Councilmember: You can help Riggs overpass bill succeed

By Vincent Manfredi, Maricopa City Councilmember

The city of Maricopa needs your help today. As you may have read recently, state Rep. Bret Roberts has introduced legislation for an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route 347. House Bill 2068 directs $35 million for this project. The first hearing on the bill is Feb. 3, 2021 at 2 p.m. in the House Transportation Committee. And you can help!

Although Propositions 416 and 417 – the Pinal County Regional Transportation plan and tax passed by voters in 2018 – may still be tied up in court, this bill (HB2068), along with future Prop 416 funds, gives us a huge head start on compiling the money needed to fix the 347. I continue to champion this cause for Maricopa at every turn, but no one has a louder voice than you, the constituents.

For this bill to get a vote on the House floor, we need your help. One way to do that is to send emails to the lawmakers who will decide how the bill will progress through the House, and if it even gets a vote at all.

Send Emails

Please email Rep. Frank Carroll at [email protected]. Mr. Carroll is the chairman of the Transportation Committee. Let him know your 347 horror stories. A second person to reach out to is Rep. Justin Wilmeth, vice chairman of Transportation, at [email protected]

If you have a few extra minutes, contact the other Transportation Committee members to let them know you need their support: Mr. Richard Andrade at [email protected], Ms. Brenda Barton at [email protected], Mr. Leo Biasiucci at [email protected], Mr. David Cook at [email protected], Mr. Robert Meza at [email protected], Mr. Kevin Payne at [email protected], Mr. Frank Pratt at [email protected], Mr. Amish Shah at [email protected], Mr. Arlando Teller at [email protected] and Mr. Myron Tsosie at [email protected].

Finally, please visit the AZ Legislature Roster pick some members of both political parties and ask them for their support. Please either copy or BCC: House Leader Rusty Bowers [email protected], Rep. Bret Roberts [email protected] and me [email protected] on your emails.

If Maricopa can win Battle of the Burbs three times in a row, we can certainly write some emails to achieve something that will have a lasting and long-term impact for Maricopa, right? Imagine what we can do when we stand together!

---

Vincent Manfredi is a Maricopa City Councilmember and minority owner of InMaricopa.