“For goodness’ sake, that’s so starkly inappropriate,” Ehrhart said. “It’s using tax money.”
Cumberland CID Chairman Tad Leithead said he recently met with the Metro Atlanta Voter Education Network, which his CID has already given $300,000 to in order to “educate” voters about the referendum by running TV ads.
“CIDs have been a big contributor to the education campaign, so the MAVEN folks had a meeting to update us on what MAVEN was doing with our money and to show us the ads before they went on TV, all of which was greatly appreciated, and at that meeting they mentioned that they were going to do as much TV as they possibly could that the budget would allow, and they said if they had more money that they could do more TV, and it would have the effect of reaching out to more people,” said Leithead, who also chairs the Atlanta Regional Commission, the transportation planning agency for the 10 county metro region that provided data to help the Atlanta Regional Roundtable come up with list of projects which will be voted on.
The CIDs in metro Atlanta had already funded MAVEN by about $1.5 million, and along with funds from other sources, had a $2.1 million pot of money to spend on “education.”
“And they just said ‘if you had another 500 grand, there’s no more production cost, there’s no more administration cost, we could spend 100 percent of that on additional educational ads on TV,’ so those of us that are associated with CIDs and all of us were in the meeting agreed that we would come back to our respective boards and see if the CID boards were of a mind to make an additional contribution,” Leithead said.
Some of MAVEN’s so-called education efforts have already raised eyebrows. For example, PolitiFact rated a statement made by MAVEN, where it claimed metro Atlantans spend “over an hour every day” or “five hours a week” commuting, for a total of “260 hours a year” as only half true.
In addition to Leithead, Cumberland CID board members John Shern, retired from Home Depot; Connie Engel, a partner with Childress Klein Properties; Barry Teague with Walton Communities; Mason Zimmerman, senior vice president of Pope and Land Enterprises, Inc.; and Trey Parrish, senior vice president with B.F. Saul Property Company, voted Thursday to give the $70,000 to MAVEN.
Board member Peter Kasian, senior director with Tishman Speyer, was absent.
Zimmerman, who also chairs the Town Center CID, said that board would consider giving MAVEN more money at its next meeting as well. The Town Center CID has already given MAVEN $200,000.
“Those of us who’ve lived here in Cobb County have had the experience of waking up on the morning after a transportation vote with a 79-vote victory, and we’ve also had the experience of waking up with a 130-vote loss,” Leithead said. “I really don’t want to wake up on August 1 and have missed it by 10 votes.”
While MAVEN, which is headed by developer Bob Voyles, CEO of Seven Oaks Company, is serving as the “education” arm of the transportation tax campaign, another group headed by David Stockert of Post Properties is running the “advocacy” arm of the campaign called Commuters for Transportation Mobility, which aims to raise $6.8 million of which $5 million has already been raised, Leithead said.
“All of those funds are coming from the business community,” Leithead said.
Leithead said there are legal restrictions when it comes to awarding tax money to certain groups.
“Advocates can be people spending their own money. In other words, the entire business community can advocate,” Leithead said. “We’re (the CID) spending tax dollars. That’s why we’re not advocating. We’re educating. That’s the difference.”
Ehrhart said Leithead is fooling no one.
“That’s disingenuous and beneath them. It’s word games,” Ehrhart said. “I love what (Samuel) Alito said: ‘We’re not stupid’ is the new catch phrase in the Obamacare hearing. To the CIDs: ‘We’re not stupid.’ These aren’t educational ads, they’re political ads.”
Ehrhart said it would take an act of the state legislature to stop the CIDs from what they are doing.
“That’s something that will have to be looked into next year,” Ehrhart said. “I thought they got the message on that. That’s a shame. It’s certainly using tax money to advocate for (an election). I’m hoping they’re not successful in buying it.”
Ehrhart said CIDs can have a positive role in society, but funneling their tax dollars to promote a referendum is not one of them.
“This is not a part of their role,” he said. “Advocacy with tax money is wrong on so many levels, and I couldn’t disagree with them more on this.”
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Same Earl, changed the child support laws, because he didn't want to pay his ex-wife 25% for 2 or more Children. Wah! Wah! Wah!. he wanted to go out and advertising on-line for dates and pretend he is rich. I got one of his ads sent to me.lol.
Yes, he did work for Facility Group. I guess he didn't know anything, remember he is not very bright. Just on staff for political connections. Sure. Why doesn't some "R" run against this Bubba?
My business pays those taxes and I am thankful each time I drive on one of the improvements, and/or see how much nicer the areas look. I need my business to survive. Neglecting improvements is not the way to have that happen.
