Jack Rosenthal
Non-partisanQ1 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“I already use data significantly in guiding my decision making around transit advocacy. This includes data sets such as historical snapshots of RTD’s real-time data, which I publish directly on my GitHub, as well as ridership data I’ve helped work on with Greater Denver Transit. RTD will be undergoing its first major system redesign since 1978 when I’m on the board. While this system redesign is long overdue, I won’t vote to adopt it without independently verifying that the changes make sense and have a positive impact on ridership. And better yet, I will also share this data in a manner that others can reproduce the results, like I do today with the real-time data.
My education is in Computer Science, and professionally I’m a software engineer. I don’t design systems without looking deeply into the assumptions on the table and alternatives considered, and I expect to see the same at RTD. Financial forecasts and major capital decisions should be backed by evidence. For example, RTD’s transit asset management plan proposes spending hundreds of millions to repair an aging light rail system over the next few years, and yet, there was no postmortem analysis about why the tracks were damaged, nor even a documented need from the PUC. Directors need to see the math before they vote; making these policy decisions shouldn’t be a blind process.
I helped create and pass HB26-1269, the Transit Access bill, part of which creates new data reporting requirements for the agency. I’ll push RTD to go above and beyond the requirements prescribed in that bill, publishing machine-readable data on missed trips, on-time performance, crowding, and elevator outages. Transparency enables the public to hold the agency accountable.”
Q2 Colorado farmers are facing multiple threats, amidst water scarcity and rising prices for fertilizer and other imported materials. As agriculture is our #1 export sector, in what ways do you imagine using your role to support evidence-based advancements to protect and support our farmers and natural resources in the years ahead?
“Colorado’s farms and growing municipalities here in the Front Range draw on the same limited water, and how the urban area grows matters. When growth sprawls away from the urban centers, cities often supply it by buying agricultural water rights and drying up farmland. Households near frequent transit use far less land and outdoor irrigation water than suburban and exurban developments with large lots.
RTD can help steer growth to those places: HB24-1313’s Transit Areas are created from RTD’s frequent transit network, and starting in 2028, HB26-1001 will enable RTD to ground-lease underutilized park-n-rides for housing. I’ll push RTD to identify those sites now, and share its service plans with cities, so they can zone for housing where frequent service will run.
Public transit helps reduce ground-level ozone, which reduces crop yields, and the Front Range has been out of compliance with federal ozone standards for years. Furthermore, I’ll hold RTD to the zero-emission fleet plan the board approved in 2024, grow ridership so transit replaces more car trips, and ask staff to report the emissions impact of major vehicle purchases.
RTD should also lead by example on its own land. The agency maintains landscaping at stations and park-n-rides across the district. I’ll push the agency to replace irrigated turf with native, water-wise plantings, and publicly report water use.”
Q3 America has a growing AI industry, supporting cutting-edge innovation but raising issues of resource use, privacy, and economics. What is the right balance of costs and benefits for new data center construction in Colorado, and how would your policies accomplish that balance?
“As a software engineer, I know this technology has value, but only if data centers pay their full cost, operate as good stewards to the environment and our grid, and don’t crowd out the communities already here.
Xcel Energy projects that data centers will drive most new energy growth here in Colorado. RTD runs the light rail and commuter rail on electricity, and electrifying RTD’s bus fleet will require major grid upgrades at every garage. When data centers drive up the cost of electricity, RTD pays more to run the trains, and charging electric buses competes for grid capacity. I support making data centers pay for the generation and transmission they require, and I’ll push RTD to be an active voice at the PUC so electrification remains a priority.
On privacy, RTD collects trip data through MyRide cards and the app, plus camera footage on vehicles and at stations. RTD should collect only what it needs, set retention limits, never sell identifiable rider data, and anonymize it before sharing with the public. I do not support the usage of AI surveillance at RTD, and would strictly oppose the adoption of any of this technology.”