It's getting hard to talk about progress on Tampa urban rail without simultaneously talking about Hillsborough County Commissioner Marke Sharpe. In the second part of a two-part WMNF radio interview, Mark describes his transition from a conservative skeptic of mass transit, to a conservative who recognizes the criticality of mass transit's role in sustaining a thriving economy.
It is far from a new thing when a Republican gets behind rail. After all, Florida high speed rail's brief living trajectory was due mainly to the efforts of Republican Doc Dockery. The birth of Central Florida commuter rail took the work of ex Governor Jeb Bush (forgiving for a moment he was also the one who killed Tampa's immediate foray into rail in opposing Florida high speed rail); and, Republican Charlie Crist signed TBARTA into existence. The track record of Republican support for rail, if you'll pardon the pun (which I'll use again momentarily), isn't so bad.
Like many of you, TR made the early assumption that conservatives always adamantly oppose urban rail projects because they nearly always carry a steep price tag. That, and because their orchestration and operation are, by and large, government affairs. Make no mistake that when a sophisticated light rail, subway, or monorail system is one day crossing Tampa Bay, TBARTA will be running it. Not Wal-Mart.
But this assumption failed to properly delineate standard American Republican philosophy and objective, from that of ultra-conservative Libertarian-styled Republicans, the latter of which sometimes adopts a said Republican platform in order to gain social acceptance for its otherwise radical ideology.
TR Personality Track Record: Mark Sharpe
Transit systems are the injured cantaloupe in a wider spectrum of targeted prey that ultra-conservatives see as a staple government presence. It's easier to get people to oppose mass transit, and in the process, make them to appear to support ultra-conservatism. It's easy because people may more rationally believe that transit systems are the first ambiguously important government function beyond services we are more universally certain about, like police and fire.
It's tempting to forget, however, that true Republicanism is not about eliminating government, but simply holding it more fiscally accountable, and, supporting its services where pointedly needed. When we can't attract jobs, when we can't remain commercially competitive to other parts of America - or even Florida - when we can't empower individuals to live freely as individuals rather than slaves of the car and driver culture it has taken decades to entrench, Republicans rise to the occasion and bring their own brand of pro-transit support and movement. Mark Sharpe's conservative pro-rail message, then, is a local breath of prominence that outdoes, dare I suggest it, the early work of Ed Turanchik.
After all, thanks to Mark's solid viewpoint and the conviction to stand behind it, for instance, the next MPO director will know exactly which side their bread is buttered on in terms of mass transit. And that's the point. When was the last time a major job around here changed face on the question of transit development? When has anyone in Hillsborough County politics ever been afraid of appearing sluggish on transit to the Prince? Especially in regards to rail transit of all things. For this reason, optly leveled or not, the critique of MPO was historic - frightening as it was to see, hard as it was to accept - it is a watershed moment in Hillsborough County times because, among other reasons, it sets the new pro-transit tone our county has long needed. Muster notwithstanding, certainly Sharpe's stride is far more palatable to what he repeatedly points out is a "conservative" board of county commissioners.
As an aside, here's an interesting question, what other Republicans have, or do, support urban rail projects? I don't think that the list would be small at all.
