Ater 14 years, RTD director Cal Marsella is movin’ on down the tracks.
Marsella deserves credit for pulling the region together in 2004 to pass FasTracks following the resounding defeat in 1997 of Guide the Ride. In addition, his transit agency peers have twice recognized the Regional Transportation District as the best in the industry.
And that’s precisely why the RTD Board ought to take its time and be very deliberate before searching for a replacement. The job description is no longer “general manager, transit agency.”
First and foremost, the new description must begin with “city builder.” To be successful, the new leader must convene a regional conversation about the region’s livability, sustainability and viability.
RTD has two very different missions, each requiring different skills: operations on the one hand, and political and civic savvy on the other. Running the buses and trains efficiently is important. However, building an efficient, comprehensive transportation system, one that connects communities and re-weaves a civic fabric tattered by sprawl and haphazard planning, demands a different kind of leadership.
What are the characteristics of a city builder? Certainly political savvy, civic awareness and commitment, and the ability to build and listen to a strong, forward-looking team are high on the list.
RTD should interview people as diverse as former Denver mayors Federico Peña and Wellington Webb, current and former metro mayors, local civic and business leaders, and several national players. Those should include Transportation for America Director James Corless, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Reconnecting America’s Shelley Poticha, and California economist Dena Belzer. Talk with the leadership of young, forward-looking transit agencies — Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City. What do leading environmentalists and urban planners have to say?
Marsella’s departure opens a door of opportunity for RTD and this region to seize a 21st century vision as compelling and transformational as the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. Innovators recognize that our economic future depends on addressing:
• the disconnect between transportation systems and land use patterns;
• obsolete and dangerous infrastructure;
• environmental and fiscal sustainability; and
• greater mobility options for seniors, youths, and low-income and working people.
My ideal candidate is the ghost of Robert Moses, the great urban planner, handcuffed to Jane Jacobs, the renowned urbanist who wrote “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” Of course there are younger, more vigorous and accomplished candidates who can fill the bill.
It will take a village and extraordinary leadership.
Susan Barnes-Gelt (sbg13@comcast.net) served on the Denver City Council and worked for Mayor Federico Peña. She is a consultant to local architectural and development companies, including Zeppelin Development.
