Despite a massive pro-transit campaign and the support of dozens of high profile state and local officials, the residents of Gwinnett County spoke loud and clear on Tuesday: they will not pay for MARTA expansion.
The results were never really in doubt as the votes poured in, with the ‘No’ side eventually prevailing by a 54-46 percent margin – some 8,000 votes.
The vote on a new 1 cent increase to the county’s sales tax is the third such rejection by Gwinnett residents, and the first since 1990. With an exploding population and a notable shift to the left politically, many observers thought this time a transit expansion could pass in the county, but it was not to be.
Joe Newton, coalition chairman for ‘No Marta in Gwinnett’ told InsiderAdvantage that he was pleased with the referendum’s results.
“We are very grateful to the people of Gwinnett county for coming out and expressing their opinion against an antiquated transportation system that not only does not fit our community but is extremely expensive and inflexible.” Said Newton Tuesday evening. “Now we can move on to managing our transportation with newer and more cost efficient solutions that can be adapted to new technology in the future.”
He continued, “We want to thank InsiderAdvantage and its management for its willingness to tell both sides of the story. Without the media we would not be able to tell our side of the story. We look forward to further discussions with the people of Gwinnett and the Atlanta region on new cost effective transportation alternatives.”
The transit debate is surely not over in Gwinnett, but the push to expand MARTA into the county, for now at least, is finished.
