LTE: Supervisor Reid Urged to Support Phase 2
A letter addressed to Ken Reid, dated May 23, 2012, focuses on why Metro should come to Loudoun County.
Dear Supervisor Reid,
We are writing to urge your support for completion of Phase 2 of the Dulles rail project. Bringing Metro rail to Loudoun County is such an important decision that your vote on Loudoun’s participation will be a key factor in determining whether we can support you as a member of the Board of Supervisors in the future. To say we are concerned about your recent public comments indicating that you may oppose completion of this critical project would be an understatement.
For over a decade, your predecessors on the Board of Supervisors, Loudoun’s state and federal government representatives, business leaders, commuters and advocates of all stripes have worked to make the Dulles rail project a reality. They did so because of the obvious benefits – relieving traffic congestion, spurring centralized commercial development, increasing property values and reducing air pollution. Phase 2 of Dulles rail will also provide Leesburg residents with a welcome alternative to one of the most expensive toll roads per mile in the entire country, the Dulles Greenway.
As with most important infrastructure projects, Dulles rail is a considerable investment. However, Loudoun County’s contribution to Dulles rail is only 4.8 percent of the total and has been known for nearly five years. The overall cost of Dulles rail has actually come down over the last year by more than $1 billion due to cost savings from the route design (thereby reducing the cost to Loudoun). You have previously stated that the County's fiscal impact analysis would weigh heavily on your final decision. That analysis has been delivered and even under the most conservative estimates, the revenue generated by the Dulles rail project will exceed the capital costs to the County.
Again, we want to stress how important it is for you to support Phase 2 of the Dulles rail project. Given the decade long process that has brought together the various partners for this project, it is not likely that Loudoun will get another opportunity if the Board of Supervisors votes to withdraw.
Now is the time to lead. Now is the time to perform your civic and elected duty. Now is the time for you to look beyond the next election to those living in Loudoun county 10, 15, 20 and more years down the road. Do you honestly believe that their quality of life will improve if rail is hung out to dry?
While we know plenty of people who've moved to Loudoun over the years, we know just as many who've become frustrated and feel disenfranchised by the county's elected leadership and its unwillingness to plan for the long-term and look at the big picture.
This is an opportunity to change that trend and act in the county's generational wellbeing.
Committing to or killing Metro rail in Loudoun county: one of those will be your legacy. We sincerely hope you choose the former.
Sincerely,
Alex Cudaback and Jason Gleason
Woodlea Manor
Leesburg, VA
PS: To view the electronic signatures of over 200 other concerned individuals, I invite you and anyone else who is concerned to visit our online petition at http://signon.org/sign/lcbos-dont-kill-metro
Terry Elvers
4:31 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
Ken;
Stick to your guns!
You were voted in by the residents of Leesburg in part due to your courageous stand against this overfunded, poorly managed project.
We realize there has been (and will continue to be) a lot of pressure to make you turn your back on the residents of Loudoun by those with outside interests. You are better informed on this topic than most, and you have continued to be a champion against waste and poor projects.
Thanks for being informed.
Thanks for having integrity
Thanks for putting the residents above profit
Thanks for really digging in to this mess
but most of all....
Thanks for putting the people first, and opposing this type of wasteful project.
Bravo!
Melvin Summers
6:26 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
There is no way The board should back out of this all important project. Loudoun needs to join the other sprawling counties that have sufficient public transportation. Connect the ENTIRE Metropolitan area so our citizens can travel to work, keep our community clean and roads more manageable. Mr Reid won't be getting my vote unless he votes...
Yes to Metro
Sunshine Daisy
8:01 pm on Sunday, May 27, 2012
**Loudoun needs to join the other sprawling counties that have sufficient public transportation. Connect the ENTIRE Metropolitan area so our citizens can travel to work, keep our community clean and roads more manageable.**
Well said Melvin! We can't wait to have better public transportation here!
Loudoun Opt Out
10:16 am on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
"Connect the ENTIRE Metropolitan area" Are you kidding? Two miles of rail past Dulles Airport does nothing to connect the region. People driving across the county to get to the 772 or 606 stations can drive or catch a bus the extra 3-5 miles to the Rt 28 station.
Kadey Mackenzie
7:50 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
That's right Mr. Reid stick to your guns and bring the metro to Loudoun County! Excellent letter from Alex Cudaback and Jason Gleason!
