30 June 2005

Besides Metro, mayor and developers, who DOES like the new plan?

So let me see if I have this straight: the people who thought they were getting light rail aren't getting it, and they are not happy about it; and the people who weren't getting light rail are now getting it, and they aren't happy about it.

Nothing says government quite like spending billions of taxpayer dollars when none of the taxpayers likes what the billions of dollars will be spent on.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/30/05 10:51 AM |

Major League Soccer in the Astrodome?

How does Mayor White do it? He just got finished dreaming up a new $2 billion expansion plan for Metro and today we learn that he's been busy working on getting a Major League Soccer team in Houston:

The Astrodome might recover some of its faded glory if a Mexican club interested in bringing a professional soccer franchise to Houston has its way.

Club América, the Mexican First Division franchise that hopes to bring a Major League Soccer team to the Bayou City, has told city and county officials it would like its prospective Houston club to play at the former home of the Astros and Oilers. Officials with the Mexico City-based team, which is looking to buy MLS' San Jose Earthquakes from the Anschutz Entertainment Group and relocate it to Houston, met this week with Mayor Bill White and officials with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.

[snip]

Club América officials met with White on Monday to discuss a potential move and its impact, city spokesman Frank Michel confirmed.

"The city is optimistic that the talks have been ongoing for some time. We have a lot of details to work out," Michel said. "The market here for sports in general but also for soccer is a potentially huge one, and I think soccer folks recognize that."

Well, yes. If there's one thing Mayor White is filled with (be nice now) it's optimism for Houston. And when city officials are filled with optimism, that generally means BIG tax bills for its citizens. All that optimism doesn't come cheap.

You'll notice that this story fails to mention who will pay for the Astrodome to be made soccer-ready. But don't worry, I have it ALL figured out: Mayor White is planning on taxpayers giving him $2 billion for his new Metro plan, right? Well, who'll notice if a stray $20 million slips through the cracks? These things happen all the time. Besides the Astrodome is at the end of the downtown rail line. I'm sure the mayor can tie it all together and sell it.

This is definitely world-class!

UPDATE: Here's Laurence Simon's take.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/30/05 10:26 AM |

28 June 2005

From METRO Solutions to Galleria redevelopment?

In her excellent "Trust Us" post earlier, Anne Linehan linked to this story by Nancy Sarnoff.

For those METRO patrons wondering why METRO has cut their bus services and is now giving them buses that resemble trains instead of actual promised rail lines while the Galleria gets a new rail line in the revised $2 billion plan Mayor White won't let them vote on, it's probably worth highlighting these tidbits:

"Traffic is so bad that some people just shy away," said David Wolff, Metro's chairman, who also runs a land development company based in the Galleria area.

Indeed, occupancies in office buildings there have suffered because large businesses are moving to places they say are more accessible, like downtown, or to the suburban areas where their employees and customers live.

The Galleria office market had a 21.9 percent vacancy rate in the first quarter of this year, according to real estate firm Studley.

People who want to blame Rep. Culberson (R) or Rep. DeLay (R) for a "transit" plan that seems more like a Galleria zoning/development plan may want to take a closer look at the mayor who gladly took their votes, cut their bus services, and says they don't need to vote on his and Chairman Wolff's new plan to boost the Galleria.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/05 10:26 PM |

27 June 2005

HPD doesn't appreciate red light camera entrepreneurship

So, a company makes a spray on product that can thwart a red light camera...and HPD is whining:

Houston Police Department Lt. Robert Manzo said the city may want to consider an ordinance or a state law against PhotoBlocker.

"So people are already gearing up to defeat the system, huh?" Manzo asked. "We're not happy to hear this product is available and already being marketed to Houston before the cameras are even installed. This is obviously going to be a concern, and it may be something we have to address with the Legislature."

Well, of COURSE people will try to defeat the system -- it's human nature! And HPD now wants to run to the Legislature (which just refused to ban the cameras) to get a ban on anything that might defeat Houston's money-grab.

Then there's this at the end of the story:

The images then would be wired to the city's vendor for owner identification. The city also is considering giving the vendor a cut of the revenue and setting up decoy cameras as deterrents in some areas.

Giving the vendor a cut of the revenue is a bad idea. Just think of the shenanigans that could ensue. Oh wait:

"It's going to be ugly. There's a lot of money involved," said Rice University political scientist Bob Stein, whose wife works as the mayor's agenda director.

"The mayor will be watching carefully to ensure that the contracts are handled properly and that there are no shenanigans."

