When attending a recent League of Oregon Cities meeting in my capacity as a municipal employee, I learned that the League openly supports tolling on freeways. I asked directly for clarification that the League supports funding highway maintenance on the backs of working-class Oregonians who can’t afford it, and the reply was, “Yes.” This opinion is incredulously out of touch with everyday Oregonians, and reveals a severe detachment between the League and everyday Oregonians. I encourage concerned citizens to take a couple of concrete steps to align the League with actual public opinion on the matter. One, citizens can petition their City Council to adopt resolutions demanding that the League reverse their support for tolling and instead stand with the economically disadvantaged Oregonians who will be painfully impacted. Oregonians can also call their federal Representatives along with Senators Merkley and Wyden to ask that they cosponsor Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s Tolling Transparency Act, which would require exhaustive studies for major tolling proposals. Mayors and Councilors unaware of the League’s misguided policies can initiate this advocacy at their Cities as well. The League speaks for Cities, and Cities truly worried about their communities are morally obligated to ensure that the League reverses course before freeway tolling scourges our pocketbooks.
Alex McHaddad, Lebanon
Editor’s Note: Alex McHaddad is the City Administrator/Recorder of Sodaville, OR. His letter does not reflect an official opinion or position of the City of Sodaville.
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