Since I first ran for the RTD Board seat, I have always stressed my interest in ensuring that there is accountability and transparency in RTD’s finances.  My initial appointment as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and Chair of the Audit Committee placed me in a strong position to achieve these goals. 

In particular, on the Finance Committee, I have been thoroughly scrutinizing RTD’s monthly budget reports and gained an in depth understanding of the financial difficulties the agency faces.  Along the way, with the support of RTD staff and my fellow Board members, I believe we have achieved greater clarity in RTD’s reporting.  We also are taking steps to improve RTD sales tax modeling.

Any way you slice it, though, we know that RTD faces serious financial challenges, including rising costs for fuel and construction materials along with lower then anticipated sales tax revenue.

In light of this challenge, I am pleased to report that my fellow RTD Board members voted last week to appoint me to the Treasurer position.  In this role, I will serve as Chair of the Finance Committee and will join the Board’s Executive Committee.  This will place me in a position to best review the various measures for overcoming RTD’s budgetary woes, such as public-private partnerships and “value engineering” opportunities. 

In this new Treasurer position, I promise to continue my drive toward fiscal accountability and transparency.  We must ensure the citizens of the Denver region that RTD is using its funds wisely.  At the same time, RTD may struggle to meet its service commitments without new approaches and creative funding mechanisms.  I look forward to thoroughly scrutinizing these opportunities in the coming year.