Editor,

On May 29, I was appointed by the Board of Island Transit as acting executive director because of troubling reports from Island Transit employees about a work environment that was not supportive of their efforts to deliver transit mobility services to Island County. It has been an honor to serve in this capacity.

The release of the Nash organizational health assessment makes it clear that that much work remains to be done under the leadership of a new executive director. To that end, the Island Transit Board retained an executive recruitment firm to conduct a national search for the next executive director of the agency.

We received 23 resumes from across the country and have selected four finalists. We as a community are about to make an important decision in selecting the next executive director of Island Transit. You are invited to an open house next Friday, Oct. 11 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. where you can meet and question the executive director candidates face to face. And then provide your feedback to the Island Transit Board via provided notecards. Your input is vital to assist the Board in making this decision. I hope you will come.

Upon the selection of the new executive director, the Island Transit Board will continue to chart a path forward towards a zero-carbon future by transitioning away from fossil fuel buses and vans. With new executive leadership just weeks away, the board is excited about creating that future and we hope you are too.

Craig Cyr

Langley council member