Scepaniak: Looking for emphasis on roads, bridges in a candidate

Editor’s note: P&Q turned to some of the industry’s leaders for their takes on the 2020 presidential election. Leaders were posed with the following questions in advance of this month’s issue: How do the potential outcomes of the upcoming presidential election impact your outlook on the aggregate industry? What effects would another four years of President Trump have on the industry? What effects would a Biden administration have on the industry?

First, we need to remember that the executive branch is just one facet of the federal government.

There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs this November, as well as 35 seats in the Senate. So there are a lot of decision-makers for voters to consider.

While the executive branch is critical to our industry, how the legislative branch works alongside an administration is very important. There’s an opportunity to get some new leaders into Congress – those looking to make names for themselves – who could bring good ideas to the table. We need to streamline how we get some of their ideas through Congress.

Still, when I look at President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, I do feel I see more emphasis on roads and bridges from Trump. From Biden, I hear a lot about public transportation and trying to implement technologies that reduce the nation’s general use of roads as a whole.

With presidential terms, it is challenging to accomplish anything in four years. That may seem somewhat contradictory because four years is arguably a long time, but getting into office, introducing bills and getting them passed takes time. And the best way for the Trump administration to achieve some of the things they set out to do is to give them another four years.

The president has a head start on some key issues, and we might see a stronger aggregate industry with him remaining in office versus switching up and starting from square one.

I believe both presidential candidates are aware of the issues at hand. They have some different approaches, but both face the glooming question of how we’re going to pay for our infrastructure.

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John Scepaniak is project manager at Wm. D. Scepaniak, a contract crusher serving the Upper Midwest.

Featured image: John Scepaniak