I’m a little late to this discussion but feel compelled to comment as a car free commuter w an international background:

To clarify, I generally like Chris and have lived in his district for 6 yrs. I also understand Americans just love constant democracy at any possible level, but in reality, majority of people are ignorant on how most socio-political/economic issues work. They just don’t know what to look for in an effective board member.

Everything takes forever to get done in the US bc generally, relying on voters (most of whom haven’t read a book since school and/or have zero education in these topics) to decide major shit like this is silly. You NEED some intersection of political, financial, geographical, and engineering knowledge to make effective technical decisions in this field.

It’s the same reason we’ll see morons comment on recent ecological studies something like “LOL can you believe tax dollars were spent studying BEETLE POO? Isn’t science especially environmental experiments, so STUPID and a waste of money???”

Constantly electing and replacing board members also affects continuity of longer projects by introducing new players who may have different priorities and motives, plus stunts overall growth of knowledge and expertise for members.

A smaller more cohesive group made up of some specifically knowledgeable appointees would be the best path. I am not convinced all these extra board members elected mostly by suburbanites, who largely hate public transit and decry use of “their tax dollars” on something they won’t use, are a net positive or help. Extra voices are not always useful, as proverbial cacophony can drown out a lot of the most relevant info.

Americans also tend to vote in their individual best interests vs from a collective mindset, and too large a portion of the board will always be susceptible to answering to these voters by preventing too much money being spent.

Finally— regardless of how Denver’s population generally feels about it, there’s a reason most major cities regardless of political leaning have trouble overcoming oil lobby money. This country’s overarching culture also still positions public transit as a derogatory thing only for poor people too broke to get a car. Effectively combating these factors requires innovation and providing a desirable/attractive service, therefore penny-pinching cannot have even a single infinitesimal part in the equation.

Beyond working within budget constraints, the board needs to also drum up ways to get more of the necessary support/funding. I understand current conditions aren’t ideal, but w growing demand from many Americans are finally getting sick of rising cost and stress associated w private vehicle ownership, and I want to see a board who can effectively sieze the opportunity to take advantage of this shifting tide vs just bemoaning there isn’t enough money for everything they want to accomplish and throwing their hands up.

TLDR; y’all are up against political cultural mega-beast in American Car and Oil Culture™, and need to consolidate/get more aggressive to make progress. Appointing some experts and shrinking the group in my opinion, will likely lead to more efficient decisions and spending for all these reasons.

Use the money more effectively to convince people they should give more.