Cobb transit tax opponents to hold campaign kickoff event

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A coalition opposed to the Cobb transit tax referendum in November will kick off its campaign next weekend in East Cobb.Cobb transit tax opponents to hold campaign kickoff event

The Cobb Taxpayers Association announced Tuesday that a number of elected officials and others will be in attendance at the event on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 12-2 p.m. at Grace Resurrection Methodist Church (1200 Indian Hills Parkway).

The group is leading efforts against a 30-year, one-percent sales tax that, if approved by voters, is expected to collect more than $11 billion to expand bus service in Cobb.

Among the projects that would be funded with the tax is the construction of a bus transfer station in the Roswell-Johnson Ferry Road area and the restoration of two bus routes through East Cobb that were eliminated during recession budget cuts

Guest speakers at the kickoff event include:

  • Yashica Marshall, candidate for Board of Commissioners, District 4
  • Ed Setzler, State Senator
  • Bob Barr, former US Congressman, current president of the NRA
  • Alicia Adams, candidate for BOC, District 2
  • Jim Jess, chairman emeritus, Franklin Roundtable (formerly the Georgia Tea Party)
  • Salleigh Grubbs, chair of the Cobb County GOP
  • Pam Reardon, candidate for BOC, District 2
  • Denny Wilson, South Cobb local political activist

According to the CTA, the event is designed to “get YOU fired up and ready to roll up your sleeves to volunteer in our campaign to defeat this odious tax.”

There will be sign-up sheets for phone-banking, canvassing, distributing leaflets, waving signs at major intersections and putting up yard signs.

“It will give you the opportunity to experience the fact that you are not alone in this fight to save our county,” CTA said in its announcement Tuesday.

Last week, Cobb government unveiled an education page about the referendum that was produced by Kimley-Horn, an Atlanta consulting firm the county is paying $287,000 for outreach efforts, including town halls this fall.

Cobb commissioners voted 3-2 to put the proposed sales tax to a referendum, with three Democratic commissioners voting in favor, and two Republicans opposed.

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9 thoughts on “Cobb transit tax opponents to hold campaign kickoff event”

  1. Just take a look at the bus next time one rolls by. How many people are on it? Sure. Let’s add more busses and routes so there is more busses for people to not ride, on routes no one uses.

  2. People who have no cars or money can’t afford to shop in Merchant’s Walk anyway. Seniors can’t ride the bus because it requires too much walking to the final destination. Getting to the transfer stations requires having a car for 80 % of the county. Providing senior discounts on Uber makes more sense.

  3. What I am not ok with is giving this council 11 billion dollars of taxpayer money in the hopes they will spend it wisely. They have not done anything wise since they came into power. Cobb once had the reputation of being the best run county in metro Atlanta. Not any more.

    • I totally agree. The Democrats on this Commission seem to have a “you will own nothing and be happy” agenda. It’s almost like they are members of the World Economic Forum.

  4. All the speakers are Republicans. And almost half are running for office. Looks like they’re trying to use this issue to try to flip Cobb back to red.

    Opponents are OK with paying taxes for roads they’ll never drive on or for schools their kids won’t attend. But paying a 1% sales tax for public transportation is a bridge too far.

    The fastest growing demographic in Cobb is seniors. So the need for public transportation alternatives will likely increase.

    And Pam Reardon is no longer eligible to be a candidate for BOC District 2, based on the Legislature-approved map.

  5. If I’m not mistaken fare box receipts cover less than 30 percent of the cost of a ride for a transit patron in Cobb. That means that the rider pays 30 cents (or less) for every dollar it costs to transport that person. The other 70 cents is funded by taxpayers, in a variety of ways, who likely never use the system.

    Why would taxpayers want to expand Cobb Linc with more stations, more routes, BRT, door-to-door services, etc. when it will only bring more riders whose fares Cobb County residents will then have to subsidize.

    I’m not necessarily opposed to transit but I am opposed to shifting the costs of the trip from the riders to people who never set foot on a bus.

  6. I hope you are right Jessica about it being dead already.
    This is yet another scam by Lisa Cupid and her posse including the ever-present Cupid trademark colossal waste of taxpayer money on consultants.
    It would be very interesting to see what an honest and thorough forensic audit on Cupid would turn up.

  7. Waste of time and money to oppose it. This tax is dead already. Cobb residents are pretty famous for voting down wasted taxes unless there is real proof it will do something good.

    What Cobb Transit should be doing is running once an hour buses on the proposed routes and see if there are riders. THEN they can make recommendations. Building transit stations when there aren’t any riders at all is just dumb. I’d be embarrassed to recommend that project if I were them. 30 yr tax? Those people are just crazy.

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