LTE: Is GMU Now the Local Source of Obama-Economics?

This is the headline of the week, “Loudoun County Could Lose Billions Without the Silver Line, Study Says."

Is something fishy going on here? Is George Mason University now the source of a local version of Obama-Economics, all redistributive fluff and no meat? When did GMU faculty start offering guaranteed winning lottery tickets payable sometime in the distant future to local municipal governments.

I am a resident of Loudoun County, I am furious, and I would like some answers please. As you may know, Loudoun is under intense pressure to make a decision that involves huge amounts of money, sums that would cause state and federal branches to take pause. This is serious stuff. Enter stage right, compliments of the local rail station landowners, one of your own, the esteemed Dr. Stephen Fuller. Versions of this headline are everywhere and the pressure on Loudoun Supervisors to cash in on this promise is intense.

So I ask you people of GMU, the peers of Dr. Fuller, ‘Is this a bona fide study’ or a hack job? Would you bank your economic future on this as Fuller is suggesting the taxpayers of Loudoun should do? Fuller himself says that question is a “No brainer.” Is it?

Here is some background. Loudoun has in hand a study from the Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCO), a 210-page presentation, 400 pages of appendices. For some reason the RCLCO people made this statement that is difficult to reconcile with the Fuller claims:

“Nonetheless, RCLCO has not found any credible evidence to indicate that the extension of rail transit brings new development to an entire region.” RCLCO

The proponents of the Silver Line have failed to provide a clear and unambiguous picture of the cost to Loudoun County. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has been placed in an awkward position of being pro-business and supporting critical infrastructure while facing a muddled and inequitable role as a participant in the Metro system. Maybe someone from GMU could help Loudoun find out if Fuller is for real.

Fuller admitted developers made a $15,000 contribution for the research to GMU. Will someone at George Mason please help us before we decide on Metro? Will you look at this study and provide an expert opinion on whether this study and its results should overshadow our other forecasts. Or is this a bad idea that needs to be exposed and discredited before Fuller's testimony has its intended effect?

David LaRock
Loudoun Opt Out