Sun Photo

Del. Nathaniel Oaks (left) and Del. Sandy Rosenberg.

I had the chance to catch up with Del. Nathaniel Oaks Tuesday on the subject of the proposed Red Line, the east-west transit line that would go through his  political base in Edmondson Village.

The 41st District Democrat said he's not happy with the route that Gov. Martin O'Malley chose or the fact that it involves running light rail on the surface along Edmondson Avenue. But he joined the other lawmakers from the 41st in pledging not to attempt to block funding for the transit line from Bayview to Woodlawn.

Oaks had previously relayed his position through Del. Sandy Rosenberg, his district colleague, but that's no replacement for a direct quote from the colorful Delegate Oaks.

"Am I going to raise the kind of hell that's  going to stop the prooject? I don't think so," he said. "The project itself is bigger than my opposition to  five or six blocks down Edmondson Avenue."

Oaks added that he would have preferred it if O'Malley had chosen a route along Eastern Avenue rather than one along Boston Street, calling the northern route a straighter shot to Bayview. But Oaks said an improved transit connection between the Security Square area and Johns  Hopkins' Bayview campus "is definitely something we need."

Incidentally, it is interesting to see the once-fractious delegation from the 41st, which also includes Sen. Lisa Gladden and Del. Jill Carter, working as a team on this issue. That can only help in their dealings with the governor and City Hall.