Editorial: Let’s get serious about street repair
By Andy Pekema
Concerned Resident and City Council Candidate
Vote yes on measures K and N
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of driving on terrible roads. Every time I leave my driveway, I’m annoyed by the streets I’m driving on. It’s time we solve this problem once and for all, and the best way to do that is by passing Measure K and Measure N, which would slightly raise our sales tax rate for six years to pay for street repairs.
The fact that we already raised our sales tax to fix the roads isn’t lost on me. Unfortunately, our roads are so bad the old tax isn’t really enough to fix them in a reasonable amount of time. We could probably squeak by without this tax increase, but improved roads are a high priority for me, and I’m willing to put up with temporarily higher taxes to accelerate their repair. I’m disappointed we’ve been put in the position where tax increases are required to repave our roads, but here we are. Our city government neglected the roads far too long, so now we have to spend a fortune to dig ourselves out of the pothole they created. This lack of foresight and leadership is what compelled me to run for City Council.
In my opinion, we could have avoided any supplemental sales taxes if our city devoted the appropriate resources to our roads and maintained them properly over the years. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and our roads were left to crumble. That leaves us with the unpleasant choice we face now—bad roads or higher taxes. I’m reluctantly supporting slightly higher taxes, which tourists will help pay, so we can accelerate road repairs.
I know many residents don’t trust our city government to actually spend the tax dollars on roads, which is why it’s important to also approve the advisory measure on the ballot (Measure N). It requires the proceeds from the tax increase to be spent on roads. Even if you vote against the tax, I recommend a YES vote on the advisory measure just in case the tax does get approved. Additionally, I will do everything in my power to ensure every cent of that money goes to roads if I’m elected to City Council. I’ll also fight to stop frivolous city spending and put that money toward the roads as well.
I’ve said it before—roads are a priority for me, and we are going to have to make some sacrifices to fix them. This is the first unfortunate sacrifice, but I think our streets are worth it. If you agree and want better roads sooner rather than later, please join me in voting YES on Measure K and Measure N.
