Franchot flays Flanagan over local road aid

Friday, Feb. 10, 2006

On Thursday, House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Peter V.R. Franchot continued his three-year feud with state Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan, accusing him of withholding $25 million in highway revenues slated for local jurisdictions to fix potholes and pay for long-awaited projects.

Flanagan was holding back the money as part of ‘‘some sort of political brawl or partisan brawl” with the legislature, Franchot (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park charged.

He referred to his subcommittee as the ‘‘people’s committee” and lectured the secretary that there is no Republican or Democratic way to fix a pothole.

Franchot also encouraged more than a dozen mayors from Herlock to Indian Head to Marydale to make their concerns public and refused to let Flanagan speak until all the mayors had testified.

After the hearing, Flanagan held an informational session outside the committee room, blaming the Democratic legislature for cutting the highway revenue last year.

The $25 million that Franchot claims is being withheld does not exist, Flanagan said.

‘‘I can’t spend the money twice,” he said. ‘‘I can’t do something with nothing.”