“I am truly disappointed that the Salt Lake City Council decided to stick with the UTA status-quo and voted against a reformer like Sen. Jim Dabakis. While they can argue that UTA and Salt Lake City need a transit “expert” on the Board, the sad truth is that the work of the experts currently in place at UTA are stifled due to a lack of trust between the agency and taxpayers.

Sen. Dabakis had the support of other reform minded Board members, who need a louder voice to make real change. He also had the support of the people of Salt Lake City.

For the past 13 years, Salt Lake City’s voice on the Board has been a transit expert, and for the past 13 years agency leadership has been unable to repair its reputation in Salt Lake County. As the Capital City, Salt Lake City should lead that change.

I will continue to advocate for a strong reformer to represent Salt Lake City on the Board of Trustees. Today in his testimony, Sen. Dabakis said it best: ‘the house is on fire and we are arguing about the plumbing’”