Abolish TriMet!!

In addition to the continuing unholy war on the Fareless Square, the latest news is that TriMet board of directors wants a 25-cent, or 14-percent fare increase, ostensibly because of the fuel costs, and they are whining that they had to "let go of" 18 staff positions. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/trimet_plans_fare_increase.html

Now tell me, TriMet has been hiring hundreds of new operators (seen those "FIND your calling" ads?), spending an embarrasingly colossal amount of money on expensive toys such as the MAX Green Line light rail, and even buying BIODIESEL, which everyone knows is way more expensive than the real diesel fuel. Biodiesel also contributes to world hunger and increase on food prices, which affects the poor both at home and abroad.

Here's the source of all evil that is TriMet, a now corrupt stand-alone bureaucracy that answers to no one and has a carte blanche to tax, increase fares, and spend as it sees fit.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon was chartered by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1969 to rescue the ailing Rose City Transit Co. from collapse. Since then, this unelected special district is run by a seven-member board appointed by the Governor. The only accountability of the board rests on the Governor's ability to appoint and recall members. Nevertheless, TriMet has a power to legislate, power to police, and power to tax, just like any city or county; and is given a monopoly over public transportation in the region.

At the time there was no Metropolitan Service District (Metro), which was created eight years later in 1977. Metro, on the other hand, is an elected body.

Until recently the boundaries of Metro and TriMet were nearly identical, and Metro's duties include urban planning, such as consolidated transportation plans.

I believe that the time is ripe for an abolition of TriMet, which could take any one of these forms:

1. Complete annexation of TriMet into Metro; TriMet becomes a division of Metro; administrative functions consolidate into Metro; abolishes the TriMet BOD; TriMet general manager answers to Metro Council.
2. Semi-privatization of TriMet into a public corporation similar to SAIF Corporation or Oregon Health & Science University; removes legislative, taxation and police powers from TriMet and transfer them to Metro; Metro enters into contract with TriMet to fund the transit system; TriMet answers to Metro Council, and Metro retains rights to terminate contract or enter into contract with other corporations.
3. Re-incorporation of TriMet as an Oregon public benefit corporation, a 501(c)(3), similar to Portland Streetcar, Inc. and Portland Aerial Tram Inc.; Metro enters into contract; TriMet relinquishes all governmental powers.

The proposed fare increase is unnecessary, and we ought not to tolerate the mismanagement and irresponsible spending spree any further. TriMet has not even considered cutting down on excessive services (such as 4-Division and 8-Jackson Park running every 3-5 minutes in the morning when buses are half empty), charging premium fares (such is done by C-TRAN, King County METRO, etc.) on commuter services, requiring employers to sponsor shuttle services that primarily serve specific worksites (like Seattle's "Custom Bus" routes), or spinning off underperforming rural lines such as the Estacada or the Kelso-Boring to agencies such as the South Clackamas Transportation District or the Sandy Area Metro. TriMet continues to spend on novelties such as biodiesel and light rail even when such luxuries are financially unsustainable.

All this is perpetrated while TriMet's board of directors continue their war on the low-income, fixed-income and homeless riders.

Here's why. The unelected TriMet board of directors primarily represents the big business interest that encompasses banking, real estate, and development special interests:

SW Portland
Richard Van Beveren landlord and owner of restaurant/catering service in Hillsboro
N, NW & portions of SW Portland
Tiffany Sweitzer Hoyt Street Properties
N & NW Portland
George Passadore Wells Fargo (TriMet board president)
SE Portland
Sue Van Brocklin The Partners Group (financial advisory and insurance brokerage)
NE Portland
George Richardson NW Natural Gas
E Multnomah County
Lynn Lehrbach Teamsters Union organizer (replaced the disgraced, soon-to-be-former-sheriff Bernie Giusto on January 8)
Clackamas County
Robert Williams Oregon Department of Environmental Quality(?)

In other words there is no voice to represent the marginalized and the oppressed.

Sure, TriMet occasionally holds a road show disguising itself as a public hearing. None of these people above even show up there -- instead there is a City of Portland Hearing Officer facilitating, and a court reporter to write a transcript. It is a such a joke.

I think we've had enough of this nonsense with this overgrown bureaucracy whose culture of corruption and corporate welfare has marked the entirety of its history. Oh, by the way, there probably is something dirty going on between TriMet and Stacy & Witbeck.