Mayor White, also known as the Father of Houston, will save Houston from any shenanigans.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/27/05 02:33 PM |

Mayor calls special council meeting to present Metro plan

At the end of Kristen Mack's Friday column she said that Mayor White was going to present his full Metro expansion plan to city council today.

And here's the mayor's notice:

I hereby request that you call a Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Houston for 11 a.m., MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005, in the Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 901 Bagby, for the purpose of holding a briefing for Council Members on the Metropolitan Transit Authority Phase II Implementation Plan.

______________________
Mayor Bill White

Thanks to Tom Bazan for the reminder.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/27/05 09:56 AM |

26 June 2005

Sports Authority finds another project to keep itself busy

The Sports Authority has a notice posted about its next board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, June 28. Let's see if there's anything interesting on the agenda:

6. Discussion and possible action on resolution approving an agreement with Houston YET Center, Inc. for the development of youth, educational and recreational facilities at Finnigan Park and approving other matters related thereto.

7. Discussion and possible action on resolution approving an agreement with Hermes Architects to serve as the architect for the YET Center and approving other matters related thereto.

Sigh. That would be the NFL's Youth Education Town.

It's time to revisit the Sports Authority's mission statement:

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, “The Sports Authority” is charged with the responsibility of rejuvenating the infrastructure for our community’s professional sports as well as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

It doesn't say anything about developing youth, educational and recreational facilities, even for the NFL.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/26/05 08:47 PM |

Community doesn't want Mayor White to be dad

On the heels of state Rep. Garnet Coleman's scolding of Mayor White, is this excellent op-ed in today's Chronicle by Robert Muhammad:

Let me be clear, it is not just the revised rail plan, but the way the mayor and the Metropolitan Transit Authority communicated the rail plan changes to the community that opens them to criticism. The community's angst is rooted in what appears to be the arrogance of power.

The citizens of Houston elected White to be the mayor — not their father. The title of the popular television show was Father Knows Best — not mayor, congressman or transportation planner knows best. In his op-ed, Mayor White stated, in the future tense, that he and Metro will listen to the community and will explain the transit plan to them. If the listening and explaining would have been in the past tense, the mayor and Metro would not find it necessary now to be defensive about the plan.

Similar to the fallout from the implementation of the Safe Clear program, it appears that the community is a public policy afterthought with White's administration.

He's not alone in thinking that.

Whenever voters are asked for their approval of a policy, the mayor, as a policy implementer, should remember to confer with the voters if the approved policy is substantially changed — as we now see the Metro transit plan has been substantially changed.

In Texas, popular sovereignty means that power lies in the will of the people governed, not with the government itself. The community wants to make this view crystal clear to the mayor, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the congressional delegation and private developers.

Hear, hear!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/26/05 06:32 PM |

25 June 2005

Rep. Coleman: Mayor White is overturning an election by fiat

Kristen Mack's column yesterday about Mayor White selling his new $2 billion Metro expansion plan included some criticism from several elected officials:

Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, said Metro still has to "earn back the trust of the area I represent." His district includes the east side of Houston.

"I may not be the majority leader or in the majority party, but I sure can make things hard," Green said.

And:

Other elected officials, including state Rep. Garnet Coleman and Councilman Adrian Garcia, who met with White late last week, still have not signed on to the plan.

"You don't take an election and overturn it by fiat," Coleman said. "What White didn't want was anyone pre-empting their announcement."

Coleman contends that White made a unilateral decision and did not attempt to build consensus. Federal money is important, but the sales taxes local residents pay and the fares riders contribute also should buy them a role in the decision-making, Coleman said.
Garcia still has questions as well.

"I was never told anything about ridership threshold. I was not told there would be an indefinite time period when we would go from guided transit to rail," he said. "My constituency has been looking for light rail, and I've been fighting to keep it on track for my district."

Rep. Coleman lays it all out, very succinctly.

I foresee some outreach by Mayor White to get Rep. Coleman on board with his plan. It's what Mayor White does when he's faced with dissent.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/25/05 04:48 PM |

24 June 2005

One more reason to create a Houston Parking Authority?

Here's another handy piece of news that can be used by Mayor White in his quest to get a Houston Parking Authority:

The people who broadcast from the KPFT studios park their cars on Lovett Boulevard. An old house on the street has been KPFT's home for more than 30 years. But the neighborhood is changing.

Across the street from the radio station, in the heart of Montrose, sits a comparatively new townhouse complex. People who live in those townhouses were upset that customers of nearby bars and nightclubs often parked their cars there, tying up all the spaces on the street. So they went to the city government and convinced the planning department to restrict parking there.

