Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders, rode an Akron bus to show her support for a countywide sales tax increase that would bring increased revenue to the local mass transit system.
The 0.25 percent sales tax increase in Summit County, Ohio, would raise the total sales tax to 6.5 percent. The tax would increase the budget for the Metro Regional Tax Authority by 62 percent, giving the agency an extra $18 million in revenue. Voters are set to vote on the proposal on the March 4 ballot.
Hynde, an Akron native, joined 15 members of the Greater Akron Partnership for Sustainability on a bus ride in support of the tax increase. Public transit is "what makes a city a city," said Hynde, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. "If you feel you have to have a car, you feel trapped," she added.
The group also sees the added support for mass transit as a way to cut down on greenhouse gases.
