From San Mateo Daily News
Caltrain campaigns for contenders' visit
By Will Oremus
Does the road to the presidency involve a stop on Caltrain?
Officials are pushing the commuter rail line as a potential campaign destination for the candidates as they vie for votes in California.
In personalized letters sent to each of the leading candidates, board chair Jim Hartnett touted Caltrain as a "model of change" in California. He suggested they consider swinging by to connect with "active, independent voters who work in Silicon Valley."
"A campaign whistle-stop tour may be an old-fashioned, even an outmoded, campaign concept, but Caltrain is one place where your campaign is going to want to make a stop," Hartnett wrote.
Caltrain officials don't necessarily expect the candidates to take them up on the offer, but they're hoping it at least brings some positive attention to the San Jose-to-San Francisco railroad. The letter mentions the 2004 "transformation" that cut the commute time on express trains to under an hour from end to end.
Along with the letter, Caltrain enclosed a new T-shirt commemorating its upcoming schedule expansion, which takes effect March 3. At that point, the railroad will be running 98 trains per day, the most in its history.
The letters were sent Wednesday, spokesman Jonah Weinberg said. No word yet on whether the candidates are interested.
E-mail Will Oremus at woremus@dailynewsgroup.com. |
