MTS welcomes new Board of Directors and new leadership

In its first action, the Board voted unanimously to elect San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (District 3) as the new Vice Chair and San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe (District 4) as Chair Pro Tem. Additionally, MTS welcomed seven new primary members to its Board of Directors: San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez, Imperial Beach Councilmember Matthew Leyba- Gonzalez, Coronado Councilmember Mike Donovan, La Mesa Councilmember Patricia Dillard, and National City Councilmember Marcus Bush.

“I am looking forward to working with the MTS Board of Directors in 2023,” said Nathan Fletcher, MTS Board Chair and San Diego County Supervisor. “We have a good mix of new members who can bring new perspectives and fresh energy. We also have members who have been on this Board for a while and have a sound understanding of the agency’s challenges and priorities. We are excited to get to work, and ensure MTS continues in a positive direction to help the residents we serve.”

“I am really excited about the leadership in place at MTS,” said Sharon Cooney, MTS Chief Executive Officer. “The perspective and direction the MTS Board collectively offers for our transit system help us grow and thrive. It’s a critically important civic duty and I’m grateful for their commitment to MTS. We have many important projects happening in 2023 and our Board will play an active role in seeing these projects advance.”

Among the priority projects and initiatives the agency and Board will be working on in 2023 include:

• Continuing a path to recover ridership lost from the pandemic
• Managing the agency’s $380 million annual budget
• Prioritizing projects in the agency’s $100 million Capital Improvement Program
• Prioritizing capital improvements resulting from the agency’s Social Equity Listening Tour
• Making enhancements to the agency’s new fare collection system, PRONTO
• Overseeing the successful launch of Iris Rapid in the South Bay – an all-electric, high-frequency route between the Otay Mesa border and Imperial Beach
• Advancing the agency’s Transit Oriented Development portfolio, to help address the region’s housing shortage

The agency’s 15-member Board generally meets once per month. MTS Board Members are elected representatives and are appointed to the MTS Board by the local government voting bodies they serve on. The MTS Board appointments include:

• Four appointed from the City of San Diego (the Mayor of San Diego and three San Diego City Councilmembers)
• Two appointed from the City of Chula Vista (the Mayor of Chula Vista and one Chula Vista City Councilmember)
  
• One appointed from each city council of Coronado, El Cajon, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Poway, and Santee
  
• One appointed from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
  

The MTS Board today also voted to appoint members to its slate of committees. Committees include:

• Accessible Services Advisory Committee (ASAC)
• Airport Authority Advisory Committee
  
• Audit Oversight Committee
• Budget Development Committee
• Executive Committee
• Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN)
• Public Security Committee
• San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board
• SANDAG Regional Planning Committee
  
• SANDAG Transportation Committee
• San Diego Regional Building Authority
• Taxicab Advisory Committee