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PAGE 6 | THE VILLAGER • October 8, 2020
Doug Tisdale is seeking re-election to RTD board
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BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
ormer Cherry Hills Village Mayor Doug Tisdale was elected to represent District H on the RTD board in 2016 and is seeking a second term. Described as a “seasoned expert in transportation,” Tisdale served as Chair of the RTD board in 2018 and 2019. Listing his accomplishments during his first term in office, Tisdale said, “ I have overseen the opening of the SouthEast Rail Extension for the E, F and R Lines, the opening of the G Line, the creation of innovative partnerships with Uber and Lyft, the testing of autonomous buses, and the preservation of much-needed bus service in Highlands Ranch, while creating and nurturing great relationships with all the elected leaders throughout the region and the many agencies with which we worked, giving me a unique capacity to continue that work with RTD for another four years,” The Villager asked Tisdale how he plans to address the budgetary issues facing the RTD if he is re-elected. He said, “I
pledge to use my 20 years of experience in the public sector, and my 45 years of experience in the law, to create positive economic results that will ensure RTD’s fiscal sustainability. It bears repeating that sales tax revenues, farebox revenues, ridership and service are all way down due to the pandemic. Deficits for 2021 are projected to be as much as $215 Million. With my fellow RTD Directors, we are putting in place dramatic steps to maintain at least the current reduced service we offer. My budgetary experience, with Cherry Hills, with DRCOG, with RTD, and with numerous Fortune 500 companies and dozens of banks I have represented, is helping us chart a course toward fiscal sustainability. In addition, I have been working directly with leaders in Congress and at the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a second round of COVID emergency funding to aid public transportation. By making some really hard management and operational decisions now, and securing much-needed federal funding, we can achieve that fiscal sustainability next year and going forward. And as the economy strengthens and the pandemic subsides, we will restore service and maintain that
Doug Tisdale has been an RTD director since 2016.
fiscal sustainability.” We also asked Tisdale how he believes the RTD can increase its ridership. He said, “Before the pandemic we at RTD were providing something like 100,000,000 rides per year, or 8.3 million rides per month. That was one of the highest rates of any transit agency in the country. At the height of the pandemic, that reduced to a rate of just over 3 million rides per month, which paralleled the loss of ridership lost by other agencies in the U.S. While we have seen some slow increase
in daily boardings, the number is still low. The first step I am taking is to ensure that we provide the cleanest possible vehicles to ride in. Second, to communicate that fact to our riders so that they will feel safe. Third, to ramp up service as quickly as demand requires and staffing allows. Fourth, to create a promotional fare program to allow residents from Highlands Ranch and Arapahoe County ride the system for a local (rather than a regional) fare. Fifth, to highlight and promote our TransitWatch app
so that riders know they are always able to communicate instantly with our security force and safety ambassadors (“With TransitWatch, you’ll never ride alone!”). In addition to serving Cherry Hills Village as its mayor and as a city councilmember, Tisdale previously chaired the Colorado State Board of Registered Psychotherapists and was on the Denver Zoo Board of Governors. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Tisdale has been in private practice since his days as a clerk for U.S. District Court Chief Judge Alfred Arraj. He specializes in commercial litigation and governmental affairs. Tisdale has been endorsed by numerous current and former RTD board members and state Senator Jeff Bridges, Arapahoe County Commissioner Bill Holen, Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko, Cherry Hills Village Mayor Russell Stewart, former Mayors Cathy Noon of Centennial and Ron Rakowsky of Greenwood Village, and City Councilmembers Kendra Black of Denver and Wynne Shaw of Lone Tree. District H includes Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch, and Littleton. Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com