Another missed opportunity for our elected leaders to demand real answers from the man who currently controls BILLIONS of federal and state tax dollars
Thank you, Dr. Cerato and Senator Boren, for your honest effort to ask these tough question in an attempt to get honest answers. The sucking noise you heard as you left the room was the drop in intelligence and integrity that was left in the void.
Senator Boren's Leadership and Tim Gatz the Crony Operative
[Oklahoma's Executive Nomination Crisis: Exposing the Endless Cycle of Corruption]
NOTE: This is a piece I authored for the No More Oklahoma Turnpikes! Facebook group. I live in Norman, Oklahoma west of where the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is abusing eminent domain powers to serve developer interests with new Turnpikes through what is currently rural property. I am not directed affected in this case; however, are we not all affected by government abuse of certain powers?
First, as the President of Passenger Rail Oklahoma, I would like to thank Senator Boren and Amy Cerato for reviving some of my faith in our democratic-republic. While critically wounded, it is not dead yet.
Full disclosure, my personal property is not 'yet' threatened by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), or the Secretary of Transportation. (I guess the Governor has yet to replace [Tim] Gatz as secretary?) However, this does not mean I am unaffected. All of Oklahomans are affected in some manner simply due to rampant state government cronyism.
Cronyism at ODOT, as highlighted in Amy's piece, directly affected our long term effort to get ODOT to follow the law. This law is the Oklahoma Tourism and Passenger Rail Act of 1996 (Title 66, Section 321-325).
More specifically, the act, still on the books, requires ODOT to do all things necessary to link stations in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties with points on the national passenger rail network. Another long-retired state senator, Dave Herbert authored the legislation.
In 2013, one of Gatz’s predecessors, the late-Gary Ridley who was then ODOT Director, placed a 97.5-mile rail route between Del City and Sapulpa up for sale. The state purchased the line in 1998 to fulfill the intent of the 1996 law. If you were a crony like Ridley, Gatz, Mike Patterson, David Streb, Neil McCaleb or even [U.S. Representative] Tom Cole what would you do?
In 2013 Ridley placed the line up for sale at the request of the BNSF Railway. He understood we were getting close to achieving Senator Herbert's vision and that of my predecessors - probably the most effective being Tom Elmore.
Despite many too-little, too-late attempts by the legislature, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission allowed the sale to proceed. The Stillwater Central Railroad shortline won the bidding war.
Gatz though only told half of the story in his testimony. Are you surprised? The legislature and Governor Fallin spent the majority of the $75 million proceeds from the sale to in part fill a state budget failure that resulted from too many tax cuts.
Today, the Oklahoma City - Tulsa passenger rail project is effectively dead. The Oklahoma City - Newton, Kansas Heartland Flyer expansion project in critical condition, although that was never a well conceived plan in the first place. These failures result from a legacy of governors and state legislators confirming state transportation officials who not just ignore the law but work against it to serve the Oklahoma Infrastructure Cult.
I assume the vast majority of the current class of term-limited state legislators are unaware that the 1996 law exists. Senator Boren is not one of these. In fact we had a long discussion on the phone just after Attorney General Gentner Drummond's decision regarding an individual holding multiple positions in state government.
Regardless of your position concerning passenger rail development, you cannot argue that the state is ignoring the law... this is both the legislature as a governing body and ODOT. How deep does this go?
In the end, I am not as disappointed with the state agencies, the legislature, the governor, and Oklahoma congressional delegation as I am with the people of the state. We all share in neglect of our democratic-republic. We do not do not vet candidates before elections. We do not hold those elected accountable to uphold the law.
We have to do better or the electorate will continue to be a pawn for those who stand to gain financially from the status quo.
Thank you, Dr. Cerato and Senator Boren, for your honest effort to ask these tough question in an attempt to get honest answers. The sucking noise you heard as you left the room was the drop in intelligence and integrity that was left in the void.
Senator Boren's Leadership and Tim Gatz the Crony Operative
[Oklahoma's Executive Nomination Crisis: Exposing the Endless Cycle of Corruption]
NOTE: This is a piece I authored for the No More Oklahoma Turnpikes! Facebook group. I live in Norman, Oklahoma west of where the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is abusing eminent domain powers to serve developer interests with new Turnpikes through what is currently rural property. I am not directed affected in this case; however, are we not all affected by government abuse of certain powers?
First, as the President of Passenger Rail Oklahoma, I would like to thank Senator Boren and Amy Cerato for reviving some of my faith in our democratic-republic. While critically wounded, it is not dead yet.
Full disclosure, my personal property is not 'yet' threatened by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), or the Secretary of Transportation. (I guess the Governor has yet to replace [Tim] Gatz as secretary?) However, this does not mean I am unaffected. All of Oklahomans are affected in some manner simply due to rampant state government cronyism.
Cronyism at ODOT, as highlighted in Amy's piece, directly affected our long term effort to get ODOT to follow the law. This law is the Oklahoma Tourism and Passenger Rail Act of 1996 (Title 66, Section 321-325).
More specifically, the act, still on the books, requires ODOT to do all things necessary to link stations in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties with points on the national passenger rail network. Another long-retired state senator, Dave Herbert authored the legislation.
In 2013, one of Gatz’s predecessors, the late-Gary Ridley who was then ODOT Director, placed a 97.5-mile rail route between Del City and Sapulpa up for sale. The state purchased the line in 1998 to fulfill the intent of the 1996 law. If you were a crony like Ridley, Gatz, Mike Patterson, David Streb, Neil McCaleb or even [U.S. Representative] Tom Cole what would you do?
In 2013 Ridley placed the line up for sale at the request of the BNSF Railway. He understood we were getting close to achieving Senator Herbert's vision and that of my predecessors - probably the most effective being Tom Elmore.
Despite many too-little, too-late attempts by the legislature, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission allowed the sale to proceed. The Stillwater Central Railroad shortline won the bidding war.
Gatz though only told half of the story in his testimony. Are you surprised? The legislature and Governor Fallin spent the majority of the $75 million proceeds from the sale to in part fill a state budget failure that resulted from too many tax cuts.
Today, the Oklahoma City - Tulsa passenger rail project is effectively dead. The Oklahoma City - Newton, Kansas Heartland Flyer expansion project in critical condition, although that was never a well conceived plan in the first place. These failures result from a legacy of governors and state legislators confirming state transportation officials who not just ignore the law but work against it to serve the Oklahoma Infrastructure Cult.
I assume the vast majority of the current class of term-limited state legislators are unaware that the 1996 law exists. Senator Boren is not one of these. In fact we had a long discussion on the phone just after Attorney General Gentner Drummond's decision regarding an individual holding multiple positions in state government.
Regardless of your position concerning passenger rail development, you cannot argue that the state is ignoring the law... this is both the legislature as a governing body and ODOT. How deep does this go?
In the end, I am not as disappointed with the state agencies, the legislature, the governor, and Oklahoma congressional delegation as I am with the people of the state. We all share in neglect of our democratic-republic. We do not do not vet candidates before elections. We do not hold those elected accountable to uphold the law.
We have to do better or the electorate will continue to be a pawn for those who stand to gain financially from the status quo.
Evan Stair
President
Passenger Rail Oklahoma