REGIONALISM THE HAMPTON ROADS ACCOUNTABILITY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (HRTAC) State taxes were recently increased by the Republican controlled house, which then created the Hampton Roads Accountability Transportation Commission (HRTAC), for our local area designated as Planning District 23. Our legislators have touted that HRTAC was the best way to seek cooperation and collaboration necessary to solve pressing transportation issues for infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, and highways. Did our legislators create a law that best serves the local citizens in the 14 cities and counties in Planning District 23? Were there any alternative solutions? In my opinion, some, but not all of our legislators in Richmond, live in a vacuum. They have been spending other peoples money for so long, they are simply out of touch. Governor McAuliffe signed the HRTAC legislation and it became law as of July 1, 2014. The General Assembly directed the Mayors and Board of Supervisor Chairs from our local District 23 to be Commissioners on HRTAC. For the most part, these Commissioners are, and have been, on the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). As members of the TPO, they had already approved a set of major transportation projects. However, the members of the TPO could not issue bonds. Instead of finding a simple solution to allow a process for the issuance of bonds, our legislators in Richmond decided to create another burgeoning bureaucracy without accountability or oversight that disregards the will of the people. In fact, HRTAC is a regional form of governing that erodes the power of local government, along with relevant borders between cities and communities. It fundamentally changes the relationship between citizen and government leaving the voter without a voice. HRTAC/ Regionalism usurps the right of the voter, granting power and control to, and at the behest of, big developers, big bankers, lobbyists, and self-serving politicians. HRTAC/Regionalism is another layer of government that will divert hundreds of millions of our tax dollars every year to pay for unnecessary staff and administrative costs instead of repairing our roads, bridges and highways. For example, the HRTAC Finance Committee submitted an annual estimated budget, which is over $1 million dollars, with a caveat that additional expected expenditures not allocated in the budget to date can be added later. In July 2014, an administrative fee in the sum of approximately one half a million dollars was submitted for payment to HRTAC because the fuel tax dollars collected from District 23 must be separated from the rest of the State funds. This estimated half a million dollars is an accumulation over several months, but the taxpayers will continue to pay an undetermined monthly fee for this division of funds. Politicians are using the toothless slogan that “members of the HRTAC are all elected officials.” That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Who, or why, would anyone object to that? Well, in my opinion, it is a disingenuous statement that deliberately deceives the unwary and the uninformed voter with the false perception that he/she will be able to vote for any member of the commission. That is not the case. In fact, according to an article written by Field Searcy, entitled Regional Control Isn’t Local, Searcy discusses the relevance of local control, and said: The nice thing about local government is that citizen voters can control it. People know who their local city councilmen and county commissioners are because they live nearby, and they were elected. If citizens do not like local government decisions, they simply elect someone who will serve them better. Now, ask your neighbor, Who serves on the board of our Regional Commission? and watch the puzzled look on their face. Most citizen voters are unaware who is serving in these positions of authority. The U.S. Constitution guarantees each state a republican form of government, which means sovereignty rests with the people, and representatives are chosen by the people. Regional government lacks these checks and balances and they have absolutely no accountability to voters. You cant control the actions of regional governments, because you cant control most of the regional board members. Our Founding Fathers declared that government is legitimate only if it secures the rights of its citizens. HRTAC does not secure your rights. It fact, it disenfranchises your right to vote! If you are willing to push back on Regionalism, please contact me at kmmcarthy@me
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:38:23 +0000
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