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The Utah Transit Authority Board on Wednesday elected former LDS Church Presiding Bishop H. David Burton as its new chairman — who then said the embattled agency has taken all steps necessary to restore public trust.
"Does UTA need to be fixed? Of course not, UTA is fixed," Burton told reporters.
He said the agency is already implementing all recommendations from a scathing legislative audit last month that criticized shaky finances, high executive salaries and bonuses, sweetheart deals with developers and a fare structure that may be unfair to the poor.
"The audit is dead, died and gone to heaven. It really has," Burton said because of board action to implement its recommendations. "We're going to work on the report, but it's past history."
He added, "Anything that's happened in the past, I'm not worried about. I am looking to the future." He said key parts of the audit — such as criticized deals with developers — "were five, six years old. Now we have made vast improvements."
But other parts of the audit about shaky finances, high pay (UTA's president is given more than $400,000 in compensation) and UTA's fares dealt with current situations.
Burton said the agency intends to build trust by improving service.
"You earn public trust by the service that you render. We're about service," he said. "It's going to be our middle name as we go forward. We have been blessed with a transit core that is second to none, and now we have to make it work. We have to make it sensitive to the public's need."
Burton had served two years as the board's vice chairman. He now replaces Greg Hughes, who is also the majority whip in the Utah House of Representatives.
Hughes is running to become the new House speaker. He has been the UTA chairman for four years, and served on the board since 2006. He has said he expects to leave the UTA board at the end of the year.
Hughes also said UTA has fixed its problems. "I wouldn't feel comfortable seeing this leadership change happen if we didn't believe UTA is on solid ground, with an acknowledgement that we can improve."
He added, "Those [audit] recommendations have been taken very seriously. There's always room for UTA to improve."
Burton said the agency will try to be as efficient as possible with the money it has. He said the agency itself will not seek an increase in sales tax for transit, but other local governments may need to do so on its behalf if they want more service.
"The culture of this agency has undergone a dramatic change," he said. "It will continue to change" as it focuses now more on improving service than building new rail lines.
When Burton, 76, was the LDS presiding bishop from 2005 to 2012, he oversaw the church's temporal (as compared to spiritual) operations, including buildings, welfare operations, disbursement of tithing, as well as the massive City Creek Center development in downtown Salt Lake City.
UTA Board Member Robert Hunter formally nominated Burton, saying, "He has tremendous financial experience. He is a recognized leader in many settings. And he is highly respected."
Some critics of UTA expressed hopes that the change in leadership can improve the UTA and public opinion about it. Others are skeptical.
"I have high hopes. I think his [Burton's] background can certainly turn public opinion from where it's at to a higher level. He definitely has the ability and the knowledge to do that," said Christopher Stout, president of a group calling itself the Utah Transit Riders Union.
"I'm optimistic," said Alex Cragun, an activist who recently challenged board members to depend on UTA for seven straight days to experience the challenges riders face. "I'm hoping the UTA becomes much more customer-centric under Chairman Burton's leadership….. I see this as a very positive change."
Claire Geddes, another longtime UTA critic was pessimistic. She noted that Burton co-authored an opinion article that had defended high pay and bonuses at UTA. "Plus he's been there for a couple years, and things have gotten worse, not better."
She added, "I've never heard him speak out against anything they have done, so just because he's a bishop doesn't mean he's going to change the culture there."
The board also elected as its new vice chairman Chris Bleak. He was chief of staff to former Utah House speakers Greg Curtis and David Clark, and is a registered lobbyist with a long list of clients.