BART Board of Directors elects Foley President, Saltzman Vice President

The BART Board of Directors held its annual election for leadership positions today, electing Director Mark Foley President and Director Rebecca Saltzman Vice President.

Incoming Board President Mark Foley says one of his primary objectives during his 2021 term in office will be working to fundamentally change the way BART is funded.

“One of my principal goals is to identify sustainable transit funding sources to insulate against future ridership uncertainties,” Foley said during remarks moments after his fellow Directors elected him leader of the Board. 

The pandemic and resulting economic fallout have drastically reduced the amount of money BART earns from passenger fares, which before the pandemic was its most important source of funding.

Foley emphasized that BART must do whatever is in its control to survive the current financial crisis.

Representing District 2, which includes the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Concord (partial), Discovery Bay, Oakley, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill (partial) and part of unincorporated Contra Costa County, Foley served as the BART Board Vice President in 2020. He was first elected to the Board on November 6, 2018. 

Foley also stressed that as BART operates under current conditions, it must be focused on the agency’s mission statement: to provide safe, reliable, clean, quality transit service for riders.

During his remarks, Foley acknowledged the leadership of outgoing President Lateefah Simon of District 7. He pointed out that during her year in office, BART was one of the first transit agencies to release a comprehensive pandemic response plan, approved new labor contracts six months early, opened the Berryessa and Milpitas stations and launched the Police Ambassador program and hired a new, progressive police chief, Edgardo Alvarez.

Foley is scheduled to preside over a full Board meeting as President for the first time at the January 14, 2021 meeting. The BART Board elects one of its members to serve a one-year-term in office as President each year. 

Directors also elected Rebecca Saltzman to serve as the Board Vice President. Saltzman represents Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Oakland (partial), Piedmont, San Leandro (partial), Unincorporated Alameda County (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Lafayette (partial), Moraga, Orinda, Unincorporated Contra Costa County (partial).

““Addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is paramount for BART in 2021, but we mustn’t lose sight of other concerns,” Saltzman said. “We’ve got to continue our progress towards making BART a more equitable agency and affordable for all. We must advance improvements to increase reliability, safety, and making it easier for riders to get to BART by transit, biking and walking. I’m looking forward to collaborating with my fellow directors in the coming years to achieve these goals and more.”