This afternoon, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that he is nominating Seattle City Council member Debora Juarez to the seat on the Sound Transit board that was vacated by Rob Johnson.
Johnson’s resignation, effective last week, left an opening on the Sound Transit board traditionally filled by a member of the City Council. The appointment must be approved by the King County Council (which shouldn’t be a problem).
Juarez has been a vocal advocate for adding another light rail station at NE 130th Street to the plan for the northern extension. That station would be in District 5, which she represents on the City Council. The NE 130th station has been provisionally approved but not funded; her new position on the Sound Transit board will help her to push to get it funded sooner.
In a statement this evening, Juarez said:
“I am proud to be nominated to serve on the Sound Transit board. I plan on working as hard for the people of the tri-county Sound Transit service area as I do for my North Seattle district. I will serve the board as a strong advocate for transit-oriented development and as an experienced leader in managing major civic projects with regional impacts. I was a strong advocate for the inclusion of a Link light rail station at 130th Street in the successful Sound Transit 3 ballot measure in 2016, and have fought for equitable transit oriented development that considers community needs.”
If approved, Juarez’s term will extend through the end of 2019.