Elsewhere on this page today, Del. Johnny Joannou from Portsmouth makes a compelling case as to why Hampton Roads Voters should vote no to the transportation sales tax referendum.

Virtually every point he makes he right on the money: It’s a dangerous precedent; Suffolk residents could conceivably vote the tax down and still have it imposed upon them because larger cities supported it; the new government bureaucracy that it creates; and there’s not time limit on how long the tax will last.

Nonetheless, it’s still something Suffolk voters should support on Nov. 5. Joannou is right in that it is the job of the General Assembly to provide money for roads, schools, etc., but it’s something they obviously do not have the courage to do. We need these road improvements if we are to continue to grow and the referendum is the only way we are going to get it.