Pro-toll Richard Perez new San Antonio Chamber President
By Pat Driscoll
Express-News
October 10, 2007
Richard Perez, selected as the new president of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, is one of the most effective toll-road advocates around.
webPerez.jpg
Richard Perez
Tuesday's story
Chamber statement
As chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the past two years, Perez was a tenacious fighter for some 70 miles of planned toll roads. Yet, I never saw him try to bully anyone. He was dogged but always a gentleman.
Those are powerful qualities.
Perez skidded into the toll controversy in August 2005, just two months after starting his second term on City Council and taking over as MPO chairman, when he helped beat back demands for an independent study of local toll plans.
Rockin' the toll roads
Split views on toll review
Toll road review idea rejected
Toll critics soon made Perez a top target for his "deplorable behavior AGAINST the PEOPLE."
San Antonio Toll Party
Over the next year, Perez found himself looking for a new MPO director, admonishing a state transportation official in a public meeting, contemplating potential impacts of high gas prices on future toll roads and digging in against cries to revert a U.S. 281 toll plan back to a gas-tax only plan.
Transportation director resigns
Toll debate turns ugly
Gas-price impact on toll roads feared
High gas prices and toll roads
Making a toll stand
Blazing guns
U.S. 281 toll idea gets more detractors
Perez left the MPO last May with as much clamor as ever. An effort led by Mayor Phil Hardberger to keep him on the board, which included a sudden policy change, drew shrieks from critics and the mayor soon dropped the idea.
Perez not going away
Richard Perez passed over
But now Perez is back in the spotlight, and he'll likely be a strong spokesman for toll roads.