Digging deeper into last week's transit vote 

I have yet to meet an Idahoan who thinks the Treasure Valley does not have transportation problems. The area has too many examples to ignore: Gridlock during rush hour west-bound from Boise to Nampa; the Milwaukee Street mess near Boise Towne Square mall; and the Gowen Road off-ramp from Interstate 84 as Micron employees are headed to work – to name a few.

To make matters worse, our system of public transportation is inadequate and ridership levels are atrocious. Moreover, the only way to get from Caldwell to Boise is on the freeway or via a poorly improved network of former farm roads. And the explosive growth in Meridian far exceeds the Ada County Highway District’s ability to keep up.

Why is this important for businesses? Reduced quality of life, workers unhappy with their commute, increased pollution restrictions threatening business growth and prospective companies deciding against moving to Idaho because they don’t want their employees commuting 40 minutes each way – again, to name a few.

So no one doubts the need. That’s why so many followed a measure in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee to give Ada and Canyon county voters the right to decide whether they wanted to pay a slight increase in sales taxes to fund needed improvements to the area’s public transit system.

Last week, by a vote of 11-7, the bill was held in committee, essentially killing it for the year. All 11 who voted to hold the bill were Republicans, and three were from the Treasure Valley, a fact causing headaches all over the area.

Multiple hearings on the bill slid into conversations about solutions to the Valley’s transportation woes rather than the central question: Can the Treasure Valley decide to tax itself? Rather than answer that question, some legislators harped on issues better left until later, such as the limited number of people who use the existing public transportation system and the need for expansion of local highways.

Some legislators were honest. They simply didn’t want to give the Treasure Valley the option to impose a local sales tax when their communities don’t have the same option.

Fine. I respect that argument.

But the other arguments, over how the problems should be resolved, were dodges. Well-intentioned and thoughtful dodges, to be sure, but dodges nonetheless. What was really happening had as much to do with a complex dance between House Republicans as it did with transportation.

Three of the people who voted to hold the bill – Reps. Mike Moyle, Ken Roberts and Scott Bedke – are part of the leadership team assembled late last year after the election of Speaker of the House Lawerence Denney. Denney won his position after a hard-fought campaign against Bill Deal, who now runs the state Department of Insurance.

One Republican insider told me that many Ada and Canyon Republicans who supported Deal are bitter about some negative repercussions of their support. They have pushed back against the Speaker and leadership. The transit vote was a way for leadership to force the unhappy Treasure Valley Republicans back in line.

So to all of you on the losing side of the transit tax vote, don’t worry – your time will come. Too many legislators from all corners of the state recognize the serious transportation problems in Boise, Nampa and Caldwell. Most of them recognize the need for some kind of funding mechanism to improve public transportation and to craft innovative solutions for the problems brought on by our explosive population growth.

They will tackle the problem.

But they will solve their political problems first.

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