Excerpt
from a Special Report on
the CTRMA
In addition, an
April 15, 2004 memo from Don Martin
of Martin & Salinas, a public relations firm contracting
with HNTB, to TxDOT’s Austin District Engineer and
CTRMA’s executive director concerned what Martin
referred to as “the appropriate time to move into
‘campaign mode’ with the toll efforts.” In that memo,
Martin discussed examples of previous efforts and
proposed establishing a private citizen’s group to raise
money and run the campaign, separate from the public
education efforts authorized and funded through
CTRMA.
Martin’s proposal included participation by some groups
already contracting with CTRMA, such as Adelante
Solutions, Martin & Salinas and Peters.[104]
A copy of this memo can be found in
Appendix 9.
CTRMA’s executive director appears to be aware that
governmental agencies are prohibited from lobbying,
because he responded to the Martin memo with an April
21, 2004 letter stating that:
...as you note in your memo, it is essential that
any ‘advocacy efforts’ be separate and distinct from
the educational efforts which may be undertaken by
CTRMA.
CTRMA cannot and will not, engage in advocacy
efforts. All public relations efforts on behalf of
CTRMA will be educational in nature.[105]
Yet the public may have difficulty distinguishing and
separating the roles of these contractors. For example,
the Citizens for Mobility Web site lists Don Martin of
Martin & Salinas as its “media relations” coordinator.
Citizens for Mobility, according to its Web site, is a
“privately funded committee formed to support the
recently proposed toll road funding initiative.”
Thus Don Martin, who, according to the Martin &
Salinas Web site, is a Central Texas real estate
developer, is under contract to perform public relations
work for CTRMA’s general engineering consultant, while
at the same time working for groups actively trying to
build public and political support for
CTRMA’s plan.[107]
Furthermore,
CTRMA has hired Adelante Solutions, an
“entity” of Martin & Salinas, to answer public inquires
it receives. In other words, a public relations firm
owned in part by a developer who has a vested interest
in seeing US 183-A and other road projects completed, is
responding to questions posed to
CTRMA by members of the
public.[108]
The letter from
CTRMA’s executive director cited
above recognized the need to separate the authority’s
public outreach and education efforts from political
advocacy. CTRMA’s reliance on contracted public
relations firms engaged in parallel public advocacy
efforts, however, makes it difficult to ensure that its
money is not spent on political advocacy.
[
REPORT: Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority: A
Need for a Higher Standard (3/05)
]
