JOHNSON
BROWN
The VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees has selected new officers to help lead the agency’s 11-member board through the rest of this year.
At its August Board meeting held Tuesday, trustees unanimously elected Akeem Brown to serve as Secretary. Brown will complete the unexpired term of Ezra Johnson, who was unanimously elected Vice Chair at the Board’s July 28 meeting. Johnson succeeds Trustee Bob Comeaux, a Labor representative, who resigned from the office but will continue to serve as a VIA trustee.
Vice Chair Johnson was appointed to the Board by San Antonio City Council in April 2018. He is a law partner at Uhl, Fitzsimons, Jewett & Burton PLLC, and he is an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Secretary Brown was appointed to the Board by the Bexar County Commissioners Court in May 2018. He previously served in several public service capacities, including director of communications and policy for City Council District 2, and senior management analyst for the City of San Antonio Office of EastPoint.
VIA trustees, who also serves as the Advanced Transportation District Board, meet monthly to discuss policy issues and hear comments from the community. At a special-called meeting held earlier this month, the Board voted unanimously to formally order an election for Nov. 3, 2020, for a proposition that would redirect a 1/8-cent share of sales tax to support public transportation in San Antonio with no net tax increase. With voter approval, the redirected sales tax would help fund VIA’s Keep SA Moving plan designed to connect people to jobs and help drive the economy.
VIA/ATD Board meetings are generally held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. VIA is currently holding virtual meetings via Zoom conference. Meeting schedules, agendas, and video recordings can be found in the About VIA section at VIAinfo.net.