Jeff's Positions on Key Issues

Please read the information below to learn about Jeff Thielman’s positions on important issues that will be addressed by your next State Representative:

(use the links to the left to see different issues)

Transportation

We all use some form of transportation everyday. Nothing affects our lives more! Whether were walking, bicycling, driving, riding the bus or the subway, transportation affects us all and our economy.

According to the Transportation Finance Commission report released in March of 2007, the transportation system in Massachusetts is underfunded and ill prepared to meet the needs of the Commonwealth during the next two decades and beyond. The report found that:

• Almost every transportation agency is running structural deficits and resorting to short-term quick fixes that hide systemic financial problems;
• The condition of our roads, bridges, and transit systems are all in broad decline;
• Revenue is being squeezed from all sides and;
• We have no money for highway or transit enhancements or expansions without further sacrificing our existing systems and exacerbating our problems.

The report estimates a funding gap of $15-$19 billion over the next twenty years, which only includes maintaining the present system without enhancements or expansions.

Moreover, the MBTA has an $8 billion debt, and it spends about a quarter of its operating budget each year to service the debt.

In 23 rd District, our transportation network is complex and managed by numerous agencies including the Town, MassHighway, MBTA, and the Department of Conservation & Recreation.

As State Representative, I will

• Work closely with MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky (an Arlington resident) on improving the transportation network in the district.
• Work with the Administration to improve efficiencies by merging some transportation agencies.
• Consider all prudent sources of additional revenue including raising the gas tax.
• Focus much needed attention on those intersections with high accident rates and/or congestion.
• Promote the development of alternative transportation including bikeways.
• Work to increase bus service in and out of Arlington and Medford, and fight to ensure that fares are kept reasonable.

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