Bartlett Nixes ODOT, Railway Resolution
Mayor vetoes council resolution backing passenger rail
By JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
The mayor on Monday vetoed a resolution passed by the City Council urging the state not to sell the state-owned rail line connecting the Tulsa area to Oklahoma City, favoring instead the private sector’s ability to bring passenger rail to Tulsa.
In a memo to councilors, Mayor Dewey Bartlett explained his decision, saying the resolution reached too far in expressing an opinion for the whole city — an opinion Bartlett said he does not share.
Bartlett said Tuesday that he had spoken with state transportation officials prior to the veto, but they were discreet in regard to details of their potential sale.
Last month, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation denied a Tulsa World records request for unsealed bids to purchase the rail line, citing an attorney general opinion that claims Oklahoma law gives the agency the right to withhold proposals until the evaluation process has concluded.