Now, if you want to park on the street in the area, you're supposed to have a permit; something the radio station's visitors don't have.

"We have relied on street parking all this time," said Ray Hill, KPFT talk show host. "And those folks don't use the spaces in front of their building at night, because they have plenty of parking inside the compound."

If you think downtown's the only place with parking problems, think again. With so many cars crowding onto Houston streets, parking issues are popping up all over the place.

"Fifteen years ago, when we created a parking ordinance, maybe there were two cars in a household. Today, there could be two, there could be four. We're using up the street capacity," said Bob Litke, Houston Planning Director.

Of course, city council could deal with the issue, but there's probably little chance that will happen. Councilmembers appear to be happy when Mayor White proposes solutions, which they can then approve.

Get ready Houston -- another quasi-governmental agency with eminent domain power could be right around the corner.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/24/05 01:10 PM |

Where's LULAC's outrage?

Well, I thought LULAC would be upset about HPD photographing day laborers. Instead it's the ACLU.

Maybe LULAC's taking a little summer vacation.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/24/05 10:55 AM |

23 June 2005

Spirit-filled city council approves mayor's budget

City council approved Mayor White's proposed budget yesterday and Matt Stiles provides some details:

The council, with two dissenting votes, approved the general fund — the tax- and fee-supported portion that covers city departments' operating costs — as part of a $3.2 billion overall budget that also includes enterprise funds such as those dedicated to aviation, water and sewer, and convention facilities.

About 64 percent of all nondebt costs in the general fund will go to public safety, which increased about $48 million, or 5.8 percent, in a budget that doesn't require large cuts or spending increases in most departments.

Part of the added public safety costs comes from $19 million set aside in the event that the city's firefighters approve a collective-bargaining deal in the coming weeks.

[snip]

"This is a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is going to always do what the mayor wants to do. There's very little that a council can do unless they are all united against the mayor," said Councilman Mark Goldberg.

Among several other amendments passed by the council was an $878,000 cap on city spending for the Safe Clear mandatory freeway towing program. That figure, which doesn't affect additional contributions to the program from the Metropolitan Transit Authority and tow-truck operators, was the fiscal 2006 Safe Clear expenditure estimated last week by Controller Annise Parker.

The two council members who voted against the budget, Addie Wiseman and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, criticized the decision to issue $71 million in pension revenue bonds to help cover payments to pensions instead of using tax revenue.

"We're relying on $71 million in pension bonds, passing the burden on to future councils," Wiseman said.

The story also included this amusing quote:

"City Hall is operating in a businesslike fashion," White said. "There's a good spirit around the council table that we're working toward some common goals of creating a good quality of life in our neighborhoods, greater mobility and better value for the taxpayer dollar."

Aha. We can look to Councilman Mark Goldberg for the definition of "good spirit":

"This is a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is going to always do what the mayor wants to do. There's very little that a council can do unless they are all united against the mayor," said Councilman Mark Goldberg.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/05 11:04 AM |

A hint of what Mayor White spoke about at the Progressive Forum

It's not much, but it's more than any other local media outlet gave us:

Mayor Bill White basked in his pro-environment credentials June 13 when he appeared with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Hobby Center. The Prius-driving mayor told the crowd that half of the municipal-car fleet will be converted to hybrid technology, air-monitoring activities will be expanded, and polluters will be hunted down, tortured and slowly killed.

Well, not that last part. But White played the green card for all it was worth.

"Nobody has a right to chemically alter in some risky fashion the air or water they do not own," he said.

White doesn't want to go overboard on this whole tree-hugging thing, though. His office is refusing to sign the mayoral equivalent of the Kyoto Protocol against global warming.

More than 130 mayors -- including those from Austin, Denton, Hurst and Laredo -- have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which was begun by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

"The overriding purpose of this is to encourage more action to reduce global-warming pollution in more cities," says Steve Nicholas, an environmental aide to Nickels.

Mayor White ain't signing. (Somehow he didn't mention that in his Hobby Center speech.)

Why not?

Spokesman Frank Michel says White "stands by his environmental record here in Houston, but he's not particularly interested in signing on to something the mayor of Seattle wants him to."

