Crazy Train

The message hasn't gotten to everyone. In an October 4 Hearne Christopher Jr. column in the Star, Cleaver praised Chastain's "tenacity." Cleaver stopped short of endorsing Chastain's plan, but he didn't say it was ridiculous, either.

Singleton was furious. He thought Cleaver had missed an easy opportunity to take apart Chastain's plan and present an alternative. "He ought to know better, because I've talked to him about Smart Moves," Singleton told members of the Mid-America Regional Council's transit committee, which met on the day that Cleaver's comments appeared in the newspaper.

Singleton believed that Cleaver should atone for committing a second sin against transit. "He needs to make amends, says I," Singleton said.

A man with a bushy beard passes Chastain as he's standing under the clock at Union Station on a recent Wednesday afternoon. Chastain freezes. He relaxes when he realizes that the bearded man only resembles Yael Abouhalkah. "He's a nemesis of mine," Chastain says of the Star columnist.

Union Station reminds Chastain of bitter defeats. He pushed for its restoration, only to feel shut out of the process when city leaders came around to the idea. He's happy that the landmark was saved but laments its rebirth as a tourist attraction and not a transportation hub, as he intended. "We didn't capitalize on our potential with this building," he says.

Chastain sees his latest proposal as another test. With the election drawing near, he has arrived from the East to argue for his proposal. Appearances on public television and radio are scheduled. He also has an appointment with the Star's editorial board (where he will sit, presumably, with the real Yael Abouhalkah).

At the station, Chastain is asked what will happen if his proposal fails. "Then we will have made a mistake," he says. "We won't reach our potential."

After the election, Chastain says his immediate plan is to build a new house in Bedford for his family, which includes a baby daughter born eight months ago. His wife, who consented to this petition drive, may not be as willing to go along with the next one, he says.

"I don't want to say that I'm never coming back. I've said that already. But it's extremely unlikely."

He adds: "I'm going out to pasture. The light-rail pasture."