By voting for Perez, we can break the 3-way tie our way
The Democratic gubernatorial primary is critical to the fate of the toll-lane scheme. Per the latest independent poll, Tom Perez, Wes Moore, and Peter Franchot, are virtually tied for the lead, each polling at about 15%.
Of the top candidates, Tom Perez is the most consistently and unambiguously opposed to the toll lane project. He’s strongly endorsed by the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun.
Perez says, “Maryland needs a balanced approach to transportation…not the Hogan-Franchot plan to widen the beltway and privatize toll lanes.” He says, “… rushing something because a governor’s term ends in January is a recipe for potential disaster that obligates us for decades to come.”
Perez is the most likely of the top candidates to end the toll lane scheme if elected.
This is not single-issue politics. Governor Hogan’s plan touches every aspect of our public lives. In strongly opposing the plan, Perez demonstrates his support for fiscal and environmental responsibility, transparency, economic fairness, future-looking transportation policies, and putting the public interest first.
If we vote for Tom Perez, he can win.
Remember this quote from P. Franchot, the ultimate pro-toll-lane candidate
Peter Franchot explained to an interviewer (see below) that the toll-lane project is a kind of “experiment” (the kind, apparently, that uses billions of realdollars, impacts real lives, and lasts 50 years).
“The key thing is we'll be able to see whether there's any relief of traffic congestion and any real uproar over the tolls. And, you know, we'll be able to without completely turning the area on its head. We're going to be able to test a properly drafted P3 and we'll see how it goes” (Peter Franchot speaking on Everyday Law Podcast, 27:10).
Regarding that “properly drafted P3”, Franchot cast the deciding Board of Public Works vote for the toll lane agreement without insisting on even the basic protection of an independent financial and legal review: careless about the consequences of the project, then and now.
Washington Post, 7/1/22
Marc Elrich is on the right side of the toll-lane issue. Now, he’s under attack
Marc Elrich is the only one of the top candidates for Montgomery County Executive who opposes the toll lane scheme and the tremendous harm it will cause.
Now he’s under attack from big-money PACS. According to Maryland Matters: “A billionaire cofounder of Facebook has invested $500,000 in a new political action committee set up to defeat Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich in the July 19 Democratic primary...”
Another PAC opposing Elrich is “a faux progressive local group” entirely funded by developers.
What’s true for Tom Perez is true for Marc Elrich. If we vote for him, he can win.
ASAP Action Item
Spread the word about Perez, Elrich, and the other candidates opposed to the toll lane project. Share these links to candidate positions for multiple races: Action Committee for Transit Scorecard and Citizens Against Beltway Expansion Scorecard. See the selected tables we published in our June 12 issue.
According to the latest gubernatorial poll and the Maryland Matters article here, “More than 60% [of voters] said they were open to choosing a different candidate. Among the likely Democratic voters, 35% said they are undecided, weeks before the July 19 primary.”
A small number of voters can have an enormous impact in this election. Our grassroots turnout can make all the difference. Every person you educate and persuade can help stop the toll lane scheme.
MDOT intended to overwhelm; they keep underestimating us
MDOT dumped its 26,000 page Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the public on June 17, allowing only a month for review. Public officials and multiple organizations have asked the federal government to require an extension of the review period, and new requests are going out. The Sierra Club of Maryland is actively engaged in the FEIS response. They’re coordinating the teams of technical and legal subject matter experts reviewing and assessing the material. The Sierra Club is also preparing for a possible legal challenge. Read about likely lawsuits here.
Right now, the Sierra Club is developing a correspondence tool you can use to send your own message to the federal agencies reviewing the FEIS. Watch for details soon.
The Sierra Club is our longtime, trusted partner in fighting the toll lane scheme. Please consider donating to the Sierra Club’s Maryland Smart Growth Defense Fund. You can read all about the fund and the fight against the toll lane project here.