Action Committee for Transit (ACT) has posted their scorecards on their website. While ACT is not making endorsements, they do intend to publicize their view of the candidates' positions on transit-related issues.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
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8 comments:
Adam,
Thanks for the scorecard, good stuff.
Why not post the endorsements of Progressive Neighbors, MoCo Green Dems or MoCo Women? They carry as much infuence as ACT. Besides some people may prefer hearing all of the endorsements.
Or do you only want to post endorsements that favor your preferred choices???
That charge has no basis in reality given that ACT dunked Rich Madaleno, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr and I am their Treasurer.
I don't regard any of the groups you cited as serious players in the endorsement game. If I posted every statement from every single group, this blog would be nothing but press releases.
Adam -
I'm a huge supporter of the purple line and so was glad to see this. However, I was a bit confused by one part of it. On the scorecard for state legislators (I live in District 16), it listed Bill Farley and Bill Frick as being against the purple line. I don't know much about Bill Farley, but this came as quite a surprise in regards to Delegate Frick. I decided to do a little bit of digging and go to the link they offered with all of the responses.
Bill Farley had no responses - I'm guessing that is why they put him as against the purple line, although that seems like an unfair jump to conclusions.
However, Bill Frick's response was "I support the purple line."
Did they mess up on the chart?
Thanks,
Charlotte Dwyer
Bethesda
On our questionnaire, we asked a specific question about light rail running at grade in the Georgetown Branch right of way and on Campus Drive in College Park. "I support the Purple Line" is a non-answer. Well-known opponents of the Purple Line tell voters that they support the Purple Line, it's just that it has to be in a tunnel 100 feet underground, or on Jones Bridge Road, or in Wheaton instead of Chevy Chase.
The Chamber of Commerce questionnaire had a question similar to ours, with boxes to check yes, no, or unsure. Del. Frick didn't check any box and wrote "I support the locally preferred alternative but my priority is getting some form of East-West rapid transit in place, not getting any particular project."
Here is what he said on the Gazette voters guide:
Q. What do you see as being the best option for the Purple Line, and why?
A. The best option for the Purple Line is the one that actually gets built. Ideally, the Purple Line to be fast, well-used, and want to minimize impact on the community and on open space.
As we clearly state, our scorecard gives positive ratings on the Purple Line only to "clear and unqualified" supporters of the selected light rail route. This is obviously not clear and unqualified support. We take pains to rate all candidates on a consistent basis.
Ben Ross
ACT's scorecard notwithstanding, I know Bill Frick supports the Purple Line, including the Locally Preferred Alternative. He is a member of the Purple Line Caucus and has expressed public support for the Purple Line on countless occasions both publicly and in my conversations with him.
You can compare that with Bill Farley, who has said he opposes the Locally Preferred Alternative and wants to do a tunnel or cut and cover, options that have been considered and discarded as not feasible. Or with Al Carr, who has taken his opposition to the Locally Preferred Alternative even further.
I am a dues paying member of ACT and appreciate the role they play in promoting the right transportation alternatives. But in this case they were wrong to give Bill Frick a minus on the Purple Line question. He supports the Purple Line.
Full disclosure, I support Bill Frick and the Purple Line.
-Marc
Purple Line NOW! has a preliminary list posted on its website of those candidates who have signed a very specific pledge to support the Locally Preferred Alternative, at http://www.purplelinenow.com/2010pledge.html. Bill Frick has signed the pledge. The ACT scorecard was assembled before Bill Frick was on this PLN pledge list.
Full disclosure, I support the Purple Line and am on the PLN Board.
Wayne Phyillaier
Adam,
Are you saying that Progressive Neighbors and MoCo Women are not equal in endorsement power to ACT?
As for this blog being nothing more than press releases, then why post everyone's walk piece?
Like you, I am looking for consistency. Sadly, you are not consistent in this one instance.
I just spoke to Ben Ross, President of Action Committee For Transit. He admitted that I never submitted answers to that group's questionnaire. I pointed out for him the numerous places where I am on the record as supporting the Purple Line. Apparently, his category, "Does Not Support the Purple Line," simply means "did not supply an answer to our questionnaire." As such, this group's report of candidate's positions is flawed.
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