Lilly outraged by governor’s disregard for tri-cities residents

            State Rep. Jim Lilly, of Park Township, today said he is disappointed in the governor for vetoing  funding to reopen Smith’s Bridge in Ferrysburg, a state budget line item the representative personally fought for in the Legislature’s budget plan for the year beginning Oct. 1.

“The governor founded her campaign on building bridges and fixing the damn roads,” Lilly said. “Yet when she’s given the opportunity to repair this bridge that is so integral to our community, she shoots it down in the name of party politics.”

The bridge was closed after a May inspection noted significant deterioration. The governor visited the bridge soon after, where she said: “We need to get serious about fixing these problems.”

“Apparently she wasn’t serious about it after all,” Lilly said. “It took less than three months for her to completely forget about what she had previously termed a life and death issue.”

Lilly called the veto a huge blow for the tri-cities, which depend heavily on the bridge for quick response from local emergency services and first responders. Still, he said he still plans to work toward  solutions.

“To say I’m disappointed in our governor is an understatement,” Lilly said. “She made it clear that the concerns of West Michigan residents were low on her priority list when she released her roads plan, which would’ve resulted in 70 percent less funding for Ottawa County roads than the current formula. My constituents might not be a priority to the governor, but they are to me. That’s why I remain committed to finding long-term fixes for our infrastructure needs, including Smith’s Bridge.”