Debra Medina, NTTA Fight Over Facts

Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina continues to draw scrutiny.  Last week she was under fire for her comments on the Glenn Beck show, and now for her recently released transportation policy.

 "The Medina campaign is exposing the truth about TxDOT and that's got them running scared," said Gwendolyn Walton, with Medina's campaign.

In the release, the Medina camp said it had received a call from the owner of American Security Solutions, a company that lost a bid "on a project to install security cameras for the North Texas Toll Authority."

The release went on to say, in part:

"TxDOT awarded the project to JAI Inc., a global company that has home offices in Denmark and Japan and too many subsidiaries, aliases and umbrella corporations to follow their multiple rabbit trails. JAI’s 'Systems Integrator Partner' is Raytheon and their ties to Gov. Perry smack of the cronyism commonplace in his administration.  Gov. Perry has appointed Raytheon staff to the Aerospace board while the company holds many national and international Dept. of Defense contracts. This is just one more example of what TxDOT has been doing with billions of Texas highway dollars for the past several years..."

(Read the full Medina Transportation Plan here)

The North Texas Tollway Authority took exception to what the Wharton County Republican had to say and NTTA's chairman said, in a statement, that Medina's facts are wrong.

"While we do not wish to insert ourselves into a heated political contest, it is essential that we correct any inaccuracies about the NTTA being widely disseminated,” said NTTA Chairman Paul N. Wageman.  “Such inaccuracies should not be left unchecked as the NTTA seeks to advance its mission of providing innovative tolling solutions to the region.”

Below is Medina's press release on transportation, with the NTTA's response to each allegation in parenthesis and italicized:

Just last week, a concerned and irritated citizen called the Medina Headquarters. Her small Texas business, American Security Solutions, had bid on a project to install security cameras for the North Texas Toll Authority.  (TRUTH:  American Security Solutions submitted a bid on a public solicitation by the NTTA to procure Video Tolling Cameras. Their proposed solution did not meet the technical requirement clearly stated in the request for bids. American Security Solutions submitted a proposal to integrate a complete video tolling system when all the NTTA requested was cameras to use with its current tolling solution. Thus, they were not chosen.  Please note American Security Solutions’ proposal included cameras manufactured by JAI.) TxDOT awarded the project to JAI Inc., (TRUTH:  TXDOT plays no part in this process and the NTTA has not yet made an award.  A notification was issued to the five bidders that JAI Inc. was the apparent winner, subject to NTTA Board approval, based on technical merit and price.)  a global company that has home offices in Denmark and Japan and too many subsidiaries, aliases and umbrella corporations to follow their multiple rabbit trails. JAI’s “Systems Integrator Partner” is Raytheon and their ties to Gov. Perry smack of the cronyism commonplace in his administration. Gov. Perry has appointed Raytheon staff to the Aerospace board while the company holds many national and international Dept. of Defense contracts. (TRUTH: The NTTA has no past or present connections to either JAI Inc. or Raytheon.  Additionally, Raytheon has not bid on the NTTA Video Tolling Cameras procurement and was not included in the bid submitted by JAI Inc.) Terri Hall of TURF, an organization dedicated to truth in Texas transportation, stated, “Rick Perry's Transportation Commission has agreed to pledge the State's credit (basically untold billions in our gas tax revenues) for two toll projects in north Texas (at the behest of the North Texas Toll Authority, a regional toll way authority, whose credit is so in the toilet it can't finance these deals without the State's backing). (TRUTH:  The NTTA’s senior lien credit continues to be rated A-level despite an increase in our outstanding debt issued as we work to advance several mobility projects in North Texas.)

(Read the full fact check document from the NTTA)

A call to Medina's press team has not yet been returned.

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