[Colorado-Talk] Denver Mayor Mike Johnston picks disability rights advocate to fill RTD board vacancy

[Amy Sabo]

hello gary,

thanks for posting this awesome article that was posted to the list
which was in the recent issue of the denver post on the good news on
rtd making a person to be on the rtd board.

i'am soooo glad that we have someone who has a disability and, can
sympathize on our needs in public transportation since he uses it
himself too! i was wondering when this was going to happen for the
mayor to do this with rtd in making some awesome and hopefully good
changes to rtd for us people who have disabilities and who are blind
and use public transportation in the city and, also in the state.

thanks again and, i will talk to you soon!




sincerely,
amy sabo

On 2/10/24, Gary Van Dorn via Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I am sharing an article from the 7 February 2024 edition of The Denver Post.
>  I know Jamie Lewis well and he works with the blind on many issues.  It is
> Jamie who informed the NFBCO about the changes to the Sixteenth Street Mall
> that would be detrimental to the blind if Scott LaBarre and myself were not
> involved.  It is not uncommon to see Jamie at RTD Board Meetings.  I’m proud
> to know Jamie and call him a friend.  I am hoping the Denver City Council
> will approve Mayor Johnston’s nomination as my Representative on the RTD
> Board until his successor is elected.  I reside in District A.  Here is the
> article:
>
> Gary
>
>
> Mayor Mike Johnston has selected Jaime Lewis, a transit adviser for the
> Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, to serve on the Regional Transportation
> District’s<https://www.rtd-denver.com/> board of directors representing
> areas including central and east Denver.
>
> Mayoral staffers confirmed the nomination to The Denver Post on Wednesday.
> If approved by the City Council, Lewis will fill a vacancy created in
> District
> A<https://www.rtd-denver.com/about-rtd/board-of-directors/board-district-map>
> last month by the resignation of Kate
> Williams<https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/12/rtd-board-director-kate-williams-resignation-election/>,
> who cited a terminal cancer diagnosis.
>
> Lewis said he will step in under an agreement to serve only through the end
> of this year, when Williams’ second term would have ended.
>
> Johnston chose Lewis over at least one candidate running for the board seat
> in the November election. In January, the winner of that race will be sworn
> in on RTD’s 15-member elected board, which lately has come under scrutiny by
> state
> lawmakers<https://www.denverpost.com/2024/02/07/regional-transportation-district-colorado-legislature-oversight-board-housing/>
> who want to overhaul the transit agency.
>
> “Jaime is a forward-thinking and respected member of our community who
> brings a deep understanding of the transportation challenges facing our
> city,” Johnston said in an emailed statement. “I am confident Jaime will
> bring a fresh perspective and will play a vital role in ensuring that the
> needs of our residents are met.”
>
> Lewis, an ordained minister and advocate for transit access for people with
> disabilities, served from 1998 to 2001 as a city council member and mayor in
> Salida. He now lives in Denver.
>
> Political consultant Chris Nicholson, who also sought the vacancy
> nomination, and website designer Jacob Turner have announced they are
> running in the fall election for District A, which encompasses part of
> downtown along with Cherry Creek, Glendale and Lowry.
>
> On the board, Lewis said he planned to focus on improving
> safety<https://www.denverpost.com/2024/02/06/rtd-station-stabbing-denver-dry-gulch-park/>
> on RTD buses and trains, retaining drivers, and making sure the region’s
> public transit system is equally accessible for all residents.
>
> “There has to be a sense of safety,” Lewis said. “Right now, there seem to
> be two types of riders. One type has to use transit, and they are in fear
> because of some of the people who get on the bus — people who are smoking
> meth or engaging in violent behavior. The ‘other rider’ is people who might
> consider using public transit but balk at doing that because of their
> perception that an RTD bus is a bad place to be.”
>
> Better teamwork between RTD’s police force and the local police in
> municipalities with bus and train stations can boost rider safety, he said,
> suggesting increased patrols and law enforcement on RTD property around the
> stations.
>
> Lewis, who uses a wheelchair because of polio he contracted as a child, said
> he has come to appreciate RTD drivers as his heroes, even as many metro
> Denver residents underestimate their value.
>
> “I am transit dependent. I am in a wheelchair. And they get me where I want
> to go,” he said.
>