Richard Connelly doesn't mention what Mayor White said about his new $2 billion Metro expansion plan, but I'm sure the mayor brought it up. After all, if he had "played the green card for all it was worth," his proposal to spend billions of dollars on light rail and (don't say Bus) Rapid Transit probably would have been a hit with the Progressive Forum.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/05 06:51 AM |

22 June 2005

Chief Hurtt conquers downtown lawlessness (updated)

Chief Hurtt has given an update on Operation Generate Revenue...I mean Operation Downtown Mobility...better known here as Operation Jaywalking:

Since the Downtown Mobility initiative began on June 20th, Police Chief Harold Hurtt says there have been 1,750 violations.

Officers on foot and bike patrol have been watching for jaywalkers, red light runners and other traffic violators and there have been plenty of them.

Of the 1,750 infractions, 335 people were given citations.
•5 percent were cyclists
•25 percent were pedestrians ticketed for jay walking
•70 percent were drivers cited for various traffic violations

Chief Hurtt also reiterated that by the end of the year the 10 worst intersections in Houston will have red light cameras. He added that some may be decoys.

He says there will be signs saying "You are entering a red light camera zone" at those intersections.

I feel safer already.

UPDATE: The KHOU-11 link above now takes you to a different story on the same topic, with this bit of information added:

Chief Hurtt also says that about 100 more officers will soon be hitting the streets. Those officers currently work in the city jail and the city plans to replace them with civilian workers.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/22/05 01:54 PM |

21 June 2005

Why can't the "public safety" mayor get an HFD deal done?

The Chronicle's Matt Stiles writes today about the city's ongoing effort to reach agreement with firefighters, who overwhelmingly rejected a labor deal rammed through after Mayor White took the negotiations public.

The story concludes with Mayor White getting the last word, and is once more heavy on quotes and light on details:

Leaders of the Houston firefighters union are seeking answers for two tough questions — why their members soundly rejected a proposed new contract, and what it might take to change their minds.

With a looming budget deadline, leaders of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association hope to fashion a compromise with city negotiators that would be acceptable to their members, who voted nearly 2-1 earlier this month against the last negotiated proposal.

Getting there won't be easy.

The union's negotiators must push the agenda of their 3,700 members while staying mindful of city budget constraints. Their city counterparts must keep costs down while trying to sweeten the deal enough to win over a skeptical, frustrated group of firefighters.

"It is an issue of trust that has to be established," said Councilman Adrian Garcia, who's talked with numerous firefighters about perceived slights by city leaders over the years.

"You don't get to trust without good faith. I think the membership needs to be demonstrated that there is good faith coming from the administration."

It has little to do with "trust" and "good faith" and very much to do with real, concrete issues. One firefighter has commented on those issues in our forum. And actually, the Chronicle sidebar does a decent job laying out some of them:

• Overtime: Five extra 24-hour shifts a year, often filling in at unfamiliar stations.

• Pay: Decreased overtime pay, though basic pay would increase 34 percent, compounded over three years.

• Staffing: Concern about "manning" — the number of firefighters serving on each truck. The city contends the number would remain at four.

• Parity: Firefighters still would not make as much as police officers; they have been seeking that parity for years.

Manning is a huge issue. If the city isn't backtracking on that issue, then Mayor White's negotiators should put it in writing, clearly. Keeping four men on trucks is a crucial issue to firefighters and to public safety.

More broadly, if our "public safety" mayor can find the cash for Tasers, new HPD badges, and overtime pay for cops to harass downtown pedestrians, then surely he can find the cash to make a fair labor deal with our firefighters.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/05 09:40 PM |

Commissioners got an earful about stealth toll road plan

Here's an initial report on today's Commissioners Court meeting from KHOU-11:

The Harris County Commissioners Court Tuesday heard from residents who are demanding more input on toll road proposal projects.

Commissioners are considering at least five new toll roads over the next five years.

It would cost more than $2 billion dollars and include a Hardy Toll Road extension, segments of the Grand Parkway and a Brazoria County toll road.

But some residents say there should be public meetings before any vote is taken.

Commissioners responded that residents with concerns are welcome at any meeting to voice those concerns.

That is a standard response from commissioners; however, commissioners have a track record of not listening to public input. They just build whatever, whenever.

As for government agencies not providing advance notice online, blogHOUSTON commenter rorschach has posted on his blog an open letter to Texas AG Greg Abbott, asking for some requirement in that direction.

UPDATE: Here's KUHF-88.7's coverage:

County officials say they've given plenty of notice and have gone out of their way to inform the public about meetings and progress regarding toll road corridors. Harris County Judge Robert Eckels says the toll road issue should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. "There was nothing today that has not been available to the public for years and that will not continue to be made public about these specific projects," says Eckels.

Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee says responsibility falls on both sides, and it's likely the county will review its process of notifying the public about issues such as additional toll roads.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/21/05 03:11 PM |

20 June 2005

Mayor White's Houston infrastructure plan

KHOU-11 has a story up about Mayor White's five-year plan for Houston's infrastructure:

It is not about the everyday expenses the city pays out, but instead what the city calls its big-ticket items.

It takes about 1,000 pages to explain all of it, so here are a few of the bigger projects:

The mayor wants to add $45 million to clean up neighborhood drains. He said a northeast Houston area near Chatham Elementary is a good example of a big flooding problem. If you were around during Allison you know a lot of the drains couldn't even come close to meeting the challenge of a tropical storm.

[snip]

Another major expenditure will go towards all the abandoned properties the city continues to tear down. The mayor wants to increase the amount of funding going towards developer reimbursement programs by 20 percent. The idea is to encourage builders to create affordable housing in the place of empty eyesores.

A third big chunk of money will go towards public safety.

"People who have been, violated the law can be taken to a facility, which is modern and complies with the Constitution and obtains economies by centralizing the jail responsibilities in agreement with Harris County.

I don't see a press release or a link to the report on the city's website yet, but when it shows up, I'll add an update.

UPDATE: Here's a brief KUHF-88.7 story on the mayor's announcement.

UPDATE (06-21-2005): The plan is now on the city's website.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/20/05 02:24 PM |

19 June 2005

News flash: Mayor White is looking out for Houstonians

In today's Chronicle, Mayor White has an op-ed where he says that if we don't like his new $2 billion Metro expansion plan, don't blame Metro -- blame him.

The column is filled with utopian talk about how rapid/mass (which one is it?) transit will better the lives of Houstonians, but there is an interesting little tidbit that was news to me:

In the last 30 months, no one has talked to more Houstonians in more neighborhoods than I have. In every case, I supported expansion of all forms of mass transit. I supported the use of debt to accelerate expansion of the system before Metro did, and I supported Metro's bond issue that was on the ballot and passed in November 2003. I believed then, and believe now, that the amount of debt authorized in the 2003 election was prudent and reasonable, based on my business and financial experience, even though I publicly shared reservations about Metro's projections.

Did the mayor convince Metro to change from a pay-as-you-go policy?

And is that really a prudent business decision, in light of the fact that Metro subsists largely on tax dollars? I find it disconcerting (to say the least) that Mayor White supports a debt policy for Metro, based on his years of business and financial experience.

Then we get to the nagging problem of representation:

Within a month of taking office, I appointed a new team to the Metro board.

[snip]

[...]to ensure the highest priority for Houston's projects.

[snip]

Houston is ready to move on.

[snip]

If we improve mobility by increasing transportation options, Houston will be the winner.

[snip]

Houston has about 1.5 million people of voting age[...]

[snip]

I was hired by voters to get this city moving[...]

[snip]

I ask all Houstonians to come together[...]

Do you think Metro-taxed, Harris County residents who didn't get to vote in Houston's mayoral election can get a reduction in their sales tax rate? Or, even better, how about an opportunity to vote on the NEW Metro Solutions plan.

And has anyone seen or heard from Judge Eckels?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/05 08:02 PM |

Why the city should not be in the loan business

Yes, this is one problem Mayor White inherited, but it still illustrates why Houston should not be in the loan business:

City officials are hoping to work out a new financial agreement with the owners of two downtown hotels that have defaulted on nearly $15 million in city loans.

[snip]

The city lent $5 million to the ownership of the Crowne Plaza, at 1700 Smith, in February 2000. The owners have yet to make a full payment since the first one came due in March 2001.

The city also lent $9.5 million to the owners of the Magnolia, at 1100 Texas, in October 2002. The Magnolia ownership hasn't made a payment since its first one came due in November 2003. Walsh said Wednesday that the Magnolia also is in danger of becoming delinquent on its property taxes to the city and other taxing entities by the end of this month.

The city can't foreclose on the hotels, Walsh said, without the agreement of North Houston Bank, which is the primary lender and first lienholder on both hotels. The Crowne Plaza still owes the bank $14.4 million, and the Magnolia owes it $27.8 million.

Both hotels are current on their payments on the bank loan.

The hotels can keep up with their bank payments, but not city payments. And the city has little ability to force the issue. Nice.

