“When one group declares regional priorities to the exclusion of key stakeholders, we become divided,” Stenger said via Twitter at the time.

Stenger’s letter came in response to a $530,000 grant application to study the route that included Slay’s signature.

“I was never arguing against Northside-Southside itself,” Stenger said Tuesday. “What I was arguing against was the process.”

The East-West Gateway Council of Governments — the region’s governing arm — is slated to vote Wednesday on forming an agreement with the city and county to conduct the studies.

“The studies will evaluate the costs, benefits, and impacts of light rail in the various corridors,” according to an Aug. 16 memo to East-West Gateway’s board of directors. “When the studies are complete, the region will have a consistent set of data by which to comparatively evaluate light rail in the four corridors and establish jurisdictional and regional priorities.”

The other routes being considered are the Daniel Boone, which would run from Clayton to Westport; the MetroNorth, from just south of Interstate 270 to the existing Red Line near the North Hanley station, which would include a Boeing stop; and the MetroSouth, from Shrewsbury to Butler Hill Road.