Traffic congestion is being addressed by the CIDs as well as aesthetics,which helps draw other businesses, which helps mine keep growing, etc, etc.
I am amazed that some of you are so caught up in the anti-side that you won't know the truth when it lands in your lap. That is sad for all of Cobb. Why not relocate yourselves?
So are you saying that the CID's are well within their rights to help fund the distribution of misleading propaganda about the impact of the TIA projects through MAVEN?
That's the issue here.
Not their legitimate funding of improvements within their self taxing districts.
Of course they should do that. That's the reason they were created in the first place.
However, now they have stepped beyond that and are trying to get ALL of the taxpayers in the Metro area to chip in and fund and subsidize projects that only benefit their specific districts.
Of course, since you are obviously located in one of the CID's you support that because it forces the general tax paying public to subsidize improvements that benefit your business.
I have no problem with you using the addtional taxes you voluntarily pay for whatever you want, but I do have a problem with my taxes being forcefully confiscated and being used for your benefit whether I approve or not.
When you say "I have no problem with you using the addtional taxes you voluntarily pay for whatever you want, but I do have a problem with my taxes being forcefully confiscated and being used for your benefit whether I approve or not " you must fail to realize that the property owners in our area who have self-taxed themselves, have leveraged $100 million of "their" money (none from you or me) into $600 million of improvements you and I and all those passing through use daily. That is what CIDs were formed to do. Read the GA law and the county laws on this.
Of course, the TSPLOST is entirely different, but since it is supported by these forward-thinkers who made the first CID happen, I have a bit more faith in them than the "just don't dare ask me for a penny for any reason" folks.
Can you see the difference?
The only real facts that are being communicated are the nature and extent of our transportation problems. I don't think anyone can argue with those.
The publications, adverisements and commercials that they are distributing are holding out projections and forecasts and estimates of what approving the TIA will accomplish as fully vetted facts and that is just not the case.
I also have a problem with only hearing one side of the story.
Being informed or educated about this issue is more than just being exposed to one very narrow viewpoint.
This is not an educational campaign to fully and objectively inform the voters.
It is an advertising campaign to get the voters to "buy" the TIA.
At least the pharmaceutical companies are required to list or admit to the multitude of "risks" you face if you take buy and use their products.
In this case we are only getting exposed to the "hoped for" upside.
Kind of reminds me of the Nancy Pelosi strategy of pass the law and then we can find out what it's all about.
And we are now starting to see the downside of using that strategy as the flaws of Obamacare are being revealed on an almost daily basis.
It is not the Metro Atlanta transportation problems that MAVEN is exaggerating.
Those problems are evident and serious.
What MAVEN is grossly exaggerating is the impact that the current TIA project list is going to have on those problems.
As I stated in a previous post, the project list itself is proof that MAVEN and the Roundtable are not interested in providing meaningful solutions to our regional transportation issues.
Look at the Atlanta Beltline Trolley as prima facie evidence of that. It is a neighborhood trolley line that has no impact on regional transportation.
The same is true on many other projects on the very flawed TIA project list.
Their primary purpose is to establish a $7 BILLION slush find for the transportation robber barons ( consultants, developers, politicians etc.) in Atlanta.
You keep using the term slush fund, when it is very easy for you or anyone else to go and look up the projects and see the real impact they will have. I-20 at I-285, I-285 at 400, I-75 at Windy Hill, all will be improved, plus many other bottle necks will be improved.
It is a neighborhood trolley that serves the intown neighborhoods in Atlanta. It is being funded to garner votes from those it does serve. A payoff if you will. No other reason.
As far as tourism is concerned, you are dreaming. Tourists aren't going to get on a neighborhood trolley just to ride it around. It's not like an amusement park ride.
There has to be some kind of desireable destination involved.
The Beltline is not necessarily a bad thing, but simply does not contribute in any meaningful way to a regional transportation system.
Granted some of the projects that impact the interstate system are regional in nature. I don't have a problem with those.
But many other projects on the TIA project list are locally focused. Not regional. Projects that are regionally meaningless and worthless. No good to anyone but those directly involved in planning, engineering and building them or living in the immediate vicinity of the project.
It flies in the face of the original intent of the TIA legislation.
It wasn't the most regionally impactful projects that were put in the TIA list.
It was a list of projects that were deemed to be able to generate the most votes in favor of the tax increase.
That's why it deteriorated to a list of local pet transportation projects.
That may be a good strategy for getting the referendum passed, but it's a horrible strategy for addressing our regional transportation issues.
Think long range for a second.
When the voters see that this is not working, what is that going to mean for future referendums? They will be DOA.