Martha Polkey
8:07 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
Those who know Ken's driving record (an incredible number of speeding tickets, driving with an expired license, etc.--and this with teenaged drivers at home!) and the thousands and thousands of dollars in campaign contributions (and "consulting" fees?) he's received from those with vested interests against transit and transportation solutions that provide a reasoned vision, know that he will never vote for the Silver line; he simply has too much to gain politically by rejecting it.
Victoria Glenn
8:16 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
Please Mr Reid, do what is best for Loudoun, not just for today but for the future. Don't let a few loud voices sway you from what is best for the people of this county. Please YES to Metro!!
TISH G
8:06 pm on Sunday, May 27, 2012
Yes!! I said it once before somewhere.. look into the far future.. DECADES from now.. not just how this may affect things in the near future.. We want and Need this NOW!
alex cudaback
9:09 am on Friday, May 25, 2012
Hi Rob. Thanks for all your comments. A few thoughts (part I):
1) "Ad hominem." While this may not be exactly the place to talk about an elected official's public driving record, since this is a debate about transportation, I'd say it has a bit of value. As for campaign contributions and consulting fees, I'm surprised you think there can't be a correlation between contributions and positions on an issue.
2) The county's elected leadership. Unless you've only been in Loudoun since the last Supervisors' election or just haven't been paying attention, you'd know the back-and-forth, clear-the-decks feel of local elections has been going on for over a decade now. Implying that this Board received some sort of mandate because of decades-old voter frustration is at best naive and at worst disingenuous.
alex cudaback
9:10 am on Friday, May 25, 2012
(and, part II)
3) "[N]o one has shown that it will relieve congestion." Actually, they have. And, ironically, they have also shown it won't. Which just leads us back to the circuitous nature of "studies" and "plans." People tend not to believe studies that don't jibe with their entrenched beliefs. Sound familiar?
4) It "would certainly have an effect on development around Ashburn" plus "possibly to the detriment of other areas" doesn't equal "no net gain." There's a risk, certainly, of distributed impact. But that impact is all in the county, no?
5) Your public-transportation-doesn't-reduce-pollution argument is just plain wrong. There are plenty of studies to point that out, but I doubt you'd believe them.
alex cudaback
1:51 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
You seem really unhappy and upset about all this, Rob, and for that I'm truly sorry. When you take the tone you've taken throughout your comments in response to this letter and about this matter in general, you shouldn't be surprised that people come back to you. But don't belittle, degrade and bully, and then cry about it when someone has the sense to call you on it. Adults are allowed to disagree and talk about those disagreements reasonably. You, however, seem offended when people have the appparent temerity to disagree with you. It's too bad, but not entirely surprising. Sorry.
John and Joan Taxpayer
4:07 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
So, Mr. Cudaback feels that someone's driving record is relevant here, and he wants Supervisor Reid to accede to his demands on Metro? Ms. Polkey and he must be in cahoots together to try to embarrass Mr. Reid (a Republican) in order to advance a Democratic Party agenda? His petition is also sponsored by Moveon.org. Need we say more?
John and Joan Taxpayer
4:12 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
OH BOY! Look what we found! Seems Mr. Gleason works for a Democrat congressman from Maryland!
http://hillwho.com/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=4&sobi2Id=2200
Jason Gleason
CURRENT POSITION
TITLE EMPLOYER LOCATION
Chief of Staff Representative John P. Sarbanes Washington
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
TITLE EMPLOYER LOCATION
Legislative Assistant John P. Sarbanes Washington
Legislative Director John P. Sarbanes Washington
Jason Gleason
9:07 am on Sunday, May 27, 2012
I do work on Capitol Hill for a Democrat. But I've lived in Loudoun County all my life and have a right to push for what I think is best for my community. So I not sure what you think this discovery means.
CC Mojo
8:38 pm on Sunday, May 27, 2012
Jason, fear not, they just like to try to make mountains out of molehills. Foil hats, conspiracy theories and all.
alex cudaback
5:07 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
Dear John and Joan: Thanks for your thoughtful replies. I am, proudly, a Democrat. And Jason does work for a Democratic Representative. But so what? Are you saying that true Republicans don't support public transportation? Or just drawing attention to the fact that you're only willing to name-call and finger-point from behind your clever pseudonym/s?
Bob Bruhns
12:38 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
Once again, we see that some people think that rail is the only public transportation possible. I guess they never heard about bus, or considered that dedicated bus lanes could provide needed transit, AND reserve future rail rights of way for a time when rail might actually be... appropriate. Because this issue has become an important component of fundraising for a certain political party, rail is a necessity now - or so they they say.
http://chantilly.patch.com/articles/nancy-pelosi-headlines-major-fundraiser-for-fairfax-democrats
Is this 'Rail to Loudoun', or is it 'Funds for the Campaign'?
Martha Polkey
9:40 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
To Mr. Jones:
To say Mr. Reid is unattractive yet is vain about his personal appearance would be an an hominem attack. To say he has accepted multiple campaign contributions from anti-transit and even anti-low-cost effective modern transportation advocates which have influenced his positions is not. Also not ad hominem is that, like D.C. Mayor Barry's drug addiction, Rep. Weiner's underpants images, and Rep. Foley's Congressional page solicitations, his reckless driving behavior has been made a public issue by Ken Reid himself. This is a fellow who claims that "transportation is [his] thing"--and it has been, in multiple unfortunate ways. He fought against the low-cost, successful Route 50 coalition project that reduced delays at Gilberts' Corner at a low cost. He was invited by Rep. Frank Wolf to attend a learning session at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Safety Center on Route 15 improvements--and was a no-show.
No one who has followed his public "career" would say that knowledge or public service drives his votes.
alex cudaback
2:33 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
Dear Bob-
Actually, I do believe that Metro should be part of a comprehensive transportation infrastructure. I'm not advocating the elimination of buses and cars, am I? The key word is "comprehensive," and any comprehensive transportation infrastructure includes rail. Nobody, anywhere, at any time, has ever said, "rail is the only public transportation possible." Show me who said that. I'll bet you a Coke you can't do it.
The other thing I'm curious about, since you brought it up, is the benchmark that must be reached before Metro becomes, as you say, "appropriate." Is it a population number? Is it a dollars per gallon of gas number? Is it a measurable pollutants in the atmosphere number? What do you need to see, exactly, for you to think Metro is "appropriate"? Because my instinct is no matter what the indicators are, you will always be against this kind of funding initiative on ideological grounds, pure and simple.
I'd love to hear that I'm wrong. But if this is a debate about ideology, it's a waste of all our time.
Bob Bruhns
4:37 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
Alex, you cosigned this open letter calling on a Loudoun County Supervisor to support this rail extension, so I think it is you who ought to explain your precise numeric justification. Do you have one? You cited the years that were spent preparing this project, so perhaps it's simply a matter of project momentum. Or, maybe it's a matter of party fundraising.
What about population density, and cost distribution? What about the bus infrastructure to move people to and from stations on the east side of Loudoun County? How about the jobs within a half mile and a mile of the stations? Isn't rail premature? Shouldn't a backbone of BRT be established first?
What about ridership? Is ridership important? If so, shouldn't we wait at least until November 2012, when WMATA says maybe they can get a ridership forecast to us? Strange that this was evidently not done after the years of planning. I had heard a 10,000 ridership forecast, but I think it was from 2002 or 2004, and that the forecast is being updated.
(continued)
Bob Bruhns
4:39 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
And what about the cost? There is one US DOT audit looking at risk factors including cost, that has been under way since March 2012, and there is another US DOT audit that has been under way since June 2011, looking at the management of MWAA. Both of these audits are being conducted by the Inspector General of the US DOT - but we have only gotten preliminary results so far. Cost was not mentioned in these results yet, but you might have heard about the reported no-bid contracts and other misbehavior on the part of MWAA, which has been managing the Dulles Rail Phase II project for years. That preliminary report was alarming, and I think this project should be stopped until some certainty of proper costing can be assured. Personally, I have more than a few doubts about the high costs that were revealed in the July 3, 2011 FTA White Paper - and I have some doubts about that White Paper itself, given that it counted the high cost of the Rt 28 parking garage twice! Shouldn't we wait for the full audit results before we commit huge amounts of state and county funds to this project?
