In Our View: Can’t Win if You Don’t Play

When it comes to transportation money and Clark County’s return on the dollar, Republican state senators Ann Rivers and Don Benton had similar perspectives but ended up in completely different places this year. One was a winner; the other was a loser.

As Benton, R-Vancouver, recently told a public forum, “I don’t see how anyone can support such a lopsided package.” And as Rivers, R-La Center, told The Columbian, “The 18th (legislative district) is in awesome shape; the rest of Clark County takes it in the shorts. I’m deeply, deeply disappointed.”

There is little doubt that Clark County was an afterthought in the transportation budget passed by the Legislature. The county accounts for 6.4 percent of Washington’s population, and according to an analysis by the state Department of Transportation, from 2004 through ’12, contributed 5.4 percent of the state’s gas-tax revenue. Yet a new transportation package, fueled by an increase to the state gas tax, has earmarked less than 2 percent of the resulting funds for projects in the region.

That is where Benton, who represents the 17th District, and Rivers, who represents the 18th, diverge. That is where all of Southwest Washington’s legislative delegation splits along partisan lines — with the exception of Rivers. All other local Republicans in the Senate and House voted against the transportation bill; all Democrats voted in favor. And as Clark County attempts to move forward from the debacle that was the now-defunct Columbia River Crossing, it is important to examine that division.

After allowing several legislative sessions to go by without the passage of a major transportation bill, the need for the state to invest in infrastructure was clear this year. Building and maintaining roads and bridges for a growing population is essential to economic vitality and development. With that in mind, the Legislature ended up approving a gas-tax increase of 11.9 cents per gallon, phased in over two years and designed to raise $16 billion.

Rivers, recognizing that statewide need, opted to take a seat at the table and participate in a bill that is beneficial for all of Washington. In the process, she managed to deliver some needed projects for her district, such as $25 million for improvements to the Camas Slough Bridge on state Highway 14, plus work in Battle Ground and Ridgefield. Benton, attempting to keep Washington stuck in neutral by opposing the gas-tax increase, delivered precious little for his constituents. The 49th District, meanwhile, represented by Democrats Annette Cleveland, Jim Moeller and Sharon Wylie, landed several projects — including $98.7 million to rebuild the interchange at Interstate 5 and Mill Plain Boulevard.

Yet it is the contrast between Rivers and Benton that stands as a lesson in politics. The argument can be made that opposing a gas-tax increase was a case of standing on principle in fighting for taxpayers. Certainly, nobody wants to see the gas tax increase, but roads and bridges are an essential investment that in the long run pays dividends. Given that necessity, the question then becomes how lawmakers can best serve their constituents; the question then becomes whether it is more beneficial to participate in the process or to sit in the corner with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face.

While Clark County as a whole is, indeed, taking it in the shorts as a donor county for the rest of the state, Rivers’ constituents will find that some investment is better than none. Benton’s, meanwhile, will discover that they would be better off if their senator worked to build bridges with his fellow lawmakers.