Saved whether we want it or not

Bruce Roemmelt
Published: March 10, 2008

Sunday evening I received an e-mail from Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William. He was, refreshingly, succinct and direct. “Well, Bruce, do you now believe me about HB 3202 being unconstitutional?”

In 2007, I agreed with Governor Tim Kaine, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Deputy Attorney General Bill Mims and Sen. Charles J. “Chuck” Colgan, D-Manassas, that the 2007 transportation compromise was constitutional.

This year, the Supreme Court of Virginia chose a rare day to make a giant leap backward for our regional transportation crisis. 

If I were to do as Delegate Marshall does when he is faced with a court decision he does not like, I would launch into an invective about the dangers of activist judges who disregard the views and needs of the public. However, unlike Delegate Marshall, I’m not interested in playing a game of “gotcha.” I’m interested in seeing our transportation problems solved. 

On May 29, 2007, I wrote on these pages that the transportation compromise was “not perfect.” However, I believed then and I continue to believe that “given the severity of gridlock, doing nothing is not an option.” 

The Virginia Supreme Court decision has not changed this reality.  The General Assembly is now back at the drawing board when it comes to solving our transportation problems — exactly where it was in March 2005, when I first announced my candidacy for the House of Delegates and focused my campaign on this issue. 

Delegate Marshall chose to save us from an unconstitutional law, whether we necessarily wanted to be saved or not.

Unfortunately, he still has done nothing to save us from the hundreds of hours each of us lose every year due to gridlock.

This is time we could spend with our families, a constituency Marshall claims to support.

I can now believe Marshall that HB3202 was unconstitutional. I still do not believe his priorities match those of the long-suffering residents of the 13th District.  Let’s hope Delegate Marshall can take some time from his U.S. Senate campaign and play a constructive role solving this problem.

BRUCE ROEMMELT

Prince William County