Thomas: The timing of streets talk is telling

At the recent mayoral forum, Councilmember Friedel stated the revenue from the town’s share of the state Vehicle License Tax (VLT) is now all dedicated to streets — and that should have been done a long time ago. During the Feb. 27 town council retreat, the town’s chief financial officer stated 100% of the VLT has been dedicated to streets in the past but was changed to a 70/30 allocation in 2020. Was Councilmember Friedel not paying attention at the retreat?

Regarding the “long time ago” statement, is three years and seven months long enough ago? That is when Councilmember Friedel joined the council. I don’t recall him suggesting the re-allocation in 2021, during discussion of the first budget after he was on council. Or 2022. Or 2023. If not, why did he wait until 2024, after he was running for mayor, to present that idea?

For the first two years of Councilmember Friedel’s tenure, I recall hearing nary a word from him about extra funding for streets. However, when streets became a hot topic in the 2022 council election, using the follower style he is well-known for, Councilmember Friedel suddenly got religion about streets and started expressing concern about extra funding for them.

Allocating 100% of the VLT to streets makes sense. However, let’s not delude ourselves about the change. The additional 30% re-allocation from the General Fund is less than 1% per year of the $40-$60 million backlog for streets. So, while every dollar helps, the additional funds are nowhere near enough compared to what is needed.

Do the actions of Councilmember Friedel, who touts his years of experience in banking and finance, look like a leader to you? It doesn’t look that way to me. Take the time to be informed about the candidates and vote wisely.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.