Aaron Barlow Sends Mailer To Cherokee Residents To Make Case Against Fulton/DeKalb MARTA Bill
Aaron Barlow, Republican primary challenger in Senate District 21, doesn’t like Senator Brandon Beach’s (R-SD-21) MARTA bill that affects Fulton and DeKalb Counties, but he has decided to take his fight against the Beach’s bill to Republican voters in Cherokee County and is apparently sending out mailers to Republican voters in Cherokee County against Senator Beach and his SB 330.
Yep, Cherokee County. SB 330 is discussing MARTA expansion primarily in north Fulton County and east DeKalb, but why not appeal to the TEA Party-rich, very conservative area of the district to hammer your opponent of proposing a way to fund public transportation expansion to a region that is expected to grow substantially?
Mr. Barlow says that he’s not anti-public transportation but against lobbyists and special interests and then questions if Senator Beach is running in the Democratic or Republican primary. Rhetoric like that can work in a primary with so much anti-incumbent sentiment but offers very little in terms of solutions.
I live in north Georgia outside of the metro Atlanta area, but with the metro region growing as we expect and want it to, transportation solutions will have to be put on the table. Building new roads and expanding existing ones won’t single-handedly solve the transportation needs of those who are living and looking to relocate here. A good transportation infrastructure (including a robust public transportation system) will be important to enticing companies to relocate to Georgia as well as a Millennial population that is coming of age. Not to mention, the Atlanta Business Chronicle listed a report by INTRIX, a transportation analytics company, saying that Atlanta is in the top 10 as one of the worst traffic cities in America.
Atlanta and the surrounding metro area is underserved by public transportation. Georgians shouldn’t look at the city and its surrounding cities in the metro area as lesser than New York, Chicago, or Houston. Atlanta is a world-class city. We’ve said this time and time again here (well, Charlie has), but we send our legislators to make tough decisions on behalf of their constituents. Senator Beach is making a tough decision in favor of looking towards the future growth of not just his district but of Georgia.
SB 330, which gives voters in Fulton and DeKalb the option to levy a half-percent sales tax on themselves to fund MARTA expansion at the ballot, may not be palatable to those who frequent TEA Party meetings, but I’m sure discussing and openly debating ideas and solutions to fund different modes of transportation in our state will earn a lot of Republican legislators the title of #LiberalModerateRINOEstablishmentSquish. Will this bill that won’t really affect Cherokee County all that much be the center of attention for Republican voters in Cherokee?
Let’s just say it’s an odd election year. Nothing should be surprising.
About Author
nsmith
Father. IT Geek. Former 14th District GOP Chairman (2015-2017). Former Walker GOP Chairman (2009-2013). Resident of Chamblee. American. Georgian. Conservative.
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Paging Aaron Barrow
We have real transportation issues now, if you add on the the unsafe brides and growth the problem the issue is on steroids. As I pointed out numerous times, this does not include the 60% increase in truck traffic in metro Atlanta once the Savannah port is complete. Aaron Barlow may be a Harvard MBA, could he please explain how he can fix the above problem without having rail as part of the solution and no new revenue sources? I have asked the same question to Scot Turner a rep near my district in Cherokee county, all I get from him is “I have moved the bar”. Turner never explains to any of us any real solutions, just talking points. Can we not all have a honest conversation about this issue? Telling people you can hope and pray the problem away is very disingenuous, or not disclosing the issue may be worse!
John, I really don’t mean to make fun of your dyslexia but “unsafe brides” was good for a chuckle. Mine had that potential early on before she got me domesticated.
As to this not being Cherokee County’s business it is my opinion that it shouldn’t be the legislature’s business either since they have no skin in the game.
Sorry, my bad, bridges.
….As to this not being Cherokee County’s business it is my opinion that it shouldn’t be the legislature’s business either since they have no skin in the game….
The problem is cause and effect via projects that are done like the Savannah port. That project will increase truck traffic in metro Atlanta by 60%. It cannot be solved county by county, and we need to attack the problem using many strategies, no way mathematically can just building roads solve it. You do not have to be a Harvard graduate to understand the problem.
I just went to this joker’s website and my blood is boiling from the lies he’s spewing.
“No independent study has been attempted to measure the return on investment of this $8 Billion MARTA project, and no alternative transit options were even considered.”
Ummm, HNTB did exactly that and it would’ve plunked $5.2B into the economy and added 45,000 jobs. And thats just of these three proposals. There have been so many other transit studies done that are just dismissed and the perveribal can gets kicked.
At least Brandon Beach was willing to stick his neck out there.
http://macpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Marta-MAC-brochure20.pdf
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” -Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Jack,
When you confront them with real numbers and facts, they will never give a straight answer. I have called them out numerous times through years, nothing more than talking points. We do not need another blow hard talking point office holder (Barron) . Agree or not with Sen. Brandon Beach, always is well prepared with facts, and has a thoughtful position.
“When you confront them with real numbers and facts, they will never give a straight answer.”
Umm…that reminds me of a certain other candidate that you’ve expressed some level of respect for…
Baker,
We have know each for years, and do not always agree. But what I always respect about you, is that facts do matter when we discuss issues. When you have people who just ignore facts, for political BS, I will call it out!
But yeah…Fortune 500 companies have explicitly said they are locating along MARTA lines for the purpose of transit proximity but somehow Mr. Barlow has missed all that.
Harvard educated Barlow must of been sleeping in class, when it was taught the efficient movement of people, goods and services creates a healthy economy.
A little help for you Mr. Barrow….
http://advancedleadership.harvard.edu/files/ali/files/aotm_report_final.pdf?m=1412018799
I was going to check out his issues page, but only got to the end of the 2nd sentence – “….and protect religious liberty including supporting RFRA” – then clicked back.
Barlow would better serve the GOP Cherokee County base by vowing to legislate away the Cherokee County GRTA bus service the state pays for.