San Francisco Giants executive Alfonso Felder is a step closer to joining the city’s transportation board of directors after supervisors on the Rules Committee swiftly approved Mayor Daniel Lurie’s appointee.
With no public comment and few questions from supervisors Shanmann Walton, Rafael Mandelman, and Stephen Sherill, the supervisors moved forward Lurie’s appointee to the full board for consideration next Tuesday. If approved, Felder would be joining the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) board at a critical juncture as the agency faces the possibility of implementing Muni service cuts this summer and a budget deficit that is projected to balloon to $322 million in July of next year.
Felder, born and raised in the city, is currently the executive vice president of administration for the Giants and has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Harvard University. In his opening remarks to supervisors, Felder spoke about his background and his experience working with the city and touched upon the current SFMTA’s financial crisis.
“Despite the significant financial challenges ahead of us, I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of our city and the MTA,” Felder said. “We’ll have to make tough choices, but I’m committed to facing these challenges with a practical, common-sense approach that seeks out diverse perspectives to make informed decisions.”
Felder said the city needs to first listen to constituent needs.
Felder said he has worked with the SFMTA for several years, including the transportation plan for the ballpark, then called Pac Bell Park. He also said his work on the development of Mission Rock taught him “ to engage, collaborate, and build consensus within our community.”
He added that he has led a nonprofit to save the neighborhood theaters from shuttering their doors. The nonprofit is called the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, and Felder sits on its board.
“This role has connected me to neighborhood groups and small businesses, and I know how to engage the public, and that’s a key role for me if I’m so lucky as to be confirmed for this role at the MTA.”
Walton asked Felder about his philosophy in addressing the agency’s fiscal crisis. Felder said the city needs to first listen to constituent needs, and also needs to listen to the advice given by SFMTA.
“I think the near-term gap that we have is manageable over the course of the next year, but as you look a few years ahead, that’s a bigger challenge, and we’re going to have to make tough choices, but in making those choices, we’ve got to do the best we can to serve the majority of our citizens as best we can,” Felder said.
Walton told Felder that once the appointment is moved forward, he would have to be more specific in how he would address the agency’s budget shortfall.
Mandelman called Felder a “strong appointment” to the SFMTA board.
“Mr. Felder has contributed in numerous ways to San Francisco, and I’m looking forward to seeing him contribute in this way as well,” Mandelman said.
