|
| | | Amid Looming Change, RTD’s CEO Is Stepping Down | The Regional Transportation District’s CEO and general manager since November 2020, Debra Johnson has decided not to extend her contract with the agency past its current expiration date of May 2027. | - Why? For “personal and professional reasons,” Johnson stated vaguely in an email to RTD staff. We invited her for an interview to explain further, but she has yet to speak publicly about the decision.
- What the RTD board is saying: Director Chris Nicholson described Johnson as “an effective sounding board” during her time with the agency, adding that she “led RTD with distinction through a series of difficult moments.” Board chair Patrick O’Keefe said in a statement, “The agency is in a much better place because of her dedication.” [Denver Post 🔒]
- But it wasn’t always smooth sailing: Johnson took up the reins at a particularly challenging time for RTD amid the COVID pandemic. The transit agency has since struggled to reverse declining ridership numbers, close gaping budget holes, and address an increase in safety concerns. RTD has also grappled with a mass exodus of senior leadership in recent years — several of whom directly blamed Johnson for their departure. [Denver Post 🔒; CPR]
- Recent strife: As we reported first in this newsletter last year, leaders of the Downtown Denver Partnership penned a letter to the RTD Accountability Commission expressing “deep concern” that the agency was shifting service priorities toward large events and away from daily commuters. [DDP]
- A period of flux: Stakes are at an all-time high as the agency faces a $250 million budget deficit and lawmakers consider a complete overhaul of the agency’s publicly elected board. [CPR; Denverite]
- Hear from Johnson: Tune back to a conversation we had with Johnson in December about what she thought RTD’s biggest problems were, and what her plans were to fix them. [City Cast Denver 🎧]
| |
|
|
|
| | | Simply Eloped helps couples ditch the pressure and celebrate your love story on your terms. We’ve planned over 14,000 personalized elopements and vow renewals in gorgeous locations nationwide. Is yours next? |
|
|
|
| What Denver's Talking About |
| | 🤔 If South Broadway Was A Person, Would They Be Cool? | What are three words that capture the spirit of South Broadway? Those are just some of the questions you’ll be presented with when you take the community survey that’s making the rounds from the new Broadway General Improvement District. The GID is calling on anyone who lives, works, or regularly visits the popular corridor to help them develop the area’s “new brand identity.” The survey closes April 10. [Broadway GID] | | 🚰 Denver Water Will Enact Higher ‘Drought Rates’ Next Month | Denver’s Board of Water Commissioners approved temporary “drought prices” Wednesday that will increase utility rates for Denver Water customers who use more than their average wintertime indoor water consumption. Under the tiered pricing approach, that could range anywhere between $8 to $76 more at the end of the year depending on how much you conserve. The drought rates mostly aim to reduce outdoor water usage, and will be in effect starting next month through April 30, 2027. [Denver Post 🔒] | - Denver’s in a drought: Denver Water has already enacted Stage 1 drought restrictions for its service area, which includes much of the metro area.
| | 🏡 Lakewood Voters Repeal New High-Density Zoning Ordinances | The results of Lakewood’s special election are in, and voters overwhelmingly agreed to strike down four new zoning ordinances that were passed by City Council last year and would have paved the way for higher density housing across the city. Those who supported the repeal argued the new rules would have jeopardized Lakewood’s character and invited overdevelopment by corporate investors. Their campaign overcame a five-to-one funding disadvantage to win. [Denver Gazette 🔒] | | | ⚡ Xcel Takes on Data Centers | “Colorado Matters” host Chandra Thomas Whitfield joins our podcast today to discuss her CPR colleagues’ reporting on a new plan from Xcel that would require its biggest electricity customers — like data centers — to pay for their own power infrastructure. We discuss the latest effort to regulate Colorado’s growing data center business in light of some new polling on the issue that just came out this week. [City Cast Denver 🎧] | | |
|
|
|
|
📌 From our virtual community bulletin board: City Cast Denver Neighbor and MSU geography student Noah C. is writing a senior thesis on shared micromobility (i.e. bikeshares and e-scooters) — a topic we know our audience is passionate about. So, Noah is looking for people to take this quick survey to share their personal perceptions and experiences with micromobility. Let’s help a neighbor out! | | | | P.S. Have something you want to share with the community? Send it our way! 💌 |
| |
|
|
|
