In the weeks before the Nov. 2 election, The Denver Post is asking Colorado’s three gubernatorial candidates to respond to a series of questions on some critical (and not-so-critical) issues. This week, they tackle transportation, and were asked to respond to this question:
A recent report suggested that for the first time, more than 50 percent of Colorado’s highways are in “poor” condition. Given the state’s budget shortfall, how can the state get more money into transportation coffers to not only pay for routine maintenance but also for expanding lanes, fixing more bridges and transit? Also, much has been said about the need to “fix” I-70 through the mountains. Would that corridor be your No. 1 priority? Or would it be another arterial, such as I-25 north into Wyoming or south through Colorado Springs?
There’s no question that transportation is the backbone of economic development, and I believe maintaining roads and bridges is among the core functions of government. No one will dispute that there are roads and bridges across Colorado which are deficient and need to be repaired or replaced. But Gov. Bill Ritter’s solution — illegally taxing Coloradans and calling those taxes “fees” — is not the answer.
Ritter has recently claimed that he did not understand the impact his tax increases would have on Colorado families. I believe he and legislative Democrats knew exactly what they were getting us into. But regardless of intentions, it’s now clear that Colorado taxpayers were victims of a Democratic money-grab when the state could least afford it.
It’s also important to note that Colorado had a dedicated source of transportation revenue in the Arveschoug-Bird amendment, which capped government spending at 6 percent growth and required any revenues in excess of that cap to fund transportation. Unfortunately, legislative Democrats once again acted inappropriately and removed the limit, thereby eliminating a dedicated source of transportation funding that this state so desperately needs.
As governor, I will work to re-establish the Arveschoug-Bird amendment and bring a measure of fiscal discipline back to state government.
Regarding the Interstate 70 corridor into the mountains, we must have all options on the table to keep that stretch of highway viable to meet the needs of our ski and tourism industries. Options include a “zipper” lane that could adapt to meet changing traffic patterns, as well as private-enterprise solutions that would bring the ingenuity of the free market to the table to help meet our state’s needs.
It’s important to note that until we downsize state government to meet our current financial shortfall, finding dedicated streams of funding for transportation will have to take a back seat. But I am confident that my business-to-business experience is just what we need in the statehouse to create jobs, begin the economic recovery, and return our state to prosperity so we can begin to address the issues facing Colorado, chiefly state funding of transportation.
Whatever direction the state eventually takes in the arena of transportation, it’s clear that our first priority must be job creation and economic development. But once that bridge is crossed, we’ll set to work undoing the damage caused by Gov. Ritter and finding new solutions to our state’s transportation needs.
Dan Maes is the Republican candidate for governor of Colorado.
