Candidates want RTD to stay on track - #lakewoodnews

The race for RTD board of directors in District M comes down to vision.

Both incumbent Natalie Menten and challenger Dave Ruchman have experience in working on the transportation issues facing the metro area.

For Menten, a board member should keep a close eye on tax dollars and ensure full transparency in all decisions.

"The more fiscal watchdogs we have on the board, the better taxpayers' money will be stretched," she said. "Financially, we need to be making the right decisions because otherwise RTD is not sustainable."

Ruchman wants RTD to be the envy of other cities by leading in user-friendliness, technology and collaboration.

"Transportation should be friendlier to all people who want to use it --; seniors, the underserved and disabled," he said. "I think RTD could become one of the most high-tech agencies in the country."

The RTD race is on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot.

Menten is finishing up her first four-year term in District M, which covers most of Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Edgewater, Mountain View and some of south Arvada.

Ruchman served the same area on the RTD board from 2000 to 2008. He also chaired Lakewood's West Colfax 2040 Vision Plan.

Eight years of experience, including helping to get the W Rail off the ground, taught Ruchman the importance of collaboration, especially in the transportation arena, he said.

"I used to hold a monthly elected official forum that featured legislators, county representatives, city council members and law enforcement, in addition to RTD staff," he said. "We don't see collaboration like that anymore, but it made a big impact on the process we were all working on."

The W Line opened in April 2013, six months after Menten was elected in 2012. She was able to see the line's challenges firsthand, including upset riders over changes to their bus routes and lower-than-expected ridership.

"We worked as a community to get the majority of those routes back," she said. "I went on to become the chair of the finance committee, and we were able to do a lot of work on pay-as-you-go fares and watching RTD's debt."

Ruchman said he wanted to run because he is interested in transportation and because he's been disappointed in Menten's leadership.

"She is a predictable 'no' vote all the time," he said. "Whenever she is asked why, she says it's because she's frugal. But that's not an effective way to govern."

But Menten is proud of her frugality and happily describes herself as a penny-pincher.

"The position needs someone whose first priority is the taxpayer's money --; and keeps a close eye on it," she said. "I like digging into numbers and trimming unnecessary costs."

Looking at issues coming down the pike, Menten is concerned about growth density around the rail lines. Ruchman wants to start brainstorming for what the next big project should be after the rail lines are completed.

"I have three major qualifications --; I have experience in this field and have a tremendous interest in it," Ruchman said. "I'm also bringing fresh ideas."

Said Menten: "I'm the kind of board member who goes on a wheelchair tour of the W Line to see what problems exist for people who use them. There's a lot to still do, but it does us no good if we build all these services but can't afford to run them."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Candidates-want-RTD-to-stay-on-track,236811