It’s just two weeks until voters decide the fate of Proposal 1 on May 5 and the Michigan Municipal League has just posted a series of question and answer videos to address some of the concerns you may have about the road funding plan.
The videos come from a panel discussion during the League’s 2015 Capital Conference that took place in March.
The general session, “Driving Toward Safer Roads with Proposal 1,” was moderated by Roger Martin, of the Martin Waymire public relations firm and spokesman for the Safe Roads Yes! coalition. Panelists were Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education; Rob Fowler, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan; Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell; and Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation.
View all the League’s Proposal 1 information here, including an updated list of all the Michigan communities that have passed resolutions in support of Proposal 1.
Here are the questions posed and subsequent answers. The videos are all very short:
- “Why does Proposal 1 seem so complex?” (Length of video: 2 minutes, 27 seconds)
- “What’s Proposal 1’s impact on registration fees? Are heavy trucks paying their fair share?” (2:31)
- “How much more will I pay at the pump if Proposal 1 passes?” (1:04)
- “Why are our roads so bad?” (2:43)
- “Our roads and bridges aren’t as bad as people want us to believe, right?” (1:43)
- “How much money would Proposal 1 generate?” (1:13)
- “Is there a Plan B if Proposal 1 fails?” (4:39)
- “If Proposal 1 passes, will MDOT get all the money? Will local roads see any of it?” (58 seconds)
- “What should Michigan communities do to support proposal 1?” (1:50)
- “What’s the elevator pitch I can give my family and friends about Proposal 1?” (55 seconds)
- “Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell explains why he supports Proposal 1” (1:22)
- “SBAM CEO Rob Fowler explains why his organization supports Proposal 1” (2:40)
- “State Superintendent Mike Flanagan explains why he supports Proposal 1” (46 seconds)
- “Local officials from around the state explain why they support Proposal 1” (2:25)
The League also has a new slide show illustrating how much in new money for roads and constitutional revenue sharing each Michigan community will receive if Proposal 1 passes. The numbers are substantial. It’s a long video but it’s in alphabetical order so you can advance to the parts you want to see. You can also view a pdf of that video here, which will allow you to advance through the list more easily.
Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.