Politicians already fighting over Obamabucks

Cities and counties don’t want funds to pass through metropolitan planning organizations or state agencies.

According to Stateline, cash-hungry zombie politicians are already tossing ‘bows to compete for “Obamabucks” — the huge pile of at least $500 billion the president-elect hopes to dole out for infrastructure investments that he says will spur the economy. And cities and counties want the bulk of the loot.

The disagreement over the stimulus money partly reflects the increased tension between state and local governments during a worsening recession.

Many city and county leaders already are upset at state officials who are slashing aid to local governments to cover budget gaps. Their anxieties over being shortchanged were heightened Dec. 2 when 48 current and incoming governors met with President-elect Barack Obama to ask Obama to direct much of the stimulus money to states.

“We must make sure that the funding is spent quickly, and not stuck in federal or state bureaucracies,” said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The mayors have submitted a $90 billion infrastructure plan to the transition team.

State officials doubt that channeling the money to cities and counties would save time. More to the point, they believe that state governments should oversee the money, because they can determine transportation priorities for the entire state, not just one area.

According to some reports, the Georgia Department of Transportation is asking for $3.4 billion from the incoming Obama administration. In Atlanta, Mayor Shirley Franklin has requested assistance for sewer repairs and the Beltline, among other projects.