It’s time to celebrate! We’re living in a new era for Tucson.
After many years of hard work on the part of so many people on so many sides of the issue, our community came together on Tuesday and said YES to a balanced, regional transportation plan that will revolutionize our transit system with dramatic increases in bus service, fill the gaps in our bike network (550 more lane miles of bike paths!), build 250 more miles of sidewalks, fully fund the El Paso and Southwest Greenway, and, yes, create and operate our first phase of a light rail system in the form of a Modern Streetcar!
I’m particularly excited about what this victory will mean to those who cannot drive or cannot afford to drive—seniors, the disabled, and those living in poverty, many of whom I met during the RTA campaign. The public transit improvements in the works will offer them a new independence beyond what they once thought possible.
Thank you so much for the work you all have done to make our dreams a reality. But our work is not over. I encourage each one of you to get involved in making sure this plan is carried out to meet our expectations. Please consider serving on the RTA Citizens Accountability Committee to oversee implementation (apply by May 31; the application form is here), and if you live in a neighborhood or own a business adjacent to a road improvement, submit your name to the Department of Transportation for your jurisdiction to be a part of the citizen committee that will help to design that roadway and ensure that it will meet the needs of neighborhoods, businesses, and motorists.
The passage of the RTA plan is also important for reasons bigger than transportation. The process marks a new way of doing things in Tucson–people of all opinions and backgrounds solving our seemingly intransigent problems together. I look forward to being a part of similar efforts to deal with water, land use, education, health care, poverty, and immigration. I do believe that we in Tucson can be a model for how to make good decisions and thrive in an era of increasing challenges.
And, yes, I intend to bring this model to the State House of Representatives next year. While I disagree strongly with many of the current House members on many different issues, I look forward to finding ways to work together. We must fight for what is right, and build coalitions with people of differing views to move our state forward. The stakes are high.
Janet Napolitano, the best governor in the entire United States, has honored David Bradley and me with her endorsement for the two State House seats in District 28:
