile, David Casteel, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation in San Antonio, sent a letter to Larson and Adkisson to try and set a few things straight.

Casteel used a lot of space to explain why simply adding overpasses on U.S. 281 isn’t enough, that access roads would almost have to be continuous, which is similar to current express-lane/frontage-road designs. To build it without tolling the express lanes, money would have to be pulled from other projects.

“However, as part of the analysis for this corridor, our consultants will examine various alternatives and we will have them analyze your proposal,” the letter states.

See this post on why TxDOT is redoing its environmental evaluations for the U.S. 281 project.

Casteel also said 91,000 vehicles a day travel U.S. 281 just north of Loop 1604 and that those numbers will balloon to 160,000 by 2035.

Read it in Toll Road News here.

See a previous post with a photo of SR 91 traffic during peak commute here.

Toll Road News
2006.02.21
CONGESTION PRICING
California’s 91XL max tolls going to 85c/mile
Top toll rates on the 91 Express Lanes (91XL) in California are going to $8.50 for the 10-mile trip 27 Feb 2006. The new high tolls apply 4pm to 6pm Thursdays and 3pm to 4pm eastbound Fridays. The new top toll rates are a 75c advance on the high tolls in effect since 29 Aug 2005. $7.75 high tolls have applied for two hours Thursdays and two hours Fridays eastbound the past seven months. Friday toll rates eastbound 4pm to 6pm remain the same in the new schedule, but the 3pm to 4pm toll jumps 75c.

One of our supporters calculated that revenues on this toll road were up 19% over the previous year. Let’s ponder the purpose of toll roads, congestion relief or profit? How about congestion manipulation for profit!

Link to letters here.

Letter to Editor in Express-News roll in to support our efforts to keep freeways free!

Focus: Toll Roads

Web Posted: 03/06/2006 12:00 AM CST

San Antonio Express-News

Thanks for plan critique

Congratulations to Terri Hall for criticizing the proposed toll roads and San Antonio transportation plans (“Toll road foe has her say,” Feb. 24).

First, the suggestion that the toll road plans aren’t congestion relief but congestion manipulation for profit rings true for many who call San Antonio home.

Second, I couldn’t agree more with the letter “Stop playing with our money” (Feb. 26). There is more than one thing wrong with an increase in our gas tax to pay for toll roads. We already pay taxes for streets, and look what we have: A U.S. 281/Loop 410 interchange or lack thereof and an increase from one to two lanes on Loop 1604 and still too much traffic congestion.

Surely, something besides the major construction that we will have to endure on an already overcrowded road can produce much more efficient solutions.

– Sonya Harvey

Appointees one-sided

I would like to cheer on the San Antonio Toll Party and Terri Hall for stopping (temporarily) the conversion of the already-paid-for U.S. 281 north of Loop 1604 and taking the time to speak out against the conversion of existing highways with Transportation Commissioner (appointee) Ric Williamson (who is for tolling existing highways).

Most people do not realize just how many existing highways this appointee wants to convert … without a public vote. This should be criminal, shouldn’t it?

Converting existing highways, without a public vote and claiming our alternative free route is the access roads, but with much slower speed limits and with all the stoplights, stop signs and yield signs. Ha! That is not free. That’s one-sided thinking.

But that’s what you’re more apt to get when officials are appointed — like Williamson, the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority. All are appointed and for the conversion of existing highways into toll roads without a public vote … without your vote.

Thank you, Terri Hall, for informing us on this double-taxation plan of Gov. Rick Perry to convert existing, paid-for highways (Interstate 35, U.S. 281 North, Loop 1604, Wurzbach Parkway, Bandera Road and many more) into toll roads.

– Michael L. Maurer Sr.,
Spring Branch

Look into alternatives

The article “Toll road foe has her say” really got my dander up. The Transportation Commission, San Antonio leaders and Texas Department of Transportation are not interested in why toll roads aren’t necessary. They have already determined what is required. The only purpose of these meetings is to push their agenda.

Their cavalier attitude is very apparent. (How can we ordinary citizens know anything about these complicated issues?) The citizens who will be most affected by toll roads are too busy trying to earn a living to attend these meetings.

I was also amazed at the large group of highway engineers and other promoters at the meeting. Why aren’t they looking into alternative solutions to congestion or, better yet, access roads and overpasses?

Regarding Joe Krier’s remark about “baloney,” I wonder if he’s familiar with the proverb “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

I’m with you, Terri Hall, but I think you are wasting your time talking to toll road proponents. By the way, I’m not a disgruntled Democrat. On most issues, I’m pretty conservative.

– John T. Elliot,
Canyon Lake

This reporter needs to hear from Texans that public-private partnerships have NOT worked well in Texas, they’re detested by the public, and they continued to be done in secret. In fact, these foreign companies are suing Texas taxpayers to keep the terms of these sweetheart deals SECRET from the public: read about it in the Houston Chronicle.

Notice how these two Pennsylvania lawmakers think tolling existing right of way (whether stacking or in the median) is fair game in the same breath they say they’re against tolling existing freeways!

Lawmakers propose allowing privately operated toll roads
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
BY CHARLES THOMPSON
The Patriot-News

Two legislative leaders on transportation issues said yesterday they want Pennsylvania to consider privately built and operated toll roads as a way to deal with increasing highway traffic.

Reps. Richard Geist, R-Blair, and Keith McCall, D-Carbon, said public-private partnerships have worked well in other states, including Virginia, Texas and Florida, and could bridge Pennsylvania’s gap between highway project wish lists — which Geist said now exceed $30 billion — and available public funding.

“We need to take a serious look at revenue-generating alternatives, like tolling, in order to maintain and expand Pennsylvania’s highway system,” said Geist, whose House Transportation Committee recently completed a study of toll roads in other states.

“We’re just not going to be able to raise any more revenue at the pump” through gas taxes, he said.

Geist and McCall, the committee’s senior Democrat, stopped short of proposing specific projects. Their goal is to draft legislation by year’s end to enable such partnerships and establish criteria for determining where they could work, the lawmakers said.

The two stressed they would not support placing tolls on existing highways, which, they reasoned, taxpayers already have paid for.

Adding decks or restricted-access lanes to existing highways, would be a different matter, they said.

Those improvements could be financed through public-private partnerships and tolls, they said. McCall cited the concept of a privately funded upper deck built over portions of the Schuylkill Expressway, where the existing lower lanes would remain free.

CHARLES THOMPSON: 705-5724 or cthompson@patriot-news.com.