SAN ANTONIO — City support for VIA Metropolitan Transit's controversial streetcar collapsed Monday as recently appointed San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor called for the $32 million that the city had pledged for it be redirected to other center city development initiatives.

She also said that the streetcar, and any rail plan, should not proceed without a public vote, and she pushed for the creation of a city charter commission to explore transportation and other issues.

“The current proposal is very unpopular,” Taylor said. “We certainly believe there needs to be community consensus on a comprehensive multimodal transportation plan.”

In a stunning reversal, County Judge Nelson Wolff said he would ask Bexar County's appointees on the VIA board to withdraw their support for streetcar, a plan several years in the making. Wolff said officials simply were unable “to gain sufficient public support” for the rail project.

“You win some, you lose some,” Wolff said. “We've lost this one.”

Taylor and Wolff, who has been the chief advocate for the streetcar, spoke at a joint news conference Monday afternoon after the City Council met in executive session to discuss a petition drive to put streetcar on the November ballot.

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This is good news as far as I am concerned.  These types of petition drives can be very effective when tied to a vote that the people can vote their mind on these issues.

It can be very good tool for those fighting city hall.  

I wish Houston had never gotten their toy train.

SA  has plenty of good bus routes for tourist and people on foot already plus for tourist it is fun to walk the city.

Good deal.  Castro and Wolff were the biggest pushers of that project and I was hoping that with Castro gone there wouldn't be enough support to keep it going.  It would have been a huge waste of tax payers money.

At any given time these types of petitions to vote are being used in several cities in Texas.  

You need a small percentage of the last vote in the city to make it happen.  I dont remember how many but with the voter turn out we have these days it is not many..

Trouble is most city halls fight like hell to disallow these types of activities.

Yep.

It was your typical monument to a politician's ego: Expensive, and worthless.



They realized that if we ever got a chance to vote on it, it would have been DOA.

So, they killed it to save their own political skins.

That money could be spent on much better things - Like creating pull-off lanes, so buses don't hold up vehicle traffic every time they stop to pick up a passenger.

Or giving the city manager another raise, since she's still doing such a good job

Or pay all the lawyer fees she's racking up by fighting the police officer's union tooth & nail

Why do I think that money will eventually go to social programs anyway?
Am I bad?

edit: I didn't want the train either.

With that piece of shit smile I'd love knocking out all his fucking teeth and wipe that smile off his commie face!

Your signature line explains your point of view on that issue.  Glad your union and SAPOA don't have a problem spending your money, I mean union dues,  on mud slinging commercials on the radio targeting her as if the entire thing was her idea and she is out to get you.  City manager has a job to do just like you do.  I know some of the city's claims are probably off, but bitching about having to pay some of your healthcare cost as a city employee will fall on many a deaf ear I'm afraid.

Typical Democratic Party tax and spend project

LOL!!!

Unions are leeches sucking the blood out of this once great nation

Gonna earmark that money for the Raiders.

TXL

LOL, isn't it at least one team a year that uses the threat of moving to San Antonio as leverage to get a new stadium deal in their home town?  I think one team did it years ago and it worked so now they all do it.  At least with the Raiders the team colors would match the Spurs lol

Castro is a communist.

LOL, Nice!