Friends of Richard Marin know better than to pull over and offer the Edmonds City Council president a ride when they spot him in de rigueur business attire awaiting a bus along 196th Street.
Marin’s preference for public transit coupled with his experience in city government have earned him a nomination by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon to the Sound Transit board of directors.
If confirmed by the county council, Marin, 59, will join Reardon and Everett City Council member Mark Olson as Snohomish County’s voices on the 18-member board.
He will complete the term of Jack Start, the late Mill Creek City Council member who died in April. Terms are four years long.
Marin, who lives in the Seaview area of Edmonds, serves as vice chair of Community Transit. The Sound Transit position must be filled by a council member who also is a member of the CT board.
A U.S. Naval Reserve captain, Marin also serves on the Snohomish Health Board and chairs both the Highway 99 Task Force and state Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee.
Marin, who is retired, said he believes his firsthand knowledge of commuting on buses will be one of the most important experiences he brings to the board.
He will be even more transit savvy next month if he goes ahead with his plan to park his second car, cancel the insurance on it and share a single car with his wife, Ann. With the last of their seven children poised to leave home, the time is right, he added.
“I know where public transportation works well now and what it will take to ensure that it works well in the future,” Marin said.
“If we are really concerned about the future of our region and our lives, we really have to solve our long-term transportation needs.”
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