Is Texas’ chief proponent of private toll roads changing his mind, or just changing his tone?
Probably the latter. Gov. Rick Perry, the man who many say has staked his legacy on an ambitious, if consistently controversial, transportation agenda, gave The News a wide-ranging, if exceedingly rare, interview on the topic Tuesday afternoon.
In doing so, he said lawmakers and the public still smarting over the contentious 2007 Legislature will return in January to find him striking a more conciliatory pose.
With his department of transportation already in the cross hairs of the Legislature and its Sunset Advisory Commission, one could easily argue the new tone is a matter of necessity, rather than proof of a more congenial nature. But whatever its source, he said he’s willing to pursue a broad agenda that will boost highway building in Texas, even as he maintains that private toll roads are an essential part of the solution.
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