Politics & Government

Group Using Robocalls to Derail Silver Line

Conservative group calling Loudoun residents, urging them to withdraw support for Metrorail.

As the July 4 deadline for the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to decide whether to continue to support Rail to Dulles, some Loudoun residents have been getting robocalls urging them to support the supervisors in a pullout, The Washington Post reports.

The Post reported on Friday that the calls are coming from Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group that advocates for lower taxes and smaller government. Callers are encouraging residents to tell their supervisors they don’t want a tax increase to pay for Metro’s extension.

The callers say Loudoun cannot afford the costs, and that even if Loudoun opts out, the Silver Line will still be built to Dulles International Airport.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The board will meet Monday to hear residents’ comments about the Silver Line. Meanehile, Americans for Prosperity is planning a rally in downtown Leesburg.

The new, all-Republican Loudoun board has

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other issues plaguing the second phase: costs (the project has no federal money whereas Phase 1 has $900 million); and concern over

Phase 1, which is more than 70 percent complete, will run from Falls Church to Reston's Wiehle Avenue. It is slated to be in operation December 2013. Phase 2, from Wiehle to Dulles and into Loudoun County, was slated to open 2016, but the latest issues have already delayed bids to get construction going.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees the $6 billion construction of the Silver Line, is expected to discuss the PLA next week. The Commonwealth is slated to contribute $150 million, but Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) says he will withhold that money if the PLA stays in place.    


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