The five new members elected to RTD’s board of directors Tuesday will join incumbents grappling with the challenge of solving the agency’s $2 billion shortfall in FasTracks funding.
Multiple candidates ran for board positions in five of RTD’s 15 districts, while in three others, incumbents ran unopposed.
Unopposed directors who will return to the board are Barbara Brohl, current board chairman Lee Kemp and Bill McMullen.
District F
The only RTD incumbent who had opposition was Barbara Yamrick in District F, which includes much of Aurora, and it appeared late Tuesday night that Yamrick was edged out by newcomer Tom Tobiassen.
Tobiassen, who works in computer-science engineering at Buckley Air Force Base, led with 39 percent of the vote; Yamrick had 37 percent, and a third candidate, Jerry Staples, 24 percent.
“We certainly have our challenges ahead of us,” said Tobiassen, who added that one of his priorities would be to get FasTracks’ Interstate 225 light-rail line built far enough to serve the Fitzsimons medical complex and link with the train to DIA.
Because of financial problems, the I-225 line is one mentioned as a candidate for shortening unless more money can be found for the project.
District H
In District H, which includes parts of Douglas and Arapahoe counties, it appeared that real estate consultant Kent Bagley was the victor in a three-way contest to succeed Daryl Kinton as director.
“We have a tremendous amount of work to do, so many things that need to be thoughtfully done,” Bagley said, listing FasTracks, the formation of public-private partnerships and the possibility of transit service cuts.
Districts A, G and M
In District A, four candidates aimed to succeed Bill Elfenbein, and it appear that commercial real estate appraiser Bill James had won the post.
“We need to find a rational way to solve this budget deficit,” James said, referring to RTD’s financial problems. “That’s the next big thing.”
In Districts G and M, two candidates each ran to succeed RTD directors Neill Quinlan and David Ruchman, respectively.
In G, former Lone Tree Mayor Jack O’Boyle handily beat Justin Herrera for the position.
In M, centered in Lakewood and other parts of Jefferson County, real estate broker Matt Cohen was leading former Colorado legislator Ramey Johnson for the post as of late Tuesday.
Regional Transportation District directors labor in relative obscurity for a salary of $12,000 a year, but they set policy for an agency with an annual operating and administrative budget of $382 million.
Because of FasTracks — the nation’s largest planned transit expansion — their decisions are expected to shape transportation options for metro-Denver residents for the next 50 years and beyond.
In August, RTD said the price of FasTracks had jumped to $7.9 billion from $6.1 billion and the agency would have to find about $2 billion more to complete the project as planned by 2017.
RTD directors also will have to deal with a shortage of operating revenues at a time when more commuters are switching to public transit. Sales-tax receipts —which account for about two-thirds of RTD’s revenues — are running below earlier projections.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
