Whatever one's personal opinion on the two primary issues in the T-SPLOST debate (the tax itself and the project list), the optics of the issue outside of Atlanta are static. That is, there growing national recognition that Atlanta has serious traffic issues and a long history of inaction on them. In the very competitive job-attraction game, regional rivals like Charlotte and fellow sunbelt growth cities like Dallas and Phoenix will make any argument they can against Atlanta; as Decatur's mayor points out, they're the parties with most to gain if the T-SPLOST vote fails. The Comments section on Thomas Wheatley's piece is as interesting as the article...for anyone just tuning in to the issue, most of the two sides' individual arguments are laid out fairly articulately. [Creative Loafing]
Filed under: