Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who's also chair of the Counties Transit Improvement Board, says Tuesday's elections will improve chances of funding for transit projects, including Southwest Light Rail.
He said in a statement:
"Voters throughout the State of Minnesota expressed the desire to shift the state’s focus to fundamental questions about how we can best invest in our communities to achieve a prosperous and thriving future. Transit is part of the solution that will make our region competitive."
His quote is in a release from Hennepin County, which also said:
Major opponents of transit lost their 2012 re-election bids, particularly in the areas representing the Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Corridor. With new leadership in the Minnesota House and Senate, the opportunity to secure funding during the 2013 legislative session is more likely than ever before.
Other corridors benefiting from a pro-transit legislature include the Bottineau Transitway from the northwest suburbs that ultimately connectswith the Interchange transportation hub in downtown Minneapolis, and the Gateway Corridor connecting the east metro suburbs to Union Depot Station in downtown St. Paul.
The release notes that while there were no specific transit items on the ballot in Minnesota, "throughout the rest of the country transit leaders and projects in states like North Carolina, Indiana and Hawaii won voter approval."