Radtke Calls for Action against abusive Dulles Toll Road Tolls, Taxes
Questions constitutionality of MWAA's unchecked spending authority
Jamie Radtke today called on Governor Bob McDonnell and Republican lawmakers to reign in a major spending boondoggle plaguing taxpayers and commuters in Northern Virginia.
Radtke, Virginia’s tea party Republican Senate candidate, urged lawmakers to help put elected officials back in the driving seat in a letter to Gov. McDonnell and GOP members of the General Assembly.
The candidate urged them to demand federal legislation that would permit Virginians to control how Dulles Toll Road revenue is spent.
Radtke called in “unacceptable” and questioned the constitutionality of permitting the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to impose implicit taxes as a un-elected and unaccountable body. She went on to say that it is “even worse” that MWAA hides their wasteful spending from both elected officials and the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Radtke wrote: “Please act quickly to return the power over this spending boondoggle to the people of the Commonwealth. Inaction amounts to a leadership failure. MWAA’s arrogant defiance will end up costing Fairfax, Loudoun and Virginia’s taxpayers billions of dollars. This waste will bring higher taxes and $15 tolls, congest roads and drain funds from worthwhile alternatives to improving transportation.”
Radtke charged that a bill in Richmond that was crafted to address concerns about MWAA is inadequate. House Bill 252 (HB252) would merely add two representatives from Virginia, one from DC and one from Maryland, to MWAA's board.
Radtke argues the proposal would do nothing to cure the fundamental problem with MWAA’s structure, which is the lack of accountability to the public. Of equal concern, it wouldn’t deal with the fact that MWAA is mandating Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) in Phase II of its Metrorail Project, a practice which directly conflicts with the principle of Virginia’s Right to Work law.
Radtke expressed her doubts that the current legislation would help motorists, saying, “Even if that legislation were to pass, MWAA would still be able to mandate the highest tolls in Virginia.” She added, “Worse yet, it could still force Dulles Toll Road users to pay for something they don’t even use.”
“Authority over MWAA projects should be given to elected officials in Virginia, since they must answer to the taxpayers who are paying the bills.” She concluded, “That’s the only way to reign in the runaway spending and to protect our citizens from unelected bureaucrats who would fleece them without anyone to hold them accountable.”
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