Yesterday's Trinity Toll Road debate may have been unscheduled, but it was raucous. After two open-microphone speakers at the scheduled city council meeting spoke in favor of the road, council members Scott Griggs and Philip Kingston lambasted the two-decades planned South-to-North Dallas connector, despite the objections of Dallas City Attorney Warren Ernst.
Ernst said the road shouldn't be discussed because it wasn't on the agenda, but the usually reserved Griggs took the opportunity to issue a fiery denouncement of the $1.5 billion road between the levees and those who seek to have it built (Griggs speech starts at 48:18).
About three minutes in, Griggs issues a call to arms for those against the toll road.
"This is the worst boondoggle imaginable, and it's time to get serious about developing southern Dallas, think of what we can do with this money and the opportunity cost," he said. "This thing has been nothing but a sales job based on some watercolors. Fancy watercolors. It's time now to just kill this road and get on with business."
The meeting, which Mayor Mike Rawlings skipped, was a preview of the more expansive toll road debate that will take place after the new city council is seated in June. Six pro-toll road members of the current council are term-limited and a group of anti-toll road candidates, some supported by Griggs and Kingston, are looking to take their place.
See also: Can Trinity Toll Road Hatred Help Progressive Dallas Pols Build a Coalition of Sanity?
