Guest Editorial
Jeff Meilbeck
Transportation Services Director
Coconino County

Although drawing conclusions about voter sentiment is risky, taking a hard look at the facts of the failed transit tax campaign in preparation for the future is justified. 

Fact # 1:  Proposition 403 was based on a new 5 Year Transit Plan developed through a public process over the past 18 months.  Funding was not about crises management, but about a significantly improved transit future.  A yes vote would have doubled the transit tax from .0017 to .0033 and made it permanent (sunset is 2010).  Headways would have decreased from 30 to 15 minutes, new neighborhoods would have been served, and environmentally friendly buses would have been purchased. 

Fact # 2:  Over the past 5 years Mountain Line service levels have tripled (10,000 hours to 33,000) and ridership levels have gone up 6-fold (100,000 riders to 600,000 riders).  Mountain Line has high customer satisfaction scores, 95% on-time performance, and a relatively new fleet of vehicles. 

Fact # 3:  Transit staff did not proactively forge relationships with tourism, business, advocacy and social service groups to explain the goals and strategies of the new transit plan.  As Transportation Director, I did not provide adequate information on proposition 403 which would have allowed time and consideration for these critical community groups to form an official opinion and mobilize resources.

Fact # 4:  The 2006 campaign could best be characterized as non-existent.  There were no highly visible champions from the public, private, or special interest sectors.  No funds were raised in support of either a yes or no vote.  No signs were printed, ads published, buttons produced, commercials run, or bumper stickers posted.  Few additional resources were put into a public outreach effort.  Connections were not made with voters.  The value of public transportation was not made clear. 

Looking ahead to 2008 Flagstaff may want to consider successful campaigns from other cities.  Over the past 14 months, 84% of transit ballots in the United States have been passed by voters.  Many of these required a super-majority 66% positive vote.  Common themes of successful campaigns include fund-raising and leadership from business interests, strong advocacy from respected elected officials, get out the vote efforts from quality of life advocacy groups, intense media analysis of pro and con perspectives, and extensive factual information created and distributed by local governments. 

Perhaps most significantly, successful transit campaigns are based on diverse and sometimes opposing community players joining together on common ground issues.  A diverse transit campaign forged on the shared goals of promoting individual and collective economic vitality, providing affordable mobility, and improving quality of life forms a solid basis for broad-based relationships.  Similar to recent successful transit initiatives in Tucson and Phoenix, this collective approach allows public transportation issues to connect in a deep way with the Flagstaff community.  A transit defeat in 2006 creates an opportunity in 2008.

So what happens now?  The defeat of proposition 403 means that Mountain Line and VanGo will continue to operate as we are doing today.  Mountain Line will continue to provide 30 minute headways during the week and 60 minute service on Saturday and Sunday.  Transit staff will continue to provide excellent service to our customers, coworkers and partners.  We will continue to design and construct new facilities and bus shelters.  Flagstaff, Sedona, Cottonwood, Coconino County, Yavapai County and NAU will continue to establish the new transit authority (NAIPTA) with a July 1, 2006 transfer date.  Transit Managers will continue to plan for the future and make our work environment an ever-improving place for employees.  In the words of management guru Jim Collins, we will keep “rotating the flywheel”, building on our formula for ridership and customer satisfaction success, until we can ask council to return to the voters in 2008.

Conclusions are risky, but I predict that the Mountain Line and VanGo transit systems have only just begun to establish themselves in Flagstaff and that the new Five Year Transit Plan will be carried by many in 2008.  Until then, Mountain Line and VanGo will continue to provide the best possible service at the greatest possible value to the taxpayer.

Jeff Meilbeck