Wednesday, July 31, 1996
Staubach vs. Jerry: Former quarterback opposes
Jones' campaign to oust public transit
By MELISSA WILLIAMS
Associated Press
(July 31, 1996)
DALLAS - Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and local hero
Roger Staubach is going head-to-head with current team owner
Jerry Jones.
The issue: Whether the city of Irving, site of the Cowboys' Texas
Stadium home, should pull out of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
system.
Jones is leading the movement to pull out of the bus-and-rail
system and eventually use the sales tax that funds it for something
else.
He and other DART opponents say a private transit alternative
could be provided for one-fourth of the $28 million the city
pays annually to participate in the program through a 1-cent
sales tax.
On Monday, Irving Mayor Morris Parrish enlisted Staubach, now
a Dallas businessman, to lend some Cowboy luster to the pro-DART
campaign.
"They've had their Cowboy and now we have our Cowboy,"
said Parrish, honorary chairman of the Irving Says Yes to DART
Committee. "Someone who's established himself not only in
the pro football arena but also as a corporate citizen who understands
the need for public transportation and that it needs to be regional,
just like a football team needs to be regional."
Staubach released a statement Monday agreeing to appear in pro-DART
campaign advertising and brochures.
"Working families, commuters and low-income people rely
on DART to get to work," said Staubach, whose real estate
consulting company specializes in representing commercial tenants
and has helped Irving lure or keep several corporate headquarters,
such as Zale Corp.
"The handicapped and elderly need DART to reach health care,
shopping, churches and employment. Business counts on DART to
get employees to and from the workplace," he said.
A referendum on DART is scheduled for Aug. 10. About 3,000 people
have cast ballots since early voting began last week, said Michael
Brounoff, a member of the pro-DART committee.
A lawyer working with Jones on the anti-DART campaign, Robert
Power, suggested that Staubach might seek to further Dallas'
interests at the expense of Irving's.
"We have a great respect for Roger and are mindful that
he is a good Dallas businessman and very interested in the development
of downtown Dallas," Power said.
All content copyright 1996, AP, The Abilene
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