David Gordon makes the case for fare-free transit

IAS alum David Gordon is a policy analyst at Nickerson & Associates, a consulting firm in downtown Seattle, focusing on transportation issues. Currently, Gordon is working on a proposal with Dr. Peter Nickerson advocating for fare-free transit across King County with the ultimate goal of getting an initiative on the 2019 ballot.

In December, Gordon made the case for free transit as a guest contributor to The Urbanist. In his article Gordon argues, “A fare-free system can quickly and significantly allow low-income people to have more disposable income, reduce traffic congestion by getting more commuters on buses, and reduce the regressive nature of our high sales taxes.” While he expects plenty of well-funded opposition, Gordon’s proposal takes an equitable lens, asking employers and wealthy people to bear the brunt of the taxes.

Gordon graduated from UW Bothell with an M.A. in Policy Studies (’16) and B.A. in Law, Economics & Public Policy (’14). Although he knew the Policy Studies program was interdisciplinary, Gordon admits, “I had no idea that my first job would utilize all of the skills I built while at UW Bothell to address social inequalities here in town. My education prepared me for all that I’m bound to experience in this position.” When Gordon isn’t taking the long public transit commute to Seattle or working to influence state legislators, you can find him at Toastmasters meetings where he is president of his Mill Creek club.