Our transportation system is often referred to using terms that also apply to the human body: Major arterial, minor arterial, flow, system, etc. These similarities are warranted: just as the circulatory system is vital to a healthy body, the transportation system is vital to a healthy regional economy.

Anyone who has ever sat in traffic on Interstate 25 or U.S. Highway 34 knows that we have transportation needs that must be addressed. Diminishing revenue from fuel taxes, increased demand from a growing population, a restrictive state budget, and an aging infrastructure have converged to create a transportation superstorm. Trying to fund a 21st-century transportation demand with a 20th-century finance mechanism is a recipe for failure.

My track record is one of creative solutions. Moving forward, governments must look to partnerships to fund transportation needs. Local, county and state governments must form partnerships with one another and the private sector to fund our ever-growing transportation needs. Governments must work with developers to ensure new growth is held accountable for the impacts it has on the total transportation system.

Weld County is an active participant in regional transportation planning endeavors including the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and the Upper Front Range Transportation Planning Region. Weld County needs to continue to work with and maintain leadership roles in these organizations and foster positive relationships with other governments to ensure creative and efficient transportation outcomes.

My track record of visionary leadership, collaboration, cooperation, and consensus-building is a skillset perfectly matched with the processes needed to develop funding and planning solutions for a 21st-century transportation strategy.