The temperature has begun to drop and pumpkins are making their appearances on front steps and porches across town. It feels like fall has finally arrived, which reminds me that Election Day is approaching.
On November 5, voters in Gorham and across the state will have the opportunity to vote on the transportation bond, which will be listed as Question 1 on the ballot. The transportation bond, if approved, would invest $105 million towards updates and repairs to our critical infrastructure, with an estimated $137 million in matching federal funds and other sources.
This funding would go towards projects such as rebuilding our highways, making bridge improvements and updating culverts where municipal roads cross over our streams. As House chair of the Transportation Committee, I know that there is nothing more fundamental than the work government does to provide for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods and the Maine Department of Transportation works hard to stretch each dollar as far as possible.
If you aren’t sure you’ll be able to make it to the polls on November 5, absentee ballots are now available. You can request one in person or by phone with the town office or electronically on the Secretary of State’s website. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, Oct. 31.
As we know from our Main Street project, construction can be frustrating; however, we know the importance of fixing our infrastructure. With each term I have served in Augusta, policy discussions surrounding transportation funding continue to grow. We have not been able to find the funding to meet our state’s basic transportation needs, as evidence by bonding for repair and maintenance projects. The Maine Department of Transportation has estimated that we need $110 million each year to keep up with our basic maintenance needs.
My previous legislative efforts to raise revenue from a variety of sources, including the gas tax, sales tax and motor vehicle and green vehicle registrations, failed to gain support. However, these efforts and others from stakeholders led to the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission to study our funding sources and recommend solutions to better our transportation system.
The Blue Ribbon Commission is an attempt to break the logjam around the funding transportation funding conversation. The Commission, which I co-chair, is comprised of stakeholders from across Maine, including town officials, state lawmakers from parties, transportation experts and transportation advocates. Our goal is to identify how big the funding gap is and to development bipartisan solutions we can implement in the next legislative session.
Our first meeting was September 17, where we spent much of the day getting all members up to speed on where transportation funds come from and how they are spent. We are scheduled to meet again in October, and our focus will be on what transportation funding looks like across other states and what solutions those 49 other states are implementing to come up with necessary funding.
Transportation funding is not a partisan issue. It doesn’t matter if we come from Gorham or Palermo or Fort Kent. We don’t drive on Democratic roads or Republican roads – we drive on Maine roads. Finding a solution to our transportation funding gap is too important to let partisanship or narrow interests get in the way. Now more than ever, we need an honest and productive conversation on how to fund our transportation infrastructure.
As one of the co-chairs of the commission, I hope you will reach out to me with your thoughts on what we do to fix our roads and bridges. And, as always, please feel free to contact me with your questions or if you are having trouble navigating state agencies. It is an honor to continue to serve as your state representative.
Rep. Andrew McLean, D-Gorham, is serving his fourth term in the Maine House. He is House Chair of the Transportation Committee and represents parts of both Gorham and Scarborough.
(207) 939-8482 | (800) 423-2900 | andrew.mclean@legislature.maine.gov