This is the text of an e-mail sent from Kirk Watson on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007, to CAMPO board members.

CAMPO Board Members:

Attached is a letter Amadeo Saenz, the Executive Director of The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), sent to me. It purports to be a reply to my letter dated December 10, 2007, and it is very disappointing. As you know, I sought specific clarification to the indications in the media and elsewhere that five Central Texas highway improvements — requested by TxDOT itself and approved by the CAMPO Board on October 8, 2007 — might not receive the funding that TxDOT had

committed at the time of the October vote. The letter provides no specific clarification and fails to answer most of my questions.

It's additionally troubling that, after sitting on my letter for nearly two weeks, TxDOT issued the response late in the last afternoon before the Christmas weekend. I myself did not see it until Friday evening. I'm concerned that the delay was intended to postpone broadcast of this letter to a time where as few people as possible would be aware of it.

The so-called response merely re-presents TxDOT talking points that have been circulating for weeks and months, restating budget issues that were well-known and understood before October 8th. The letter avoids answering my straightforward questions, casts blame on others for ongoing and complex problems, suggests that concerns or uncertainty about TxDOT's position is attributable to some unforgivable public ignorance, and attempts to justify a significant departure in transportation financing policy that the Legislature expressly worked to slow down this year.

I will continue to seek, open, forthright, and verifiable answers to the questions that have arisen about TxDOT's proposed funding cutbacks to the state's transportation budget. They are matters of importance to Central Texas and the rest of the state.

In the meantime, have a great holiday break. Please be safe. Thanks for your hard work this year. Let's have a wonderful 2008.

 

KPW