ACT Questionnaire for Candidates for County Council and Executive

In the 2010 election, ACT will again be informing the voters about where the candidates stand on transit issues. As we did in the last three elections and primaries, we will prepare scorecards showing positions on selected issues. Answers to our questionnaire are extremely valuable in preparing the scorecards, which will be distributed by mail and at Metro stations; we also will look at your past voting record and your public statements in other forums.

Candidates are asked to respond by July 15, 2010. Please try to keep your responses to between 1 and 50 words for yes-no questions and 100 words for open-ended questions. Answers can be sent electronically to admin@actfortransit.org. All candidates' responses and the scorecard will be displayed on the ACT website.

Question 1. Do you support the Locally Preferred Alternative selected by Gov. O'Malley for the Purple Line, including an at-grade light rail line with a trail alongside it on the Georgetown Branch right of way between Bethesda and Silver Spring?

Question 2. Which is a higher priority: maintaining Ride-On Service or building the $80 million parking garage in Bethesda?

Question 3. Do you approve or disapprove of County traffic engineers' current policy of giving equal priority on the road to autos that carry a few people and buses that carry many people?

Question 4. Should any money be spent on increasing highway capacity associated with the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan before a light rail Corridor Cities Transitway from Shady Grove to Clarksburg is fully funded for construction?

Question 5. Should approval of Transit-Oriented Development near Metro stations be tied to the movement of cars?