TURF Founder named San Antonian of the Year

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TURF Founder named San Antonian of the Year

Toll road issue catapulted a grassroots movement across the state that got lawmakers to take notice

(Friday, December 14, 2007, San Antonio, TX) TURF Founder and Director Terri Hall was named San Antonian of the Year by WOAI News Radio in San Antonio today.

“What a surprise! This honor belongs to the PEOPLE of Texas for their indefatigable passion and support that started as a small band of concerned citizens that later launched a movement across the state,” shared Hall.

Hall got involved in the toll road fight in 2005 after attending a Texas Department of Transportation meeting that announced her main lifeline (US 281) for business, medical care, and shopping was going to be converted into a toll road. Then a mother of five children (now she has 6), Hall knew she and her family would be priced off the highway and forced into a difficult life-altering situation if she didn’t get involved and try to stop it. After contacting her legislators and getting nowhere, she knew it was going to take organizing fellow citizens to get lawmakers attention.

The group soon became a movement causing a firestorm of controversy all the way to the halls of Washington D.C.  At the crux of the issue is HOW the toll roads are being implemented more than the projects themselves.

“This is being foisted upon Texans without their consent. Appointed boards are making multi-billion dollar toll tax decisions that will literally impact peoples’ everyday lives. Decisions about where folks live, work, and play are being deeply affected and the people aren’t being given a say in the matter. Let the people vote!” notes Hall. “The citizens need to be put back in the driver’s seat when it comes to transportation decisions, especially how transportation is financed. "

“TxDOT has too much power, they’re not accountable, and they’re deaf to the citizen outcry, so much so they’re spending $9 million in TAXPAYER money to sell us toll roads. It’s time for a sweeping change, and we intend to make it happen,” Hall promised.

Read about TURF’s lawsuit to stop TxDOT from spending taxpayer money to lobby for toll roads here.

Read about how the study of TxDOT’s misuse of taxpayer money to lobby for toll roads has been added to the Texas House of Representatives Interim Charge here..

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