Committee advances DART board nominees to full City Council after interviews

The City of Dallas Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 19 interviewed two nominees for appointment to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board and heard brief remarks from four re-nominees before voting to forward all six candidates to full City Council for final confirmation.

The committee chair opened interviews for the two nominees, Roy Lopez and Maurice West, who each gave three-minute remarks about their interest in DART. Lopez said serving “is a great honor” and stressed DART’s role in “connecting our communities and supporting our economic growth.” He described his board and nonprofit experience and emphasized safety, financial oversight and legislative knowledge as qualifications. West said he is a “lifelong resident” who both uses and advocates for transit, described experience in higher education and the public sector, called transit an economic driver and said he would “ask the hard questions” and bring stakeholders together.

Committee members asked each candidate about time commitments,…