A Knight's Tale of TPAC Woe

Last week, the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee's chairman, Bob Knight, lived that dream -- until it turned into a public relations nightmare.

Facing Chancellor James Moeser's pressing deadline for a TPAC budget proposal and a divided committee, Knight decided to rally his TPAC troops at last Wednesday's meeting with five directives he claimed were from the chancellor for an "acceptable" proposal. He said this knowledge was garnered from Moeser's Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Yet Knight did not attend Moeser's meeting last Tuesday, which was not even a full Cabinet meeting. He admitted Thursday that the ideas he had attributed to Moeser were his own.

In a Napoleonic effort to get something done, it seems Knight borrowed Moeser's power to force through his own ideas at the height of TPAC's power -- a time when TPAC's verdict on possible night parking prices and parking prices in general could halt the Department of Public Safety's $2 million budget crisis.

Officials have said hiking parking permit prices would cover the recently added costs of fare-free busing, expanded bus service and additions to the PR lot.

Knight told The Daily Tar Heel in mid-January that "the assumption is that unless the committee recommends (to the Board of Trustees) that we do something to increase revenue, we won't be able to fund these projects."

Something had to give with the chancellor and BOT breathing down Knight's neck -- and this time, it was reason and justice within TPAC.

Knight misled the conflicted committee to ensure action from TPAC rather than have the chancellor substantially tweak the proposal.

Knight told the DTH Thursday that "I was trying to do something dramatic to get (TPAC) to come to a consensus."

Mission accomplished on the drama part -- both TPAC and Moeser apparently were surprised. The chancellor seemed so taken off guard that he sent the entire University an e-mail Friday assuring students, faculty and staff that no parking decisions had been made.

At a time of financial crisis, costly construction and mounting tension between students and the administration, it seemed Knight decided to try telepathic communication with the chancellor to hasten TPAC negotiations. What in the world was Knight thinking? Officials and TPAC members in particular would like to know.

Just to recap the insanity of this situation, let me repeat: Bob Knight went before an advisory committee to the chancellor with advice he claimed was from the chancellor. TPAC members were outraged by what they thought was Moeser undermining their power but voted on these directives. As of Friday, Bob Knight appears to have had the committee vote on misleading advice.

TPAC already has the difficult task of creating next year's budget with a projected $2 million shortfall in time for the March 28 BOT meeting. Now it also must deal with a chairman who seems to have imagined advisory sessions with the chancellor.

In the name of teamwork -- no, under extreme deadline pressure -- Knight summoned Moeser's visionary spirit and came up with these directives. Apparently Knight's seance did not include chatting with the public relations side of Moeser's brain.

Logically, it doesn't make sense that Moeser would intervene in TPAC's process when he can do whatever he wants with the proposal Knight presents him with this week.

It particularly doesn't make sense considering that Moeser has just launched his new campaign of listening to public opinion before making huge decisions.

By Thursday, Knight most likely had heard from the real Moeser and had to backtrack from his power strategy. He admitted to the DTH that those directives were not from Moeser's brain, but his own.

Since South Building isn't talking, it appears that the TPAC fiasco all came out of Knight's head.

It's not just a dream, TPAC; last week really did happen.

I can't believe it either.

Columnist Katy Nelson can be reached at knelson@email.unc.edu.