LANSING – The Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, a nonprofit public-private partnership in Southeast Michigan, has announced its support for the Proposal 15-1 to help pay for transportation funding.
“Michigan has found itself economically less competitive on the national and international stage. Our roads are so poor that manufacturers, distributors and retailers can no longer be certain that their goods will reach the intended destination without damage,” John Rakolta, Jr., MAC Vice Chair, said in a statement. “Without the immediate and sustained repair and rebuilding of our road system, Michigan is in danger of significantly lagging in job creation and income gains. You don’t turn this ship around overnight.”
The coalition joins the Michigan Association of Justice, the Michigan AFL-CIO, Sierra Club Michigan, the Michigan Manufacturers Association and others in support of the proposal.
“While some in the coalition voiced concerns about the complexity of the proposal, everyone agrees that Michigan cannot continue with the status quo,” said Mark Gaffney, MAC secretary, in its statement. “The Legislature’s past inaction on transportation funding has put the state in a precarious position. The longer we wait to fix our deteriorating roads, the worse and more expensive the situation becomes.”
He continued, “The Detroit metropolitan area has a troubled public transportation system and one of the most poorly funded in the nation. Public transit serves the critical functions of getting workers to jobs, students to school, and seniors to medical appointments. It also makes the area more attractive to developers and employers.”
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