But my contention is the Roundtable reps don't really care, because they are going to get their share of this one and only $7 BILLION slush fund.
Their attitude is let the "leaders" around 10 years from now figure out their own way of ripping of the taxpayers we want our payoffs now.
The City of Atlanta funds the Arts Center to Cumberland light rail.
Then Cobb County could fund the extension north to Kennesaw
and then
Fulton County/Sandy Springs could have paid for a line from Cumberland to Perimeter Center
That makes two transit projects not on the list that would make a significant impact on the traffic congestion where it actually exists.
On I-75 from I-575 to I-285 and along I-285 east to Perimeter and GA 400
It also advances regional transit system connectivity by tying existing MARTA into a complementary and supportive light rail system.
At $100 M per mile and assuming a 30 miles of light rail that would be $3 Billion or less than half the $7 Billion TIA.
It would effectively connect Dowtown Atlanta with Cobb and Cobb with Perimeter. It would connect the CID"s and major employment centers in Town Center, Cumberland, Perimeter, Buckhead, Midtown with Downtown via rail transit.
It would increase the ridership on MARTA.
It would take people where they want to go.
It would remove significant amounts of traffic from our most congested interstates.
Then
The next logical step from there would be light rail up GA. 400(another terribly congested corridor) which connects to the North Fulton CID and then along another congested portion of I-285 east to the Doraville MARTA station (Gwinnett CID) and eventually tying into a light rail system that travels up the I-85 corridor (Gwinnet Place CID).
A darn good start in establishing a regional transit system that actually makes sense if you ask me.
That I could support.
So what Rep. Ehrhart and these anti-CID, anti-TIA posters are saying is that Big Government should be able to come in and tell private enterprise and businesses that they cannot exercise free speech and voluntarily spend their money on pro job creation efforts...that Big Government knows best...that Big Government can tell you what you can and can't do. That's scary.
Spending their tax money to promote political positions is not one of them.
The CID's are not playing by their own rules.
Far from it.
It is a one sided advocacy campaign to sway voters in the Metro area by distributing misinformation and outright falsehoods about what the TIA will do for our transportation issues in Cobb County and the Metro region.
Even the characterizations of the transportation issues we face are blatantly exaggerated.
However I have to diagree with Representative Ehrhart, because the money being awarded by the CID's is voluntarily contributed by the commercial property owners and business owners in the various CID.
But to me the real issue is the fact that the ads and information they are financing are disingenuous, misleading and self serving.
They are not an objective representation of the pros and cons of approving the TIA.
If I were a business/property owner in one of the CID's I would have some serious concerns about how my tax contributions were being used.
It's one thing to be a party to providing factual information, but it is despicable to fill the airwaves with bald faced lies.
No you are wrong.
MAVEN is making exaggerated projections and forecasts on what the positive impacts of the TIA will be. In my opinion they are wishful thinking. At the very best they are educated guesses.
They are not facts!!
And ask yourself this
Do they make any attempt whatsoever at providing the other side of the argument in order to really educate the voters? No they do not.
They are there for the single purpose of getting the TIA passed, not to educate the voters.
They are presenting their manipulated outcomes based on half baked formulas and unproven theories as proven facts.
Sounds very similar to the Obama mantra of "Hope and Change" that we have been stuck with for the last three years.
Except this 16% tax increase will be hung around our necks for far, far longer than three or four years.
Actually MAVEN doesn't really care if the results they are claiming as fact come to fruition or not, because all they want is the $7 Billion slush fund in order to line their pockets.
Do a little research and see who provided the lion's share of funding for MAVEN.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!
Also, not a single ad mentioned the probability of a light rail technology selection and the likely (per Tim Lee) requirement for subsequent T-SPLOSTs ad infinitum to cover operating loss subsidies.
Ads which only point out the possible positives and hide the probable negatives are not educating. THEY ARE PROMOTING!
Rep Ehrhart, a judge could issue an injunction against such further ads until it can be determined whether this is a violation of their authority charter. Please take the lead on this to protect us from this insane money grab!
Should the CIDs want to form an investment club to pool their money, they certainly are able to do that.
CIDs are a government body authorized for specific activities.
They have gone way beyond the law.
quasi-government and they are operating well within their specific activities.
cite the law they have broken.
don't just level charges, back it up.
Actually they are balancing on the "ragged edge" of what they are legally allowed to do.
Slick, disingenuous legal interpretation of the enabling legislation is allowing them to claim they are "operating within their specific activities."
Is it illegal? No
Is it ethical and in the best interests of their stakeholders and Cobb County?
Now that is another question entirely, isn't it?
Surely, one can understand that concept.