Opening Remarks, Frank McCartney
Opening Remarks, Frank McCartney
Opening Remarks, Frank McCartney
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<strong>Frank</strong> <strong>McCartney</strong>’s <strong>Remarks</strong><br />
IBTTA Legislative Conference<br />
March 7, 2011<br />
Thank you for that kind introduction, Pat.<br />
I am honored to be IBTTA’s 2011 president. And, in this, my first address, I would like to<br />
set the stage for the coming year by doing two things:<br />
• First, announcing my challenge for the year.<br />
• Second, equipping you with two tools to help you meet that challenge this week and<br />
beyond.<br />
First, my theme. I have watched in awe as our industry continues to make the difference in<br />
improving mobility around the world. And, so, as my theme, I have chosen “making the<br />
difference.” Note, I didn’t say making a difference. In my opinion, making a difference is<br />
a cop-out. To me, it says a marginal outcome is not only acceptable, it’s commendable.<br />
Ladies and gentlemen, let me be clear: I’m holding us accountable for more than marginal<br />
success in the coming year. The second reason I chose making the difference is that no<br />
other association possesses the intellect, practical experience, entrepreneurial spirit and<br />
collective power that IBTTA does. If change is going to happen, we must be its stewards.<br />
When you issue a challenge as grand as making the difference, you have to be sure you<br />
have the right people in place who will take it to heart and see it through. We have those<br />
people in this room:<br />
• People who have unquestionable integrity and unlimited stamina.<br />
• People who are creative and see solutions others don’t.<br />
• People who have dedicated their entire careers to tolling.<br />
• And, people who have an unwavering belief in themselves, their colleagues and<br />
their collective ability to improve the status quo.<br />
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What is the difference these people make?<br />
• Greater mobility<br />
• Increased highway safety<br />
• A commitment to customer service and sustainability<br />
• And, improved access to mobility through technology and finance.<br />
If there ever were a window of opportunity – a golden moment – to promote tolling and its<br />
benefits, it is now as local and world events threaten to further erode federal transportation<br />
funding.<br />
A Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives (and an 87-member Republican<br />
freshman class) pledge to cut spending this year while state governors cry for fiscal<br />
reform. Abroad, revolutions in the Middle East and Northern Africa are dramatically<br />
altering the dynamic of U.S. foreign policy and the price of gas.<br />
No doubt, there will be less federal money than before. Lack of funds is forcing cashstrapped<br />
states to become more entrepreneurial. They are striking out on their own to<br />
identify, generate and control their own transportation revenues.<br />
Take the Maryland Department of Transportation’s new Intercounty Connector in<br />
Maryland is making the difference. This all-electronic toll road, which also features<br />
variable pricing, just opened last month. It foreshadows things to come.<br />
In a letter, which appeared in the Washington Post, Pat Jones noted:<br />
“Tolling and dynamic pricing address two of the biggest transportation challenges we face<br />
in this country: a chronic lack of funding and increasing congestion. We should praise<br />
the courage and foresight of those who insisted on including these two critical features in<br />
the ICC.”<br />
Now is the time to get success stories, such as the ICC, in front of lawmakers and urge<br />
them to take a fresh look at all financing mechanisms – with tolling first and foremost.<br />
It’s the IBTTA’s job to initiate and guide that conversation, which brings us to our first<br />
tool. We can make the difference by meeting with lawmakers this week. Tap into those<br />
first-love feelings about tolling – why you entered the industry, and more important, why<br />
you’re still here – and use that passion to deliver these four key messages:<br />
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First, state the problem: We recognize Congress’ unwillingness to increase the federal<br />
gas tax because of the wave of reformers calling for fiscal responsibility.<br />
Second, introduce the solution: The toll industry is prepared to relieve lawmakers of<br />
this burden by assuming the mantle of leadership in transportation funding and<br />
financing.<br />
Third, explain why the solution has merit: Tolling is a way to rebuild our nation’s<br />
infrastructure without having to raise the gas tax – and the implementation of tolling is<br />
much easier now.<br />
Finally, don’t forget the “ask.” End with a call to action: Give us the flexibility to do it!<br />
Remove the legal, political and institutional barriers that prevent states from tolling<br />
interstate highways.<br />
The is our opportunity to tell legislators why tolling is a worthy alternative to the federal<br />
gas tax. Note, I said a worthy alternative and not the worthy alternative. Tolling is not the<br />
answer in every case, but it is a fair, reliable, time-tested way to fund, develop, and operate<br />
road infrastructure. The country has not begun to tap into its full potential, and we must if<br />
we are to save our infrastructure. The second tool for meeting my challenge of making the<br />
difference is printed on the back of a one-dollar bill.<br />
After declaring independence from England, the Continental Congress appointed<br />
Benjamin <strong>Frank</strong>lin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to devise a motto for the United<br />
States. They selected e pluribus unum. Pluribus is related to the English word “plural.”<br />
Unum is related to the English word “unit.”<br />
An accurate translation of the motto is “Out of many, one.” E pluribus unum then<br />
describes a place where unity and individuality coexist. A place like IBTTA.<br />
From our diverse membership of approximately 250 organizations worldwide, we find<br />
common ground, common opinions and popular approaches and we amplify them using<br />
one voice.<br />
Let me tell you how one IBTTA member has already put the “e pluribus unum” strategy to<br />
work …<br />
In early February, the Illinois Tollway learned of a proposed regulation by the Securities<br />
and Exchange Commission. The proposal would consider appointed members of public<br />
boards as “municipal advisers,” making them subject to various registration requirements<br />
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and, subsequently, making it tougher for the Tollway to recruit board members in the<br />
future.<br />
Realizing it couldn’t get the SEC’s attention single-handedly, the Illinois Tollway called<br />
IBTTA, and we mobilized. We sought members’ advice and legal counsel. In two weeks,<br />
we had written a letter to the SEC and circulated it to our members, giving them the<br />
opportunity to add their names to the bottom. Sixty public agencies signed the response.<br />
The Illinois Tollway maximized its IBTTA membership and, in doing so, made the<br />
difference. The other reason I like this example is because it illustrates how the IBTTA<br />
acts rapidly and in concert to shape legislation and regulations.<br />
Let me give one more example of e pluribus unum in action …<br />
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently reached out to the IBTTA, the<br />
Alliance for Toll Interoperability, and other toll industry groups about including language<br />
on national toll interoperability in the next transportation bill. This raised the specter of a<br />
proposal two years ago that threatened to establish and enforce a national interoperability<br />
standard in under three years.<br />
Together with the ATI and E-ZPass, we developed briefing materials, which we shared<br />
with key House staff on February 2. Because of that meeting, the House no longer wishes<br />
to meddle with technology now that its members have a better understanding of the issues<br />
and complexities that confront toll operators.<br />
Adding your voice to many is how IBTTA will make the difference. A lawmaker can<br />
decide his or her position on proposed legislation, receive calls from a constituent or two,<br />
who disagree with that position, and in minutes, the proposed legislation is put on ice.<br />
That’s what Tip O’Neill meant when he said all politics is local. The members of IBTTA<br />
possess a great power. I’ve just given you two examples of how elegantly and strategically<br />
it can be wielded.<br />
So, my question is, what do we want to influence next? To me, these examples prove our<br />
collective ability not only to ensure tolling’s future but to mold it.<br />
We are making the difference.<br />
Thank you.<br />
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