MEET DEBORA ALLEN, BART DIRECTOR
Experienced. Bold. Independent.
In 2016, I promised to bring common-sense leadership to the BART Board of Directors. I promised to focus on improving the personal safety of BART riders and workers. I promised to bring financial transparency and oversight to BART’s $2.4 billion annual budget while remaining politically independent, not beholden to special interest groups. I've done that and more. The voters of central Contra Costa noticed my determination to bring change to BART and re-elected me in 2020 to the BART Board of Directors representing District 1. I won by 64% of the vote in a 3 way race, despite the active involvement of some other Board Directors who recruited, funded and coached my opponent. An estimated $150K was spent by labor unions alone to unseat me. They lost, and Contra Costa won. I knew when I began my first term in office that the nation’s fifth largest transit agency faced difficult challenges. I stepped up to tackle them with determination and I still do that today. I also knew I would be outnumbered and to make change would be a tremendous uphill battle. It still is, but I continue to diligently work to keep the conversation focused on fiscal sanity and common sense. The pandemic and the resulting economic devastation from a 90% loss of ridership have only compounded these challenges. While I’ve managed to bring oversight and accountability to the agency during my first five years on the board, much work remains to bring BART to a place of financial and operable stability. Unfortunately, urban directors who control the board majority continue to focus on misguided agendas, such as defunding the police and making excuses for fare-cheaters and others who create mayhem in the system. With 25 years in executive-level management and financial positions, my focus is on BART’s financial health and the impacts that declining ridership and fading customer satisfaction have on the agency’s future. Now more than ever, we need strong financial leadership on the Board of Directors. Thank you for allowing me to serve you for another four years. Working for a Better BART! |
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Common Sense for BART
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