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BART Board of Directors Race--who's running and what do they stand for?
Elections are on as Oakland seeks its next mayor. But, while many are talking about who will best deal with current city-wide unemployment, wealth disparities and fiscal realities, an under-publicized, key post is being contested.
Nineteen months after the death of Oscar Grant III - the young man killed by a BART police officer on New Year’s Day 2009 - a BART directors seat is up for decision by Oaklanders.
In addition to police armament controversies, BART has recently received criticism for the Oakland Airport Connector and the associated $70 million loss in federal stimulus funds, as well as budget decisions regarding a surprise $4.5 million surplus.
Who will voters elect to guide BART through rough financial waters and oversee policies regarding safety, system expansions and ridership?
The battle over the Bay Area Rapid Transit Director District 4 seat is currently waged between Carole Ward-Allen, Robert Raburn and Monique Rivera. These three are running divergent campaigns and are splitting up political endorsements.
The incumbent, Carole Ward-Allen, has more than 20 years of experience on boards and in advocating for gender equity and people of color. She is vying for reelection to bring closure to many of the projects now on BART agenda, such as development and safety.
Robert Raburn is committed to creating livable communities and intends to grow ridership by making BART more rider friendly: cleaner trains, vibrant stations, increasing bathroom access and providing better bike opportunity signage. Didn’t know your station was on the Ohlone trail? You will soon under Raburn’s vision, as station signs will point you to trails in the proximity.
Monique Rivera has experience with multimillion dollar budgets. With her transportation project acumen, the board would ensure that major development and extension projects stay within budget and are finished on time. She is interested in serving only one term, enough time to bring fresh air to the board.
Below is a brief breakdown of the three candidates and their answers to pressing questions:
Carole Ward-Allen
Occupation: Retired from public sector. Currently adjunct professor at Laney Community College.
Website: carolewardallen4bart2010.com
Noteworthy: Life long Oakland District 4 resident, 40 year Peralta Colleges Ethnic Studies faculty member, ushered the OAC Project Labor Agreement, former BART Board of Directors President, former Oakland Port Commissioners President, former member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and 2001 Oakland City Council Candidate.
Top endorsements: Sandre R. Swanson, Assemblyman,16th District; Larry Reid, Oakland City Councilman; Keith Carson, Alameda County Construction and Building Trades.
Fundraised as of July Elections Filing Date: $13,553
Fundraised to Date: Declined to state.
Do you ride the BART? What's your most traveled route?
I mostly move from work to home. When I ride BART the stations I use most are Lake Merritt, Fruitvale and the Coliseum.
How do you feel about the issue of removing guns and Tasers from BART officers?
If used properly, guns and Taser have their place. I went through [a one-day training]. Obviously how it was used that night [January 1, 2009] was improper.
Personally, I’m not for using any weapons. I wouldn’t use a weapon. But BART goes through a number of cities. If one waited for each city to deploy its police, we wouldn’t accomplish things in time. For example, what about emergencies in the tunnels?
Are you in support of the Oakland Airport Connector? Why or why not?
I’ve been working on this for over 20 years dating to when I was Port Commissioner.
We need various modes of transport. Why is it [only] okay for San Francisco and San Jose to have these projects? With the OAC you have more choices.
In 2000, 81 percent of voters voted for Oakland to be part of Measure B, which reserved $66 million for the OAC. This is a shovel ready project. People in Oakland need jobs and this project will create between 2,800-5,000 jobs [ 25 percent of the work will go to Oakland residents]. The minority community wants this project.
Robert Raburn
Occupation: Executive Director, East Bay Bicycle Coalition
Website: www.raburnforbart.com
Noteworthy: Helped garner $2.6 million in regional transportation funds for transit, pedestrian and bicycle improvements along Fruitvale Avenue; Dimond Improvement Association volunteer; and Bay Bridge Bike Path advocate.
Top endorsements: Green Party of Alameda County, Sierra Club Bay Area Chapter, California Bicycle Coalition and Tom Radulovich, BART Director, BART Unions (ATU Local 1555, AFSCME Local 3993).
Fundraised as of July Elections Filing Date: $0
Fundraised to Date: $47,000
Do you ride the BART? What's your most traveled route?
I’ve ridden a bike for 20 years. For 10 of those years, I have not owned a car. I use AC Transit quite a bit. Of the BART stations, I use Lake Merritt and Fruitvale the most. My usual route is from Fruitvale to the Coliseum.
How do you feel about the issue of removing guns and Tasers from BART officers?
I’d like to see BART police employed properly. BART police needs to become more of a community policing force. Having a BART police car pull up once in a while is incredibly ineffective. Passengers and passersby would feel more comfortable if there was someone with a walkie-talkie and cell phone keeping an eye out.
I urge that the BART police get out of their cars and patrol on foot and on bicycle on-board the trains and on BART property at the stations and garages. The BART police can become an effective community-policing body by building positive relationships with passengers.
Are you in support of the Oakland Airport Connector? Why or why not?
I oppose the gold-plated ride to the airport. BART should take care of core needs first rather than building a half a billion dollar property that will not be used by many communities. This issue defines the center of where BART will go in the future. We should set a future centered around community servicing stations that support our struggling transit network. This builds livable communities. BART and AC Transit should not have to compete for funds.
