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Committee advances DART board nominees to full City Council after interviews
Summary
The City of Dallas Transportation and Infrastructure Committee interviewed two new nominees for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) board and heard updates from four returning board members. The committee voted to forward all interviewees to the full City Council for final action, to be considered May 28.
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, priorities for DART and how they would ensure services reflect historically underserved communities. Both nominees said they had the time to serve and emphasized outreach and community engagement. On funding and governance tensions with suburban member cities, Lopez said the “biggest elephant in the room” is DART’s funding and municipal disagreements, and said he would look for local compromises while monitoring the state legislature. West highlighted marketing, workforce development and safety as priorities, and proposed grassroots outreach to boost ridership.
The committee then received opening remarks from four incumbent and returning DART board members: Mr. Bryant (vice chair), Juan Krause (former board chair), Enrique MacGregor and Patrick Kennedy. Bryant described his recent work chairing DART’s legislative committee and said he has focused on improving board alignment and communication with the City of Dallas. Krause pointed to revenue and land‑use strategies, citing transit agencies that “have leveraged their property to increase funds,” and reported that DART’s net promoter score improved from 2.4 in 2023 to 16 in 2024. MacGregor described outreach to rider advocates and said targeted outreach to under‑using groups, particularly some Spanish‑speaking residents, could increase ridership. Kennedy described his experience in transit‑oriented development and said previous service investments produced higher weekend ridership.
Committee members raised questions about collaboration with DART member cities, the role Dallas appointees play relative to the regional body, and how to use DART’s limited revenue flexibly. Multiple council members and DART board members discussed GoLink microtransit, last‑mile pilots such as a Toyota‑funded West Dallas circulator, and the need to tell DART’s return‑on‑investment story to member cities.
At the end of the meeting Mayor Pro Tem Atkins moved to forward all interviewees to the full City Council; a second was recorded and the motion passed by voice vote. The chair said the City Council will consider the nominations on May 28. The committee did not take a roll‑call tally in the committee record presented at the meeting.
Votes at a glance - Motion to forward all interviewed DART nominees (Roy Lopez, Maurice West) and re‑nominees (Mr. Bryant, Juan Krause, Enrique MacGregor, Patrick Kennedy) to full City Council for confirmation: motion made and seconded; approved by voice vote. Full Council consideration scheduled for May 28, 2025.
Why it matters: DART’s board appointments shape the agency’s governance at a moment of funding and membership tensions with suburban cities. Committee questioning focused on financial oversight, safety, increasing ridership and ensuring services for underserved communities.
Outlook: The City Council will vote on the six appointments May 28. If confirmed, the new and reappointed board members will contribute to DART policy decisions including ongoing funding negotiations with member cities and implementation of GoLink and transit‑oriented development strategies.
