By Kevin Flynn
Inside-Lane.com

Memo to gubernatorial candidates: If you’re coming to talk at a convention of Colorado road builders, expect to be asked what you would do to address the crisis in funding transportation improvements.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Democratic candidate for governor, and former Congressman Scott McInnis, seeking the Republican nomination, appeared separately at the convention of the Colorado Contractors Association. During Q and A sessions following their talks, each one missed opportunities to lay out specifics about what they would do for transportation funding.

Nevertheless, both Hickenlooper and McInnis told the contractors and engineers in the audience at the downtown Denver Marriot City Center that the straightforward solution to providing a stable, predictable and reliable funding stream to transportation infrastructure is simply to put together your best package of taxes, fees or other revenue measures to accomplish the mission, and then make the case to voters that it’s all necessary.

John Hickenlooper

The mayor said he wasn’t ready to commit to that, however.

Instead, Hickenlooper said the ultimate answer is to take your case to voters. If officials can show voters exactly what they’re going to build and why it needs to be built, it makes for a better and more publicly accepted program.

“What makes more sense is to go to voters,” Hickenlooper said.

McInnis followed Hickenlooper by more than an hour; CCA wanted to have the two together but their schedules didn’t mesh. McInnis’ take on FASTER was more direct – it caused “intense animosity” among the public and was done the wrong way.

“The problem with FASTER isn’t the intent or the structure of it, it’s the fact that you didn’t go to the people in those 64 counties and explain it,” McInnis said.

Scott McInnis

He said he had no specifics, because “I’m not a transportation expert,” and instead asked the questioner what proposals he would have.

“If you have an idea, come to me with it.” McInnis said.

The two candidates were on the same page on one issue, however – three ballot measures this November that would slash government and school revenues and limit the ability to borrow for projects should be defeated.

Proposition 101 and Amendments 60 and 61 “don’t add up,” McInnis said. He understands voter frustration with the cost of government, he said, “but as a leader I gotta say do the math. It doesn’t add up on these amendments. These are not good amendments.”

Hickenlooper also said he opposes the trio of measures.

“All three of those ultimately will result in us being unable to build anything,” Hickenlooper said. “From your point of view, it would be impossible for government to build anything. You’re condemning us to be a second tier country.”