Metro Funding Advocates Hold Rally

Members of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission joined other regional leaders yesterday morning at a rally in Prince William County to support new financing for the Metro transit system, despite earlier criticism from two Virginia legislators that it was an improper use of taxpayer money.

The event, at a commuter park-and-ride lot, was sponsored by the commission, which owns Virginia Railway Express and allocates more than $100 million in state and federal transit money. Although members maintained their right to use the commission's public funds to hold the event, leaders said the rally was paid for by the Greater Washington Board of Trade to avoid concerns raised by Dels. L. Scott Lingamfelter and Jeffrey M. Frederick, both Prince William Republicans.

"We didn't want to play into the hands of those who wanted to deflect attention from the transportation crisis that is being caused by the House leadership," said David F. Snyder, the commission's vice chairman and a Falls Church City Council member. The expenses included coffee, doughnuts and copies of a brochure.

Snyder, other commission members and elected officials, business leaders and some Prince William Metro riders sought to persuade General Assembly members to support a proposal that would allow Fairfax County, Arlington County and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax to raise the sales tax in their jurisdictions by one-quarter percent to support additional Metro funding. If Virginia, Maryland and the District agree to dedicate more money for Metro, a bill in Congress proposes a match of up to $1.5 billion.

The Virginia measure was defeated in the House during the regular session of the General Assembly but is still viable as lawmakers debate the state budget during a special session.

Holding the event at a commuter lot in Prince William highlighted the benefits for the county's 10,000 or so Metro riders while putting pressure on several delegates from the county who oppose the financing proposal.

"Those delegates in Prince William don't have the support of their own county and their own people," Snyder said, citing a recent unanimous vote by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in support of a dedicated funding source for Metro. "What appears to be playing out here is an ideology that is taking precedence over what the people want and need for solutions."

When commission members first planned to hold the rally in March, Lingamfelter and Frederick said it was improper advocacy by a government panel on behalf of a tax increase. Lingamfelter said yesterday that he had no problem with the rally, because it was paid for with private funds. But the delegate, who, like the House Republican leadership, opposes tax increases for transportation improvements, said he wasn't about to change his mind on the Metro funding issue.

"They can come down and have all the press conferences they want, but we're going to stick to our principles," he said.

Lingamfelter said he didn't want to allow neighboring jurisdictions to raise their taxes, even for something that would benefit his constituents, saying Virginians are already overtaxed. "We've got to keep taxes under control right now," he said, adding that "the majority of people in Prince William slug or drive up the road like I do every day."