Councilman to Nutter: Fess up to anti-light rail ads

By DAVID MARTIN

Warning that anti-light rail TV ads were coming, Councilman Russ Johnson this afternoon stepped up criticism of James B. Nutter Sr., the mortgage banker Johnson accuses of being the “lone financier” of the opposition to the transit question on the November ballot.

Citizens for Light Rail issued a press release yesterday in which Johnson, who chairs the city’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Nutter was hiding his involvement in what Johnson termed a “misleading campaign” against the 14-mile starter route. Billboards have popped up around town calling the plan a billion-dollar “experiment.”

Today at City Hall, Johnson called for Nutter to come out from behind the curtain and take responsibility for funding the campaign. “The public deserves better,” Johnson said.