There is a saying in politics that you can’t afford to make enemies.
In the halls of power, the phrase “don’t be silly” is common.
These are the maxims to follow as Greater Phoenix leaders work to enact transportation plans to keep cars, buses and trains moving in our ever-expanding economy.
otherwise nothing will be done.
no one can have everything they want
Regional transportation plans are huge.
They are vast in detail and endlessly complex. These reflect the needs of many diverse peoples, mindsets, cities and organizations, and thus are a mixture of conflicting interests.
It is further complicated by requiring federal standards that must be met to unlock billions of dollars in federal funds.
No one can get everything they want with such a plan.
Closing deals is complicated and requires patience and a certain amount of humility as everyone works for the benefit of the greater community.
Transportation planning was a community effort
Over four years, mayors of 27 towns and cities, three Native American leaders, Maricopa County Supervisors, some Pinal County leaders, Arizona Department of Transportation officials, business people, and Valley residents Thousands of Valley officials have worked, including thousands. New transportation plan for Maricopa County.
With the looming deadline for the 0.5 cent sales tax to be reflected in the renewal ballot before the 2025 deadline, all these parties had to make concessions in order to move forward.
Failure to do so will jeopardize the billions of dollars of infrastructure needed to support the economy of the Phoenix metropolitan area for the next 20 years.
But a small group of conservative lawmakers in the Arizona Senate held a ruthless disdain for light rail and brought chisels to the community’s larger agenda.
Now Part of the Senate Wants to Take Over It
The oddity of state law has forced Maricopa County to do things that other Arizona counties shouldn’t. That means getting congressional approval to put the transportation plan on the ballot.
A sensible Senate leadership might have provided guidance and pointed out where the plan could be strengthened.
They may have challenged the light rail premise while respecting stakeholder plans and the different values they represent.
The Future of Transportation in Metro Phoenix:Why lawmakers shape it
However, Senate Republicans have pushed a narrow agenda of opposition to railroads and indifference to all cities in the Valley that emphasize light rail.
They are carving out new fronts in an old war over the value of railroads themselves.
These senators think railroads are profitable.
MAGA Republicans hostile to light rail
Cities that thrive on railroads to drive development and transport citizens to city center jobs believe railroads are essential and the need for expansion urgent.
About a quarter of the passengers come from mostly conservative enclaves in the East Valley, where some of the conservative legislators live.
The pandemic hit light rail riders hard, but it’s back. In a normal pre-pandemic year, the East Valley had approximately 17 million light rail riders annually.
editorial:All Claims to Violate County Transportation Plans Exposed False
MAGA Republicans, led by Senate President Warren Petersen, are hostile to towns and cities that focus on light rail.
They are the epitome of sullen, unyielding Donald Trump populism. They have also rejected the 2020 election results.
they would rather make enemies and lose friends
MAGA Republicans are generally not interested in working well with others. That’s not the Trump way. So it’s not theirs.
Like the transportation plan, they want to push through the opposition, even if that opposition is populated by Republicans and Democrats and a vanguard of political and economic leaders in the Valley with whom they will need to work together in the future. I believe.
That’s how you make enemies and lose friends. In this way we can derive the cumulative count that he would hold three consecutive national elections.
Thus, Arizona’s Republican Party lost two seats in the Senate—Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General—despite having outnumbered its rivals in party registrations.
The far right can thwart this plan, but at a cost
Prescott Republican Senator Ken Bennett, who, like most of his party, has bowed to Trump Republicans, gave Petersen some good advice earlier this year, according to Ray Stern of the Arizona Republic.
Bennett was president of the Senate when Democratic Janet Napolitano was governor.
He suggested the key to moving forward under a Democratic governor would be to rally the Republican and Democratic majorities and focus less on people on the “far right and far left.”
Right now, the far right is in control of regional transportation planning. They have the power to stop it.
So they have a choice. They can brutally sabotage the plans of Phoenix’s broader stakeholders, or they can work together constructively and rationally to advance their plans.
If not, the Brand Republican Party will be hit hard again. And another maxim will begin to take hold in the halls of power.
“what goes around comes around.”
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for the Republic of Arizona.send him an email phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.
