The People Win Prop 9!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2005
People for Efficient Transportation (TexasTollParty.com)
Contact: Sal Costello
Sal@TexasTollParty.com

The People Win Prop 9!
Prop 1 Rail Fund Fight - Far From Over.

Austin, TX - While the controversial Constitutional Amendment 2 soaked up the limelight in this election, a grassroots whisper campaign for accountability took hold across central Texas, uniting urban and rural communities. With virtually no dollars, the movement against the tolling of the public highways and against the mammoth Trans Texas Corridor scored an important victory and exposed the vulnerability of Governor Rick Perry.

Farmers and ranchers from the Texas blacklands, suburban "soccer moms", and central city dwellers from Austin, most having never participated in political campaigns in their lives, worked together with nothing more than 100,000 donated flyers, homemade signs, a growing email list and shoe polish on their car windows. These ordinary people were quietly organizing their friends, neighbors and co-workers to the polls in Travis, Bell, Waller, Bexar, Fayette, Harris, Travis Johnson, Navarro, Brazos, Gonzales, Williamson, Hays, Milam, Bastrop, Uvalde and Comal counties.

Constitutional Amendment 1, the Texas Relocation Rail Fund passed -- by a small statewide margin. Constitutional Amendment 9, the Governor's attempts to extend the terms of unelected, unaccountable Regional Mobility Authority board members, who will set toll rates for Texas public freeways, was soundly defeated.

Both measures were trounced by 66-78% margins in counties, like Milam, Waller, Fayette and Bell where farmers and ranchers are trying desperately to hold on to their land being threatened by Gov. Perry's Trans Texas Corridor Tollway. Travis and Williamson County, where the anti-"double-tax" toll movement began brought central and suburban neighbors together to defeat pro-toll, pro-Corridor, Props 1 & 9.

Sal Costello, founder of TexasTollParty.com said, "We fought Goliath with sticks and stones -- emails, word of mouth, 100,000 leaflets and the people came through for the sake of accountability. That means the Governor and his minions, who pushed 1 & 9, like State Rep. Mike Krusee -- who sent out an expensive direct mail (at the taxpayers expense) to his constituents -- are vulnerable. As a matter of fact, the majority of Krusse's district said no to 1, 3 & 9, two of which are authored by Krusee!"

"The rail tax giveaway fight is far from over. The foxes in the 2007 legislature will be seeking to raise our taxes, as a giveaway to private corporations like Union Pacific, so they can get new rail in the Trans Texas Corridor Tollway. Now, it's also up to the people to decide who's going to be in office in 2007 as we head in to the heated primaries next March. And, we'll be there in some key races," said Sal Costello

Linda Curtis, who chairs Independent Texans and is the chief organizer for the TexasTollParty.com said, "Our task now is to use our loss as well as our gains, to build for the future. That's going to take a host of reforms, not the least of which is for the ballot language on these constitutional amendments to be crystal clear. That's going to take a full blown statewide movement, across all party lines, for political reform as those who make the rules -- for now -- rule."