(continued)
Bob Bruhns
4:40 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
Supposedly, Loudoun and Fairfax Counties were convinced to take on the construction of the Rt 28 station and five Phase II parking garages. Assuming that the counties do not turn around after the project is approved and say “Oh, well we changed our minds,” these will be financed with a public-private partnership of some sort with the counties. But if the counties decide that they can't so it, several hundred million dollars will have to be covered some other way. Strange deal, don't you think? After all of the years that you cited, shouldn't we have more certainty about how this will be funded?
Scott York, the Chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, says that his BOS is not sure how they will pay for this rail extension. The Fairfax County BOS said the same thing in their deliberations. The money went into a “CNI” - what the heck is a CNI? Oh, it's a Capital Needs Inventory – meaning, well, “Uh, we'll get it somewhere, we think.” But after all of the years you cited, don't you think there should be more certainty before proceeding with a project of this size?
(continued)
Bob Bruhns
4:40 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
And there is the issue of the excessive tolls on the Dulles Toll Road. We keep hearing leader after leader saying “Uh, well we need to find ways to got those tolls down.” After all of the years that you cited, don't you think we should have a better idea of what kind of bonds the counties will have to float to do that, and how many generations that we, our children, and our grandchildren, will have to repay it with tax dollars?
It's back in your court, Alex.
alex cudaback
8:23 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012
Thanks for that lengthy response, Bob.
But you've still not answered either of my original questions; you've only drowned them out with an increasingly opaque deluge of your own.
So, show me the Metro proponent who ever said, "rail is the only public transportation possible," and tell me, exactly, what will make it an "appropriate" time for Metro, and I'll consider playing with you.
Otherwise, no thanks.
Bob Bruhns
10:17 am on Sunday, May 27, 2012
Alex - you demand specific numbers of me, when you clearly have none yourself.
You shouldn't ask me for such rules - you should ask FTA, DOT and FRA - who not only will not fund this Dulles Rail Phase II project, who not only will not make a loan for it, but who won't even -undersign- a loan for it. Perhaps when you can actually meet any kind of standard for such jobs, or even actually -specify- your standards for such a huge job, we can talk.
I wish that you recognized that bus is the right choice for the transit backbone in Loudoun County and Western Fairfax County now. You downplay the bus that would be needed to get people to and from stations on the east side of Loudoun County, and you deny the feasibility of extending that same bus as the backbone to provide the transit that you say is needed. My mistake was to exaggerate your position - you DO admit that bus should be PART of a solution.
The thing is, out here around Loudoun County, bus is not just -part- of the solution, it is almost the -only- public transit solution. And that will remain true even if we get the full rail extension to Ashburn, because most people do not happen to live and work a quarter mile or less from the proposed rail stations.
Now downplay the lack of need or justification for this stunningly expensive rail extension that should be BRT instead, and declare victory over an exaggeration. I regret having given you that straw to grasp, but one can only live and learn.
alex cudaback
1:15 pm on Monday, May 28, 2012
Bob, the only one demanding things while providing nothing is you.
I've asked you two simple questions: show me anyone who's made the ridiculous comments you attribute to Metro supporters, and provide even one simple benchmark that you'll accept as showing when Loudoun can use Metro.
You've refused to provide either, which leads me to two, obvious, conclusions: one, you attribute things to people that they have never actually said simply to bolster your own arguments; and two, you will never accept a time as being right for Loudoun to have Metro even though you imply you will. You simply like to argue, you simply like to shout, and you simply like to point fingers.
Once people realize the emperor is wearing no clothes, there's no need to grasp at anything at all.
Melvin Summers
11:51 pm on Monday, May 28, 2012
Alex the great thing is, I don't even think Bob lives in Loudoun County, so I don't even see why he cares about OUR public transportation. That and he really has a thing for busses. He likes the way they blow huge black clouds of smoke into our air. I bet he speeds up his car so he can get a good lung full of it each time he sees it. Maybe he is fond of their frequent stops and limited seating. Maybe he likes how safe they are in an accident with no seat belts. Maybe his love for busses makes sitting on one for 2.5 hours to get from Ashburn to DC a pleasant experience for him. Yes back in his day busses were a nostalgia, and some people in his age group still hold onto that nostalgia, however I like a nice clean running efficient fast way to get down town, and I even like the idea of removing some of those black clouds from the air.
Yes to Metro