My friend Fannie, a hardworking OKC progressive activist, emailed me about her stand on today's election.
Dear Rena,
I will be walking in the rain to the polls today to vote “No” on the OKC bond issue because it ignores the need for mass transit in our city. This bond issue costs the taxpayers almost a billion dollars. And it contains $69 million in “spare change” or “slush money” that the mayor and city council can spend however they wish. I will vote “yes” for police and fire. Here's the list of all the “slush money” that is hidden in this bond issue.
OKC BOND ISSUE TO BE VOTED ON DEC 11:
PROPOSITION # STATED PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSITION AMOUNT OF SLUSH $ INCLUDED 1 Streets $51,998,000.00 2 Bridges $2,000,000.00 3 Traffic Control System $4,002,000.00 4 Drainage Control System $3,998,000.00 5 Parks & Recreational Facilities $1,457,000.00 6 Fire $2,760,000.00 7 Police $1,700,000.00 8 Libraries $1,115,000.00 9 City Maintenance Facilities $0.00 10 Transit $270,000.00 11 Economic Development $0.00 TOTAL SLUSH FUND $69,300,000.00 Has there ever been this much slush money included in a bond issue in OKC? In Oklahoma? Anywhere?
Since I don't live in the city, I can't vote and haven't informed myself about all the issues involved. But I know that we don't focus on mass transit as a solution for a lot of other issues, not the least is the very real problem of our roads. Fannie is tireless in her work on this issue (among others), as is Tom Elmore, who runs North American Transportation Institute.