Rep. Gary Peters Works to Keep Rejected Transit Money in Michigan

One day after Troy Mayor Janice Daniels and other City Council members for the , Rep. Gary Peters sent letters to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Gov. Rick Snyder urging them to try to keep the federal transportation money in the Greater Detroit area.

"For Mayor Daniels and Tea Party leaders in Troy to reject federal funding for a Troy transit center is short sighted and will deny economic development opportunities for small business owners in Troy,” Peters said.

“But since they've made this decision, and communities like Royal Oak and Pontiac are serious about mass transit, I'm focused on working with Transportation Secretary LaHood and Governor Snyder to keep these job creating funds in the Greater Detroit area.”

In his letter to LaHood, Peters writes: "While I am deeply disappointed by the City Council’s decision, I know that there are many cities in southeast Michigan that support regional transit and want to see it succeed. Royal Oak is an enthusiastic partner in the goal to provide regional transit, and I believe a new transit center in Royal Oak’s vibrant downtown would be an ideal access point to the BRT or Woodward Avenue Light Rail."

In his letter to Snyder, Peters points out that Pontiac's new transit center and Royal Oak's enthusiasm for providing regional transit make both areas ideal cities in which to invest more transit funding.

"I know you have worked toward the creation of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to connect communities across metro Detroit, a plan which has been supported by Mayor Bing and other regional leaders," Peters wrote. "I hope you will work with me to access the most sensible BRT routes in light of Troy’s decision."

"We applaud the effort to keep the dollars in Michigan and would find comfort in knowing one of our teammates benefited," said Troy Chamber of Commerce President Michele Hodges, who . "With that said, we continue to work toward keeping the dollars in Troy as we seek alternate solutions."

To view both letters in their entirety, please see the attached files.