The Rochester Post Bulletin covers a candidate forum on transportation sponsored by the Highway 52 Freeway Partnership in the article Roads, gas tax loom as issues in race for House seat. It's a fascinating article.
Some highlights:
With a special election less than two weeks away, the two candidates for House seat 28B sparred at a recent meeting over raising the gas tax by 5 cents.
While Democratic candidate Linda Pfeilsticker did not embrace the idea of raising the gas tax, neither did she reject it outright.
"There's no one key way to fund this. It may be a gas tax. It may be bonding. More than likely, it's going to be some combination of different things," Pfeilsticker told an audience of government officials and citizens.
Republican candidate Steve Drazkowski called a gas tax hike an "economic destruction program" for an area like Wabasha that draws Wisconsin motorists looking for cheaper gas. Drazkowski said he supports the governor's plan of relying on bonding to pay for road improvements.
Transportation funding and the dilapidated condition of many of the state's roads is looming as the critical issue in the race.
The reaction in the audience? The PB reports:
County officials have been frustrated by the lack of progress on a transportation package. Olmsted County Commissioner Ken Brown said the Twin Cities is among the most congested cities in the nation. Motorists stuck in traffic aren't working, and they're polluting the air.
"Transportation is a vital piece of your economy. Everybody admits that. So what's the hang up with a nickel a gallon" gas tax increase, Brown said.
Olmsted County is not part of House District 28B, though Rochester's economic health is a key element of the region's well-being.
We'll be adding to this post in a bit.We've added a link to a pdf about the partnership (see above), and here's the billing for the forum:
U.S. Highway 52 from Rochester to the Twin Cities will be focus of a meeting from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Zumbrota City Hall.
The meeting, organized by the Highway 52 Freeway Partnership, will include discussion of ongoing projects, studies and the outlook for funding and future improvements.
Candidates for Minnesota House District 28B have been invited to talk about their positions on transportation issues, including U.S. 52.
Zumbrota City Hall is at 175 West Ave.
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