Madaleno opposes Jones Bridge BRT in public, supports it in private

Last week, I wrote about how Maryland State Senator Richard Madaleno’s (D-District 18, Montgomery) position against transit funding and in favor of HOT lanes was “penny-wise and pound-foolish.” More recently, he has been opposing a BRT Purple Line on Jones Bridge Road in public, while accompanying pro-BRT on Jones Bridge representatives from the Town of Chevy Chase to meet with Governor O’Malley (D) in private, according to the Action Committee for Transit (PDF).

In testimony and public statements, Sen. Madaleno has opposed the plan to convert two lanes of Jones Bridge Road into a Bus Rapid Transit line….

But ACT has learned that Sen. Madaleno recently accompanied Town of Chevy Chase officials on an unpublicized visit to Governor Martin O’Malley to lobby in favor of the busway. The town strongly favors the Jones Bridge Road busway, which it has spent more than $400,000 to promote.

Meanwhile Town of Chevy Chase residents have raised questions on a local listserv about whether the Madaleno meeting violated open meeting rules. A listserv contributor cited reports that three of the town’s five council members had attended the meeting and asked whether what might amount to a council meeting had complied with open meeting laws.

The Town of Chevy Chase has opposed the Purple Line for 20 years. When the political calculus appeared to start to favor the construction of the Purple Line, a proposal for “Bus Rapid Transit” on Jones Bridge Road appeared as part of the Purple Line study.

Since then, the Prince George’s and Montgomery County councils both unanimously voted in favor of a Light Rail Purple Line. Both County Executives have signed off on those council resolutions. It is most likely that Governor O’Malley would select the locally preferred alternative. In the New Starts process, a governor’s decision that is contrary to the locally preferred alternative is not regarded favorably. The Purple Line will be competing for scarce federal funds and needs to conform to FTA metrics as much as possible in order to be successful.

Why would Mr. Madaleno say one thing in public and another in private? His district encompasses Chevy Chase, Kensington, western Silver Spring (Woodside), and Wheaton. (Disclosure: I reside in District 18.) Support for the Purple Line is high within District 18. The few pockets of opposition come from the Town of Chevy Chase. Why would an elected official say something in public that pleases a majority of his constituents while doing something in private that pleases less than 100 at the expense of thousands?

Also, why would a state level representative of Montgomery County privately lobby for things that are contrary to the will of the duly elected county government of his district? Both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have been working for many decades to make the Purple Line a reality. Bus Rapid Transit on Jones Bridge Road would not work because the buses would be stuck in heavy rush hour automobile traffic and is a bad idea for many other reasons. Being penny-wise and pound-foolish is one thing. Representing the will of a handful of constituents against the wishes of thousands of others is a whole other can of worms.

Mr. Madaleno should cut out the back-door lobbying on behalf of a small constituency of anti-neighbors and work hard in Annapolis to make sure that the will of the majority of the citizens of District 18, Montgomery County, and the Montgomery and Prince George’s County Councils come to fruition. The Washington region, including District and Virginia residents, Maryland as a whole, and our daily lives will become more economically vibrant and ecologically sustainable with a rail Purple Line.