Governor Dayton's Roundtable on Transit

From Dave Van Hattum, Policy & Advocacy Program Manager

On April 21st, 2011, Governor Dayton hosted a transit round-table at which a wide range of stakeholders shared why transit is important to them and their broader community. Pastor Grant Stevenson, an ISAIAH representative, noted these roundtables, which bring together a diversity of voices, are a healthy example of how government can move beyond rhetoric to consensus-building and effective solutions.

Here’s what people said:

1. Transit is important to businesses and economic competitiveness. Todd Klingel, President of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, told how corporate site selectors increasingly direct clients to cities and regions with strong public transit systems.
2. Students, the future employees, want to locate where transit is a real option. Attracting and retaining employees--and employers--is a good investment for Minnesota.
3. Progress on building light rail lines is an important job creator. In 2008, Metro counties stepped up to impose a ¼ cent sales tax to fund transitways.  Cutting transit would jeopardize the Twin Cities growing success at leveraging federal funding and spurring economic development along key transit corridors.
4. Keeping transit affordable is critical to current and future riders. Rising gas prices provide a greater need to keep transit affordable. Raising fares to account for rising gas prices is myopic; in the long run our best bet against rising fuel prices is to use less gas – transit makes that possible.
5. Maintaining current transit service is critical for the disabled. Those who can’t drive need convenient access to jobs, education, and services.
6. Communities across the state would be devastated by the transit cuts advanced in the House and Senate bills. Many counties in Greater Minnesota would experience cuts to transit service; transit in these locations is a lifeline to independence for many residents and an important contributor to small town vitality.

We appreciate Governor Dayton’s leadership in convening the roundtable. More importantly, we note that his budget plan, relying on new revenue (a return to more historic individual tax rates?), keeps transit whole!

TLC Members and Organizer, Owen Duckworth
speak at the Governor's transit listening session.
(photo: Amber Collett)