The Man Who Studies "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"
By Marilynn Bowler
                 
Grabbing our attention at the outset, our speaker today grinned as he assured us that the glisten emanating from his mouth as he spoke was, indeed, not a tongue piercing, nor was a slight slurring a case of alcohol intake. In fact, they were both the result of new braces, thanks to the efforts of his recent new best friend, his orthodontist. He also recognized two close friends in the audience ~ Byron Bullard and Sis Kaplan.
 
J. Bradley Wilson, COO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, put on his "other hat" today and spoke with vigor and eloquence as the Chairman of the 24-member 21st Century Transportation Committee … an impressive, savvy group of business and political leaders who, for the past six months, have been charged with the unenviable task of studying and making subsequent recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly regarding North Carolina's transportation issues. He was wisely tapped by Governor Easley to chair the group in October, 2007.
 
Brad's appointment as chairman of this crucial committee was not happenstance. He was the General Counsel to Governor Jim Hunt and, as such, managed the legal department within the Governor's office inclusive of his role as chief legislative strategist. Brad's bio - he earned his B.A. degree from Appalachian State University, his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law, and a Masters of Arts degree from Duke University - lists a long roster of experiences that make him the clear choice for leadership of the 21st Century Transportation Committee.
 
From the mid-eighties up until the present, Brad has been an active participant in community and civic affairs. He served on the NC Board of Transportation, the NC Aeronautics Council, the NC Railroad Company Board, the Meredith College Board of Trustees, Wildacres Leadership Initiative Board - among others - and, in fact, served as chair for many of those same Boards.
 
The 21st Century Transportation Committee has been faced with a daunting challenge. It was six months of learning the fundamentals to prepare for year 2030 and the anticipated need of $64 billion to cope with transportation issues in that not-so-far-off year. The committee has been focused on how to get North Carolina on the right path or else, transportation-wise, by 2030, "Charlotte will look like Los Angeles, and Raleigh will look like Washington/Baltimore." Yipes!
 
With a stated goal of making recommendations that did not include any new revenues, the committee had to consider an intermodal dilemma and the potential of matching funds. The committee looked at North Carolina's needs and discussed how best to respond. Following the committee's last meeting on December 10th, its findings and recommendations in a form of a final report will go to the Governor, the General Assembly, local government officials, and interested citizens.
 
Fortunately for Charlotte, Representative Becky Carney has been a primary author and a staunch advocate on transportation issues.
 
The bottom line is that the formula used for funding transportation, originally implemented in 1921 - with periodic updates - is failing. Brad used the precise words, "in steep decline." We need to replace the current fuel and use taxes with other revenue sources. The committee's approach is to recommend a VMT ("Vehicle Miles Traveled") tax which would mean that users pay ¼ cent per mile tax for every mile traveled (via odometer reading) which could be tied to a fee levied at the time of an annual inspection, or to the weight and type of vehicle being driven, or added to the user's yearly NC income tax return. In a sentence, there must be a fundamental shift in how transportation is funded in North Carolina.
 
Another option is tolling, specifically I-95 and potentially I-77 to I-40. Those highways are incredibly expensive to build and maintain due to the rising costs of asphalt, concrete and steel, and the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to build and maintain those highways. Using the delay of work on the Yadkin River Bridge as a prime example, it was a $300 million project when the job was quoted; it is now at $400 million.
 
Brad presented a strong case for citizen input and involvement stating unequivocally that if Charlotte wishes to contend for state funding for transportation, including the issues of "planes, trains, automobiles," it will take a strong, coordinated effort to make our case. "It is necessary and important for local citizens to have a voice in how the money for transportation is raised," he said. Under President-Elect Obama's plan on intra-structure, there will be a lot of money coming out of Washington but we must have a plan in place and be positioned to harvest as much of that money as we can. It will be too late --- we'll miss the boat --- if we do not have a plan for highways, bridges, airports and rails (including light rails) in place for North Carolina.
 
Brad gave us homework to do! Voters and citizens can - individually and collectively - raise our voices to be heard about our transportation needs. The Governor and General Assembly will hear and respond. We mustn't think there isn't a large amount of money available, because there IS. It's all a matter of priorities.
 
Several persons in line to chat with Brad Wilson after the meeting were interested in how a much less densely populated area of North Carolina was able to win road monies over a mega-populated area, like Charlotte. It's all about setting priorities and getting our voices heard by those who set and act upon those priorities. We must be sure that transportation issues are addressed by priorities which are objective and transparent.
     
  
Head Table: Paul Wyche, Ed Driggs, Mac McCarley, Luther Moore, Sandy Chambers, Dick Klingman;
Invocation: Gene Clark;
Visitors & Guests: Tom Bartholomy; Health & Happiness: Natalie English; Song: Shay Merritt: Piano: Thomas Moore: Photos: Bert Voswinkel 

• Mark Erwin was introduced as a new Rotarian by sponsor, Tod Thorne. Mark is President of Erwin Capital, served as US Ambassador from 1999 to 2001, and has had many interesting positions along the way. Contact Mark at mark@erwincapital.com. Welcome to Rotary, Mark.
       
• President Mac recognized the hotel's wait staff for their outstanding service each and every week; Mark Norman and Bill Stegelmeyer are auctioning a couple Charlotte Hook bracelets (courtesy of Karat Patch) to benefit the Salvation Army Kettle project. The winning bids will be announced next Tuesday; keeping to tradition, the basket raffle to benefit Rotary's Inner Wheel will be held next week.
      
• Congratulations to Bob Boehm as he retires from the practice of medicine. Updated email for Bob: oboehm@carolina.rr.com; Jessica Graham joined CPCC as assistant to the president for community relations and marketing services. Contact: jessica.graham@cpcc.edu; Gene Clark, dean of the Charlotte School of Law, was profiled in this week's Observer.
        
• Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Bell Ringers are encouraged to check the schedule on the website. Questions or changes in your schedule should be communicated to Mark Norman.

Should you question the eligibility of any nominee, contact the Rotary office by 12/15/2008.

OUR EXCHANGE STUDENTS
  
The club is fortunate to be hosting two exchange students, Luciano (from Chile) and Carol (from Brasil). Both are doing well in school and making new friends, but are probably a bit homesick - especially this time of year. There are lots of things you can do to show your support, not only through the holidays, but throughout their stay in the US. Consider: inviting them to ring the bell at the square, work to sort clothes or food at Crisis Assistance or Second Harvest Food Bank; caroling events, church services, family oriented dinner parties; ice skating downtown; concerts or ballgames; movies….any American holiday celebration is warmly received. Also remember them with cards or a small gift. They were not able to bring a lot of items with them and are probably running low on some things. Contact their sponsors for suggestions/scheduling: Chuck Cocke for Luciano (704-578-5478). Regina Patton for Carol (704-373-1505).