Sarah Hildalgo Cook, Transportation Director of the Community Council of South West Texas (Uvalde), has been elected by her peers to fill the vacant rural position on the Board of Directors of the Texas Transit Association. Ms. Cook was seated by the TTA Board at their meeting of Friday, Feb. 13. Her term ends in the summer 2005.
Ms. Norma Zamora of Brownsville was selected by the TTA Board as new Vice President of Small Urban Transit and will represent that class of transit on TTA Board matters. She becomes a member of the TTA Executive Committee.
John Hendrickson of Waco Transit was selected by the small urban members as one of their five rerpesentatives on the TTA Board of Directors. The Board appointed him to fill the unexpired term of Brent Black on January 10, 2004.
The TTA Board also directed the TTA staff to forward to its rural membership a new ballot to determine which of two candidates would serve as a replacement to Bob Whorton. A runoff will be conducted between Ms. Sarah Cook of Community Council of Southwest Texas and Mr. J. R. Salazar of Central Texas Rural Transit District.
Additionally, the general membership approved a change in Bylaws moving the population dividing line between small urban and metro transit agencies from 200,000 to 360,000. The change determines how transit agencies are categorized for purposes of TTA Board membership. Rural transit board membership was unaffected.
Ms. Edna Johnson formerly Deputy Director of Capital Area Rural Transportation System in Austin has been appointed by TTA Executive Director Michael Plaster to serve as Deputy Director at the Association. Ms. Johnson, well known throughout public transportation in Texas, has over 21 years Texas transit experience in all areas. She earlier served in transit operations at Combined Community Action as a subcontractor to CARTS.
At their Dec. 2, 2003 meeting, the TTA Board of Directors decided to seek a recommendation from its general membership on the selection of individuals to fill a rural and a small urban board of director vacancies. A ballot will be mailed to regular TTA members who may then cast a ballot for their choice within their transit category, being either rural or small urban. Candidates listed under “Continued.”
Also in the same mail, a proposed Bylaws change to address small urban Board membership. Both ballots for candidates and ballots for the change in bylaws will be due at the TTA offices by end of year 2003.
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With the departure of Brent Black (Abilene) and Robert Whorton (Panhandle) from the association’s board of directors, the TTA Board is expected to fill the rural and the small urban vacancy at the next Board meeting, scheduled for Dec. 2 in Austin.
A *Call for Candidates* has been placed to the transit community and are due back to the TTA office by Nov. 21, 2003.
The Board of Directors have appointed two individuals well-known in the State for their activity in public transportation: Barry Goodman (The Goodman Company, Houston) and Ricardo Pulido (FirstTransit, San Antonio). These two new business members join Reba Malone (Reba Malone Associates, San Antionio) who was reappointed. All will now serve a two-year term.
A Call for Candidates is about to be placed to the TTA general membership in order to fill two Board vacancies, one rural, the other small urban. Brent Black of Abilene Transit has left that position to return to post-baccalaureate university studies at Texas Tech and Robert Whorton of Panhandle Transit has moved his employment to Texoma Area Paratransit System.
The American Public Transportation Association’s annual meeting for 2003 has ended and new officers elected: George F. Dixon III (Cleveland) elected Chairman, Richard A. White (WMATA) chose as First Vice Chair, and Paul P. Skoutelas (Pittsburgh) was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
