4 candidates vying for seats on the BART and AC Transit boards maintain commanding leads, as voters resolve key leaders steering two of the Bay Space’s largest transit companies by way of a pandemic-era ridership collapse and looming fiscal disaster.
In BART District 6 – together with Fremont, Union Metropolis, and South Hayward – Liz Ames, a civil engineer, and one-term incumbent, leads her principal competitor by practically 20 proportion factors.
The race uncovered deep divisions at BART, with the company’s largest union and 5 administrators endorsing Ames’s opponent, software program engineer Lance Nishihira. Ames earned the help of fiscally conservative administrators Deborah Allen and John McPartland together with the BART police union.
Whereas Ames largely voted in tandem with the BART majority throughout her first time period, she has usually sided with the minority on contentious points. Ames has voted in opposition to pay raises at BART citing fiscal considerations and backed the company’s inspector basic, who unsuccessfully sought extra authority to research fraud, waste, and abuse.
At AC Transit, the East Bay’s largest bus operator, Sarah Syed, a longtime transportation planner opened up a large lead within the race for Ward 3, which incorporates Alameda and San Leandro. Syed’s opponent, Stewart Chen is president of the Oakland Chinatown Enchancment Council.
Syed stated she would prioritize racial justice as AC Transit undertakes a service restructuring and touted her years of transit planning expertise at LA Metro, BART and VTA. Her opponent, Stewart Chen, president of Oakland Chinatown Enchancment, targeted his marketing campaign on making riders really feel safer on buses and increasing Asian-American illustration on the board.
It’s time to celebration! Come on all the way down to The Preacher’s Daughter to observe the returns and have a good time! @alamedapost @QueerSpawn pic.twitter.com/HP4Wq4obV0
— Sarah Syed (@sarahfortransit) November 9, 2022
In the meantime, Joel Younger, an legal professional, who has served on the board for 13 years holds a commanding 23-point lead over Alfred Twu, a Berkeley-based architect. Younger stated the company wants an skilled hand on the transit company, whereas Twu lined up endorsements from transit advocates and native Democrats.
Lastly, incumbent Murphy McCalley holds a 33-point lead over Barisha Spriggs. McCalley, who labored in transit finance, is working for his first full time period after being appointed to fill a board emptiness in Could. Spriggs is a former labor union organizer and substitute instructor.