TRANSPORTATION: COUNTY TRANSIT PANELIST QUITS

JACKSON, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau County Transit Advisory Committee member resigned Monday, citing a "divisive" attitude among the group's members and the county's unwillingness to take action on advice.

Miki Gudermuth submitted her resignation in a two-page letter to Doug Richards, who chairs the county's five-member transit authority.

The advisory committee had nine members prior to Gudermuth's resignation, including representatives of Kelley Transportation, which operates the Cape Girardeau taxi service, and Cape County Transit, which operates a van service in Jackson and the rural areas of the county.

Transit riders aren't represented on the committee or the transit authority, a fact that upsets Gudermuth.

The county commission appointed the two boards, which have been meeting since August.

"My opinion and my ideas are all but rejected from the county commission, and I feel a large build-up of animosity and unwillingness to seek input from both present and potential transit riders," Gudermuth wrote. "I feel the commission has insulted both the non-disabled transit riders and riders with disabilities as people who are not level-headed."

Richards and Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said they regretted her resignation.

"I really hate that Miki has resigned. I think she provides very good input," Richards said.

While there are no riders on the two transit boards, Richards said he is satisfied with the membership and said there will be input from riders.

Gudermuth heads up the SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence, which has started a shuttle van service for mentally and physically disabled persons. The first runs are today.

Terrence Kelley, who operates a Cape Girardeau taxi company and serves on the county's advisory committee, has said he views the SADI van service as competition.

Gudermuth wrote that Kelley's opinion demonstrates a "turf" problem: "I do not feel that providers with turf issues should be on the advisory board. It is a conflict of interest and another means of curtailing progress."

She wants a more organized advisory board that includes city managers, chamber of commerce representatives, transit riders and minority representatives. Gudermuth said Monday she showed up at several scheduled meetings of the advisory board only to find that the meetings had been canceled without any notice.

Advisory committee member Ron Swift agreed that few advisory members have attended recent meetings. He said there is no formal notification of meetings.

The county has had several committees study the need for coordinated transit services over the years. Gudermuth said the county in 1998 paid $35,000 to the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission for a transit study.

"After 10 years of talking about transportation issues, four years of study, including that of the regional planning commission, the transit authority does not know how to put closure to advice and action into planning," she wrote.

But Richards insisted the transit authority and the advisory committee are moving ahead. The Transit Authority has adopted the recommendations of an ad hoc committee that submitted a report last year.

The boards have talked about the need for the county to have a transit director. But initially they are looking toward hiring a consultant to help map out a transit program.

"It's not fair to say we are not getting anything done," Richards said.