210. David Levy on His Vision for Metro Transit Board of Directors

David Levy is a candidate for the Regional Metropolitan Transit
Authority’s Board of Directors in District 2. The Transit
Authority, also known as Metro, is responsible for running
Omaha’s bus system, including ORBT and MOBY services.


Levy is running against Clarice Dombeck, who was on this show in
June. You can hear my conversation with her wherever you get your
podcasts.


The first elected transit board will have seven nonpartisan
members, one for each district. Prior to this year, seats were
appointed by the mayor rather than elected. The change is part of
Metro’s increased budget and expanded regional services. Board
responsibilities include determining transit policy, overseeing
the budget and handling contracts.


David Levy was born in Lincoln, and his family moved to Santa
Barbara, California when he was 9. He earned both an
undergraduate and master’s degree in city planning at the
University of California, Berkeley. He spent the first part of
his career as a city planner in San Francisco. He earned a law
degree from Hastings College of the Law, know known as University
of California College of the Law, San Francisco.


Levy now works as an attorney at the firm Baird Holm LLP, where
he represents clients in land use and energy matters. He
currently serves as a commissioner of the Omaha Housing Authority
and as a member of the Omaha by Design board of directors. Before
beginning his legal career, Levy was a city planner for the City
and County of San Francisco. Levy also contributed to the City of
Omaha’s streetcar project.


In this episode, Levy and Michael Griffin are talking about how
Levy's early interest in architecture led to his career in law
and city planning, his vision for transit equity, and how to
increase civic engagement in Omaha. Here is my conversation with
David Levy.


Correction: A previous version of this text misidentified the
school from which Levy obtained his law degree. It was Hastings
College of the Law.