Boulder County commissioners on Tuesday appointed Broomfield resident Erik Davidson to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Regional Transportation District board.
The District I seat to which Davidson was appointed is held by Judy Lubow, who is term-limited. No candidates for the seat qualified for the Nov. 3 election after Austin Ward did not submit enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot.
District I consists of the eastern portion of Boulder County including most of Longmont, along with Lafayette and Erie, Broomfield, and parts of unincorporated Adams and Weld counties. State law requires the county with the highest number of eligible electors within the district — in this case, Boulder County — fill a vacancy via appointment.
RTD had asked commissioners to fill the vacancy on or before Nov. 3 so the newly appointed District I member can participate in on-boarding and swearing-in activities with newly elected or appointed representatives from other open RTD districts.
Davidson is CEO of SkySlate Digital Signs. Commissioners cited his background and financial experience with struggling businesses as being particularly important given RTD’s financial difficulties, according to a news release.
RTD was facing financial problems prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but reductions in ridership and ensuing reductions in service have only exacerbated those issues. The agency, which is trying to solve a $215 million shortfall in its 2021 budget, also has come under fire for proposing dipping into a savings account that is supposed to fund a train to Boulder and Longmont.
The Northwest Rail line was part of the 2004-voter approved FasTracks plan that was supposed to surround the Denver-metro area. But budget constraints have kept the agency from completing the Boulder-to-Longmont portion of the project. RTD board members said last month they would be in favor of raiding the $120 million fund tucked away to help complete the northwest corridor rail service and redirect the money toward other projects.
Commissioner Elise Jones in the news release stated, “As we know, RTD is at a real crossroads from an operational standpoint and is in serious financial trouble. The next board representative for District I will need to navigate multiple challenges made much worse by COVID-19 impacts and I felt we needed to appoint someone with the strongest possible financial expertise and proven success working with large, complex organizations like RTD. From feedback provided by transit professionals and my experience as a member of the RTD Accountability Committee, I feel that Erik Davidson best fit the bill to help move RTD in the right direction.”
Davidson was one of eight applicants commissioners interviewed for possible appointment and on whom they sought public feedback in advance of their decision on Tuesday. The other candidates were Broomfield residents David Beacom, Tijani "T.J." R. Cole and Austin Ward, and Longmont residents Danielle Holmes, Bo Shaffer, outgoing state Rep. Jonathan Singer and Kristian Vaswig.
“All eight candidates contributed to a dynamic discussion on how best to serve the constituents of District I and we sincerely appreciated that they were willing to put themselves out there in direct public view for consideration,” Commissioner Deb Gardner stated in the news release. “While the enthusiasm and out-of-the box thinking that each of them brought to the process would be a welcome contribution to the RTD Board in steadier times, today’s reality requires a highly astute financial manager and someone with Erik’s experience of turning around organizations in significant financial distress.”
Davidson’s appointment was approved 2-1, with Commissioner Matt Jones voting against and Gardner and Elise Jones voting in favor.
