Making a case for an elected LTD board.Byline: Jeff Wright Jeff Wright can refer to:
Why should the Lane Transit District A transit district or transit authority is a special-purpose district organized as either a corporation chartered by statute, or a government agency, created for the purpose of providing public transportation within a specific region. board of directors be elected rather than appointed? State Sen. Bill Morrisette sought to reverse that question Friday, asking a City Club of Eugene audience, "Why not have an elected board?" Morrisette, D-Springfield, said he applauds the work and direction of LTD's seven-member board but objects on principle to the idea of a board with the power to levy taxes and condemn property not being directly answerable an·swer·a·ble adj. 1. Subject to being called to answer; accountable. See Synonyms at responsible. 2. That can be answered or refuted: an answerable charge. 3. to voters. "Appointed boards should not have that kind of power," he said. While many transit boards across the country have appointed boards, in Oregon that is true only of LTD LTD 1 Laron-type dwarfism 2 Leukotriene D 3 Long-term depression, see there 4. Long-term disability and Portland's Tri-Met. Members are appointed by the governor and subject to approval of the state Senate. Last legislative session, Morrisette introduced a bill that would have moved LTD to an elected board. The bill - opposed by an LTD spokesman and lobbyist at a committee hearing - never reached the Senate floor. Morrisette has vowed to resubmit Verb 1. resubmit - submit (information) again to a program or automatic system feed back return, render - give back; "render money" the bill, or a similar version, in the 2007 Legislature. Morrisette's talk came at an opportune op·por·tune adj. 1. Suited or right for a particular purpose: an opportune place to make camp. 2. Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time: an opportune arrival. time: The governor's office currently is seeking to fill an LTD board vacancy, and has twice extended the application deadline. The successful applicant must reside in the transit district's Subdistrict 6 - which stretches from west Eugene to Junction City Junction City, city (1990 pop. 20,604), seat of Geary co., NE Kans., at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers; inc. 1859. The rail, trade, and processing center of an agricultural and dairy area, it grew as the supply point for nearby Fort Riley, - and also be a person "who regularly uses" mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a . State law requires that at least one LTD board member be a regular mass transit user. Morrisette noted that at least one current applicant, John Long of Eugene, has failed to impress the governor's office despite meeting the eligibility criteria. Morrisette said he wonders if Long's public declaration that he favors an elected board - or the fact that Long is a Republican and the governor is a Democrat - is a factor in the official lack of enthusiasm for Long's application. Such speculation is inevitable with appointive ap·poin·tive adj. Relating to or filled by appointment: an appointive office. Adj. 1. appointive - relating to the act of appointing; "appointive powers" 2. boards, Morrisette said. "There is no transparency in the current system," he said. The new LTD board member will succeed Dave Kleger, who resigned from the board in January after serving 12 years. During a question-and-answer period, Kleger said the LTD board's decisions are primarily administrative. He asked Morrisette if it's wise to place LTD under the auspices of an elected board subject to the bidding of special interests. Morrisette said an elected board might produce greater controversy, and more divergent views, and maybe even some political grandstanding. "But that goes with the territory of our elected system," he said. "That's good, that's healthy." One club member predicted that, with an elected board, business interests would push to elect members opposed to the tax on businesses and the self-employed that's currently used to help finance LTD operations. Other members questioned whether voters could be trusted to elect qualified board members, and the increased cost of public elections. Morrisette's response: "That's the cost of doing business as a democracy." His talk, at the Downtown Athletic Club The Downtown Athletic Club was an athletic club in a 35-story building located at 19 West Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It was founded in 1926. By 1927, it had purchased this site next to the Hudson River to construct its own building. in Eugene, drew nearly 100 people - but no LTD board members. City Club members in attendance included Sandra Bishop, who happens to be an elected member of the Eugene Water & Electric Board. Bishop, the winner of three contested races during her 10 years on the utility board, said she personally believes the LTD board should follow suit. "Any board with that much power over individuals' lives should be elected," she said. CAPTION(S): State Sen. Bill Morrisette speaks to the City Club of Eugene on Friday. Of the possible controversies and divergent views an elected LTD board could generate, Morrisette says: "But that goes with the territory of our elected system. That's good, that's healthy." Thomas Boyd Thomas Boyd may be
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