Candidate Spease promised expanding existing Elk Grove roads to relieve traffic but can't deliver a simple sidewalk infill

Candidates along the food chain make outrageous promises. A recent example that illustrates this is one from presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In a campaign Hail Mary, DeSantis said if elected president, gasoline would be $2/gallon. It's an outrageous promise DeSantis cannot possibly fulfill, but some voters will buy it.

The only difference between local and national candidate campaign promises is scale. Elk Grove voters have seen their share of outrageous campaign promises.

DeSantis' claim comes to mind based on an image shared by an Elk Grove News reader. The image above shows one of Elk Grove City Councilmember Kevin Spease's 2020 campaign promises.

To address the city's traffic congestion, Spease promised to expand existing roads, whatever that meant. Did that expansion include addressing the frequent bottlenecks along Elk Grove Boulevard through Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove or overpasses along roads intersecting the Union Pacific rail crosssings?

The promise sounded good, and for some voters, that was all they needed to hear. However, widening existing roads is an improbable task.

Spease single-handedly cannot expand roads, and it is unlikely, even if he had the support of his city council colleague, that could be accomplished for a variety of reasons. But what about more modest improvements for pedestrians in Elk Grove?

Can or will Spease spearhead an effort for pedestrian safety?

Has Spease tried to muster city council support or use his influence as the city assembled its five-year capital improvement plan for a modest project like a sidewalk infill project? Specifically, did Spease advocate for a  fill-in project for a stretch of sidewalk-less on Elk Grove-Florin Road?

If Spease did push for the sidewalk - we can't find anything suggesting he did - and came up short, he could have rallied during public meetings and pressured city staff to include this. A strong advocacy for his constituents' needs might have violated Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen's dictates to Spease and his three colleagues to speak and act in unison without suggesting dissent, but who does he answer to - Singh-Allen or constituents?    

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An examination of the five-year CIP found no plans to infill the less than half-mile stretch on the southbound side of Elk Grove-Florin Road between the new subdivision under development (that will have sidewalks) to West Camden Drive. The absence of this infill project was confirmed by city staff (see the image above). 

If Spease didn't advocate for that project in his district, what makes you think he can widen existing roads citywide or is even interested in that pursuit? His cute, misleading cartoon images are meaningless charactictures of local politics. 

It shows Spease and the rest of his colleagues will say whatever they think is necessary to win office. But when it comes to important things like improving the quality of life for their constituents, they cannot be bothered.

Instead, they attend social events, bow to the lowest fears in the community as needed, chase quixotic projects like the Zoo (remember the soccer field dream?) to bolster their political fortunes at the cost of taxpayers, pose for selfies, and on occasion, put on a bloviated show from the dias to convince themselves they are relevant (see video below). They are nothing but five blowhards looking out for themselves, not their constituents' interests.  

Keep this in mind every time you view a TV political campaign commercial or slick mailer making unattainable promises in the next 54 weeks. 

 

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