Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s decision to turn control of the Rail-to-Dulles project over to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is catching ack-ack fire from the Governor’s friends in the conservation community. Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, raises three weighty objections:
- “MWAA would be less accountable to the public because it is appointed and not elected.” The board could raise tolls and exercise eminent domain without accountability to voters. (See “Who Runs the MWAA?” Only five of 13 board members are appointed by Virginia’s governor.)
- “MWAA lacks experience in local land use and urban design.” The great challenge in successfully extending Metro to Dulles is integrating the Metro stations with local land use. Fairfax County’s authority and role in the project are not spelled out clearly.
- The MWAA’s primary interest is extending rail to Dulles Airport as soon as possible. That priority is not necessarily tops for Northern Virginia citizens, who have competing interests such as keeping a lid on taxes and tolls, and creating more liveable, balanced communities around the Metro stops.
Democracy is a messy business. But it beats handing over authority to an unaccountable board with its own institutional interests. If Gov. Kaine’s sole purpose is completing Rail-to-Dulles as quickly as possible, his decision may be a good one. If his purpose is finding a balance that works for citizens, his decision was questionable indeed.