Monique Rivera
Occupation: Business Manager, Mustang Engineering
Website: www.moniqueriveraforbart.com
Noteworthy: Bechtel employee for over 15 years, Worked on the Boston Artery Project, Oakland Community Action Partnership Board Member since 2009 and former Big Brothers Big Sisters of the East Bay and Las Vegas Board Member.
Top endorsements: Ignacio De La Fuente
Fundraised as of July Elections Filing Date: $0
Fundraised to Date: $5,000
Do you ride the BART? What's your most travelled route?
Fruitvale to Colma. I also take BART into San Francisco. I use BART two times per week. In college and for a period afterwards I only used public transportation out of necessity.
How do you feel about the issue of removing guns and Tasers from BART officers?
Gun and Taser removal could be a possibility with proper training. The London Metro and Tokyo are two good examples. But that doesn’t address deeper safety issues. All people need to feel safe. Right now people of color don’t know if escalating violence will put them at jeopardy.
Are you in support of the Oakland Airport Connector? Why or why not?
As a traveler it sounds good, but it’s not as good for the community where it will be built. It breaks up Hegenberger. An elevated track will not help the area, it will not meet the bottom line of helping the community. Hegenberger needs a station more like Fruitvale where there are banks, businesses and where there is long term employment for the community like at the Fruitvale Market.
Story Features
This years BART Board of Dirctors race features an incumbent and two interesting candidates--who gets your vote?
Irene Florez takes a look at three candidates in the local BART race
Carole Ward Allen
Robert Raburn
Monique Rivera
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"I oppose the gold-plated ride to the airport. BART should take care of core needs first rather than building a half a million dollar property that will not be used by many communities."
Raburn presumably meant (or said) a half a billion dollar project, since BART's estimates for the Oakland Airport Connector's cost are roughly $500 million. Raburn is right about the OAC, and he's right that BART should refocus its attention on improving core service instead of far-flung extensions and vanity projects.
Thanks for the facts Irene...Going down the presentation:
We know Carole Ward Allen...She is a politician. We don't need a politician to oversee our transportation system. You see the result: dirty trains, service cuts, all while raising fares! Before the current economic crisis, there was no push for BART to become best in class for transportation. Ms Allen did not show good leadership during the Oscar Grant tragedy. No one at BART said anything for a whole week. Hers should have been the first voice as representative of the community to state the incident will be thoroughly investigated. Ms Allen is mistaken about the amount of jobs that will be produced by the connector. The firm providing the connector is from out of state and usually has a construction firm with which they work. There is no guarantee that the workers will be from Oakland.
Robert Raburn is the logical choice, he is a transit advocate. He will ensure that transportation works for all citizens. I like his position on having BART police being pro-active and not reactive. We will see BART take on a new dimension with his oversight. In order for an organization to change, its leadership must change. BART has had the same managers for years. This is the publics opportunity to affect change by changing the Board composition. Mr. Raburn will ensure the trains are properly managed with our tax dollars.
The last candidate, Ms Rivera, who was endorsed by Ignacio De La Fuente and is a Bechtel employee;obviously, is looking to influence contracts! I smell fish with this candidate.
Everybody make your own comparison and vote for the better candidate, Robert Raburn
Robert Raburn, a trained geographer who has taught at the university level, offers a fresh, knowledgeable,and clearly 21st-century approach to running BART as a transit agency, not as a "build-it-at-any-cost" construction management firm. In contrast, the incumbent is clearly out of touch with BART's diverse communities and its riders.
I'd like to expand a bit on Robert Raburn's role with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. First, let me clarify that he stepped down as Executive Director long before filing to run for the BART Board. Thus, there is no conflict between his current candidacy and his previous position with the non-profit coalition. But it's true that as the Coalition's ED, he was deeply involved in transportation issues with BART and other agencies, making him an ideal candidate to bring valuable changes to BART. In particular, Raburn and the Coalition worked for years on implementation of Measure DD improvements around Lake Merritt, including significant improvements in the transportation infrastructure and improved access to the Lake Merritt station.
Rick Rickard
Acting Executive Director, EBBC
I have appreciated Ms Allen contributions to the community, but it is time for a change. The residents of Oakland must realize BART can do better. Robert Raburn will answer that call. A few residents have stated they hate BART;for understandable reasons, it is the only game in town, which lends itself to a sense of powerlessness over its existence. BART is a Bay Area icon, it is not going away. Let the Director of the Board be your ticket to express your anger and concerns. Let your vote count!
Robert has now garnered the endorsement of many of the East Bay Democratic Clubs. He's gotten the endorsement of the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Club, the Alameda City Dem. Club, and the Wellstone Renewal Dem. Club just added its name last night.
I, too, know and like Carole Ward Allen, but as someone who once drove BART trains, I am ready for more forward-thinking leadership at BART. I might have been happy to stay with CArole; but since Robert entered the race, it has been energized. Voters and riders alike are expressing renewed interest in making BART more user friendly. It's a great resource poorly used.
Thanks for the comments, everyone! This is an important race--can't wait to see how it plays out.