Mike Snyder Responds
I respect his willingness to defend his position. Since it’s clear he was relying on this distorted reporting by the field reporter at his station, I won’t hold it too much against him:
Interesting how some people will stoop to name calling instead of engaging in civil discourse. I will not dignify the ugly comments made about me on your blog with a direct response to those name callers. Their statements speak for themselves.
I am sometimes disappointed to discover I am human and quite capable of making mistakes. The difference between me and the name callers is I admit my mistakes, correct the errors and move on. I did misidentify Mayor Seay, sworn in just a month ago. I had grown accustom to associating HP with Mayor White. I am sorry for that error and correction made. Read my blog http://snurl.com/2ez5y.
I was not at last night’s meeting, but our reporter and camera were, and in an interview video taped and aired on NBC-5, Mayor Seay said the toll idea for Mockingbird Lane, while not likely any time soon, is “still on the table.” You can parse those words any way you like, but that is what the Mayor said on video tape. Are we not to believe your mayor, or was he just joking?
Ok…”still on the table,” can mean many, many things. Sure, I’m betting every city and town would like to keep as many options as they can open and available. As many politicians know (”Read my lips, no new taxes,” ring a bell?), promising an absolute on the record is a really dumb move.
So sure, congestion pricing is still on the table, as could be a troll at the edge of Airline and Mockingbird, demanding you answer three riddles correctly in order to pass through. Really, wise city leaders don’t take any possibility off the table at all, because eventually, you just might need it.
But that doesn’t mean that he’s being snobby, elitist, etc. Many cities and towns are investigating the concept of congestion pricing. I suggest you Google it, read up, and realize that sometimes when trying to solve a problem like Mockingbird - a thoroughfare in the middle of a neighborhood - you reasonably and responsibly look at every conceivable idea out there.