10. it's backed by a herd of lobbyists.
Some lobbyists support rail, many others do not. A single professional lobbyist in support of light rail has not lobbied me.

Rail, however, is supported by a wide array of community groups: Environmental Defense Fund, Clean Water Action, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Sierra Club, Friends of the Cross-town Greenery, Austin Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus, Stonewall Democrats of Austin, South Austin Democrats, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Austin Alliance, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Council of Austin...(See complete endorsement list)

9. it's listed for emergency passage.
No, the discussions on rail have been lengthy, around 15 years now. it has been widely publicized since the spring of 1999 that there would be a rail election this year. That was when the Legislature passed enabling legislation allowing Capital Metro to have a rail election "on or before November 7, 2000."

For a while there was public discussion of having the election in May 2000, but November was chosen in large part to provide more time for community wide discussion.

8. There's a deadline set by out-of-town investors.
No. The only deadline is the one imposed in the election legislation. if rail doesn't pass what will happen is that a herd of special interest lobbyists and road warriors will go after one-half of Metro's tax at the Legislature. Some legislators are poised to introduce such legislation.

7. The contracts are more than two inches thick and were available only hours before they were to be approved, or even after the meeting started.
No. The documents are thick, but they are readily available for public scrutiny and have been throughout the process.

6. Lobbyists claim it will create jobs, promote tourism and boost the tax base.
Yes, some lobbyists do. I claim the first and third one in this. Other lobbyists offer a number of reasons not to support rail.

5. Rules are suspended to limit public input.
No, there have been innumerable public hearings and meetings on rail, and will continue throughout the election. An election is the ultimate form of public input.

4. it's touted as making Austin a world class city.
Okay, a few people said that. More importantly, light rail: protects the quality of life in Austin; redirects growth away from the most environmentally sensitive areas; protects air quality by taking cars off of the road; reduces the growth rate of congestion; offers transportation options; helps prevent highways from being built through neighborhoods.

3. Voters have turned it down at least once, but it keeps coming back.
No. In fact voters have approved it once as rail was prominently discussed as part of Capital Metro's mission when voters authorized creation of the agency in 1986. The Metro board chose to hold an election because rail is such an important issue. This is likely Austin's only chance to vote on light rail because the Texas Legislature is poised to take away the revenues for rail if the referendum fails.

2. it's repeatedly posted for executive session.
No, there have been no executive sessions on rail, at least not in the three years I have been on the Metro board. All board discussions have been in public.

1. it's said that Austin is the only city of its size that doesn't have one.
Lots of cities Austin's size don't have one. The same is true for cities bigger than Austin like Houston and San Antonio. A lot of cities, some bigger, some around the same size, do have successful rail systems. They include Dallas, Denver, St. Louis, Memphis, Atlanta, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and San Diego.

Light Rail doesn't sound like a boondoggle to me -- Daryl