Today we should be finding out if there are enough signatures collected to put another streetcar referendum on the ballots this election day.
At 10 am, NAACP President Christopher Smitherman will be holding a press conference today at 1703 Dale Road. Nothing has been leaked on what this press conference is about, but from what we’ve been told, it may be regarding the petition signatures. We were also told that he may announce his run for city council.
In a press release by the NAACP, it was said that the coalition turned in 3000 signatures between Friday, August 5, 2011 and Monday August 8, 2011. The last count by the board of elections was 5,961. If these signatures are valid, it will put the petition well over the required signatures. The requirement to put a referendum on a voting ballot is 7,000.
The coalition against the streetcar is comprised of several groups, including the NAACP, COAST, Westwood Concerns, and the Fraternal Order of Police.
