RTD’s District O voters have a chance to seat their next director on Nov. 3, a choice between grassroots activist and everyday rider Jack Rosenthal and experienced leader in transit Audrey DeBarros. 

RTD, the public transit system for Boulder and several other Front Range cities, is in a tough spot with a projected $148 million deficit next year and likely 20% cuts to bus and transit service. 

The District O director will replace current District O director Lynn Guissinger once her four-year term on RTD Board of Directors ends in December.  

Rosenthal is a software engineer, and DeBarros is the executive director of a transportation nonprofit. Both want to represent Boulder, Jamestown, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland and Ward, along with portions of Longmont, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County.  

“I think trust right now is pretty low and it’s going to take a complete turnaround of the agency to manage that,” Rosenthal said. 

The RTD Board of Directors oversees public transportation: There are 15 elected regional members who will hire the new CEO, manage policy, annual budgeting and sit on eight different committees. 

On top of budget shortfalls and cuts, RTD directors may be dealing with new funding if Ballot Issue 7A passes, which would lead to rail service with stops in Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont and Loveland.  

“Boulder County has been waiting for more than two decades for rail service,” DeBarros said. 

In 2004, voters passed RTD’s FasTrack ballot measure for a 0.4% tax increase to fund 119 miles of new rail, among them began the Flatiron Flyer bus service. But the Northwestern rail, a train connecting Denver, Boulder and Longmont, was never built. Voters in the district have continued to pay the 0.4% sales tax despite RTD’s failure to implement the promised train.  

Both Rosenthal and DeBarros support Ballot Issue 7A, which asks voters for an additional 0.33% sales tax increase to build a phase of the Colorado Connector, or CoCo. The partnership is between Burlington Northern Santa Fe, RTD, the state of Colorado and the Front Range Passenger Rail District.   

“The tracks that the passenger rail service would travel on are the only tracks in the RTD district that are not actually owned by RTD,” DeBarros said. 

Susan Robinson, who owns the Pearl Street boutique Canova Home, said RTD buses are less accessible when routed outside of Boulder. 

“I live in Gunbarrel and it’s impossible,” Robinson said. “I would have to drive to King Soopers in Gunbarrel, park my car and wait for a bus that comes once an hour.” 

Rosenthal thinks cutting service up to 20% as the board proposed will heighten public distrust and frustration in RTD.  

Instead, he said, RTD should save the $248 million it would take to bring in new diesel buses. If RTD waits a few years to change out its buses, the state could provide grants covering up to 80% of costs for electric busses that use clean energy. DeBarros did not mention support for re-fleeting, but told The Denver Post that she supports up to 7% service cuts to balance the budget.  

DeBarros’ priorities center on regional connectivity. She’s the CEO of Commuting Solutions, a staff administrator at the Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition (MCC), and has helped to advance US. 36 Bus Rapid Transit, improvements on Colorado Highway 119 and planning CoCo.  

“It’s important to have someone with experience to be prepared to start Day One,” DeBarros said. “They’re not learning.” 

Rosenthal is an everyday rider of RTD and a longtime transit advocate, although newer to local politics. He previously fought for Route AL, RTD’s new airport bus, and helped to write a new state law that required transit agencies to post clear transit maps at stops and online in multiple languages.  

“I’ve been showing up to board meetings for years trying to make a difference,” Rosenthal said. “Obviously, I’m not as old as my opponent.” 

DeBarros has the support of dozens of elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and three of the most recent District O Board members — Chuck Sisk, John Tayer and Guissinger. 

Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett and Colorado state Sens. Julie Gonzales and Judy Amabile endorse Rosenthal. Notably, so does ATU Local 1001, the union representing 2,500 RTD operators and mechanics.  

Micah McConnaughey is a street supervisor for RTD’s downtown Boulder station. He deals with buses actively on the road, and handles reroutes and accident response.  

McConnaughey would like to see more security, his only complaint about RTD. 

“How quickly security responds and their presence here in Boulder — we have security here at the station and by junction but not at other stops,” McConnaughey said.