I'm sure Mayor White is trying to get this resolved, but it's a good idea to remember that some of the city's financial problems couldn't have been that big of a surprise to the mayor, since White played a part in the budget process during the Lee Brown administration.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/05 11:36 AM |

17 June 2005

Uh oh: Sports Authority still working on Major League Soccer deal

Here's a perfect example of why the Sports Authority should be sunsetted out of existence:

Officials with Mexican soccer league champion Club América hope to continue talks in the next two weeks about prospects for a Major League Soccer franchise in Houston that eventually could play in a new stadium developed in conjunction with the Houston Independent School District.

[snip]

Oliver Luck, CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, who has been working with Club América and other groups interested in bring MLS to Houston, expects a resolution to Club América's plans by the end of next week.

[snip]

Luck said several potential investors have met with the sports authority and with the Houston Independent School District about a proposed 20,000-seat stadium plus a smaller practice field to be built at the site of HISD-owned Delmar Stadium.

The proposed HISD stadium, which would cost an estimated $45 million to $50 million, would be a smaller-scale version of a 117-acre, $80 million project that will open this summer in the Dallas suburb of Frisco. That project, which includes a 20,000-seat stadium and 17 soccer fields, was funded by $15 million from the Frisco school district, $20 million from Collin County, $20 million from city economic development entities and $10 million from Hunt Sports Group, which owns FC Dallas and will manage the complex.

Oliver Luck has been busy, hasn't he? And there's not a hint on the Sports Authority's website that any of this has been going on.

The first thing I did was contact HISD to find out what its part in this proposed deal is. Terry Abbott responded that HISD will not commit any money. He said that HISD was approached about providing a stadium that would be improved with outside money and would be used jointly by HISD and MLS.

The Chron's story is light on funding details, but we hope it would be ALL private funding! And any deal had better not include those little "helps" that the Sports Authority/taxpayers are currently providing, for example, to the Rockets (parking garage) and the Aeros (ice).

[MLS spokesman Simon]Borg said Houston's plans were neither helped nor hindered by the recent collapse of plans to award a franchise to San Antonio. MLS officials this month ended talks with the city and said local officials were not bargaining in good faith. That came after new Mayor Phil Hardberger opposed plans to grant MLS a favorable lease on the city-owned Alamodome.

And what happened in San Antonio? Well, in April the cost of bringing a soccer team to San Antonio skyrocketed from $6 million to more than $20 million. And then this month, talks completely collapsed, apparently due to financial concerns -- including MLS's plan to use the Alamodome rent-free.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/17/05 03:27 PM |

More Bob Stein -- this time on SAFEclear

Bloomberg.com is running a fawning SAFEclear story:

Tow trucks are doing what politicians can only hope to achieve with billions of dollars in transportation spending: easing traffic congestion in Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city.

A program to clear disabled vehicles from freeways during peak travel times eliminated 1.8 million hours of delays since starting in January, according to a report last week by the Texas Transportation Institute and Rice University. Accidents dropped by almost 10 percent. Commuters saved $70 million in lost time and collision-related costs, the report said.

``People were 2-to-1 against the program,'' said Bob Stein, a Rice professor who has studied Houston traffic for more than 20 years. ``They are now 2-to-1 for it. They have seen results.''

Bob Stein is EVERYWHERE! Now, Stein doesn't just study Houston traffic (and of course, his wife works for Mayor White); he helped design SAFEClear. And not only did Stein help design the original SAFEclear, but in January he let slip the true purpose behind the plan:

Stein said the biggest factor in determining how much towing companies bid for their segments was not the expected number of tows or miles of freeway, but the average age of vehicles there.

Vehicles on the city's largely industrial east side average about 4 years older than those in the affluent western suburbs, he said.

Stein's conclusion: "Tows were not the driving force in the bidding."

On the west side, he said, "it was the opportunity to make referrals for repairs." On the east side, the tow operator's profits are likely to come from storage lots and reselling impounded vehicles whose owners cannot afford to pay the fees, he said.

None of that is in the Bloomberg story. But this is:

Stein, the Rice professor, said results have won over many of the people who opposed Safe Clear. Traffic congestion is a perennial sore point for people in Houston, which ranks fifth in the U.S. for time wasted in traffic.

No source is given for Stein's repeated pronouncements that "people" have been won over by SAFEclear.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/17/05 08:47 AM |

[Previous 20 Entries] [Next 20 Entries]

SITE MENU

+Home
+About
+Archives
+BH Commentary (RSS)
+Bloggers
+Blogroll
+Contact Us
+Forum
+Local News Headlines
+Syndication
+Twitter