District I Regional Transportation District Director: Judy Lubow

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District I Regional Transportation District Director

Jeff Ilseman 

Seth L. Patterson

Judy Lubow

Cheryl Hauger

Four candidates are running for the RTD district director in District
I, which includes Lafayette, Erie, Longmont and Broomfield. They are:
Jeff Ilseman, a retired semiconductor program manager from Longmont;
Seth Patterson, a commercial real estate broker from Broomfield; Judy
Lubow, a retired attorney living in Longmont who worked for the
Environmental Protection Agency and other government bodies; and Cheryl
Hauger, a former business analyst who served as Erie trustee from 2006
to 2012.

The
residents of District I got a particularly bad deal from RTD during the
FasTracks tax fiasco. The 41-mile Denver-Longmont train line offered
to District I in exchange for raising taxes is nowhere near completion,
and many in the district feel RTD’s prediction of a completed rail by
2044 is unacceptable.

So
there are several solutions being floated. Ilseman is currently on the
Longmont Transportation Advisory Board, and points out that RTD’s
current proposal for a diesel-powered train — not light rail — has some
serious flaws and should not be considered a viable transport option.
Patterson says RTD must be forced into creative new options quickly to
solve the pressing transportation problems. Lubow says she thinks this
is a critical time for RTD, and that the District I residents must press
RTD for a viable solution while possibly settling for a Bus Rapid
Transit system in the interim. Hauger would like RTD to use an extension
of the North Metro FasTracks line.

This
race is about who can best fight for the residents of District I and
push RTD into implementing satisfactory transportation solutions. Judy
Lubow is the candidate best suited for this work, and her years as a
government attorney and, subsequently, as an activist, convince us that
she is suited for the red-tape-heavy job of managing RTD. Her
willingness to compromise and work within RTD to provide solutions as
opposed to leaving RTD altogether are encouraging. Lubow deserves the
position.

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