Sample Letters to the Editor – From Individuals NOT Government Agencies
Three Main Points – 193 words
(*This letter is designed to drive home three key points. It is fine to break these points out into
individual LTEs.)
Proposal 1 is our last best chance to achieve safe and reliable roads. While you may not like
everything in the proposal, there are three main points to keep in mind.
Proposal 1 guarantees that every penny in taxes we pay at the pump goes to transportation.
We can put an end to the shell game where the state sales tax on fuel was used for nontransportation purposes. Every penny paid in gas tax is guaranteed in the constitution to go to
transportation.
Every penny in the School Aid Fund is guaranteed in the constitution to fund education where it
helps our kids the most: our K-12 schools and community colleges. No more shell games with
education funding.
Our state and local road agencies do their best to pick the highest qualified contractors at the
best prices. Now, taxpayers will receive more road warranties. If a contractor’s work doesn’t
hold up, road builders pay to fix them, not taxpayers.
No one likes their taxes to go up, but Proposal 1 is the best option for fixing our roads and
finally putting protections in the constitution to guarantee funding for safe and reliable roads.
Health Care Professional – 193 words
Everyone knows that bad roads are an issue in Michigan. Your daily commute, errand runs and
walks through the neighborhood expose all the necessary evidence. As someone who works in
the medical field I can tell you good roads are essential for emergency response times and
quickly and safely transporting those in need.
I see firsthand the effect that poor roads have on our ability to respond to accidents and get
patients to hospitals. Emergency vehicles often have to detour around pothole-riddled roads,
reduce our speeds to avoid poor conditions, or take alternate routes to get patients to the
hospital. In the “golden hour,” every second counts and these minutes are life threatening. The
time it takes to detour around a closed or weight restricted bridge can make the difference
between a positive or negative outcome.
With Proposal 1, our roads can finally get fixed. Some say the sales tax isn’t fair because
everyone has to pay, but everyone benefits from our roads. How could we get health care
workers to the medical care facility without roads? Join me in supporting Proposal 1. It’s the
best way to ensure safe roads for everyone.
Engineer – 182 words
It’s no secret that Michigan’s roads are in poor condition and road agencies just don’t have the
funds to make all necessary repairs and safety upgrades. We do the best we can with what we
have, but it just isn’t enough. Proposal 1 provides a way to increase revenue for roads, giving
road agencies the money they need to provide safe and reliable roads and bridges.
Studies show that increased investment in road and bridge improvements at the local level save
lives. Making road lanes and shoulders wider, adding a specially shaped edge to allow vehicles
that go off the pavement to safely re-enter the road, adding medians and improving bridges are
just a few of the improvements that can save lives.
The Federal Highway Administration has found that every $100 million invested in road safety
improvements could prevent 145 traffic fatalities over a 10-year period. Instead of making deep
cuts year after year, Proposal 1 would allow road agencies to finally dedicate resources to
improving the safety of our roads. A vote for Proposal 1 is a vote for safer roads!
Commissioner – 195 words
Safety is a main priority at the ____ County Road Commission. We do everything we can with
available revenue to make sure that motorists are safe, but it’s frustrating knowing that we
could make conditions safer if we had adequate revenue.
From simple things like being able to repaint the stripes on our paved road system and more
expensive upgrades like adding a safety edge that allows motorists to safely re-enter the
roadway if they drift off the pavement, there is a cost to safer roads.
Instead of making steps forward, the things we are doing to keep roads safe feel like a step
backward. Many counties, ours included, have had to return paved roads to gravel because
driving conditions weren’t safe and we didn’t have the revenue to reconstruct the roads.
Proposal 1 will finally give us the revenue we need to stop going backward and instead make
investments in safer roads. Within 3 years, ____ County roads would see an increase of ___
annually. That’s a great start toward providing motorists with safer roads to carry their families
along their daily activities. A vote for Proposal 1 is a vote for safer roads!