MARTA: Bueller? Bueller?
Juanita Jones Abernathy conducted MARTA’s public meeting last night at Atlanta City Hall, and she began by recognizing staff and board members of the transit system.
Abernathy, herself a member of MARTA’s board of directors, then moved onto elected officials.
And she said, “Are there any elected officials here?”
Of the 100 people in the auditorium, not a single hand went up.
So she asked again, “There aren’t any elected officials here?”
No, Ms. Abernathy. Not a single elected official attended a public meeting held near the system’s busiest station (Five Points) to discuss the proposed cuts and fare hike.
And according to MARTA spokeswoman Cara Hodgson, there were no elected officials at a meeting in North Fulton that the transit system held concurrently.
That means:
No city council members
No state senators
No state representatives
No federal elected officials
No mayors
Some background: About 500,000 people ride MARTA every day. The transit system has proposed cuts because a main part of its revenue, the sales tax, has declined because with the recession, people are spending less.
The people who attended the meeting included senior citizens, students and disabled people. These people aren’t anyone’s constituents?
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