San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System Board of Directors voted unanimously Thursday to elect county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher as the board’s new chair.
Fletcher will succeed San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gómez, who has served in the role since January 2018 and is expected to remain on the board. In a statement issued shortly after the vote, Fletcher called it a “tremendous honor” to be selected to lead the agency’s board.
“I believe in the mission of this organization,” Fletcher said. “I take my responsibility seriously and promise to work tirelessly with our excellent and professional staff, the community and board to ensure we move aggressively forward towards a better-connected, less-congested, greener future.”
Fletcher will take his position as board chair immediately and continue in the position through Dec. 31, 2021. His election to the position comes at a time when MTS is seeking to expand ridership and its service throughout the county.
During his term, the agency’s 11-mile extension of trolley service from Old Town to University Town Centre is expected to be completed and the agency intends to put a measure on the 2020 ballot for a half-cent sales tax on trolley and bus fares to fund road and transit infrastructure improvements.
According to the agency, Gómez received a transit pass for life as a parting gift.
“Her leadership has elevated transit as a central piece of regional conversations,” the agency wrote in a Twitter post.
–City News Service