David Levy is a candidate for the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Board of Directors in District 2. The Transit Authority, also known as Metro, is responsible for running Omaha’s bus system, including ORBT and MOBY services.

Levy is running against Clarice Dombeck, who was on this show in June. You can hear my conversation with her wherever you get your podcasts.

The first elected transit board will have seven nonpartisan members, one for each district. Prior to this year, seats were appointed by the mayor rather than elected. The change is part of Metro’s increased budget and expanded regional services. Board responsibilities include determining transit policy, overseeing the budget and handling contracts.

David Levy was born in Lincoln, and his family moved to Santa Barbara, California when he was 9. He earned both an undergraduate and master’s degree in city planning at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent the first part of his career as a city planner in San Francisco. He earned a law degree from Hastings College of the Law, know known as University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

Levy now works as an attorney at the firm Baird Holm LLP, where he represents clients in land use and energy matters. He currently serves as a commissioner of the Omaha Housing Authority and as a member of the Omaha by Design board of directors. Before beginning his legal career, Levy was a city planner for the City and County of San Francisco. Levy also contributed to the City of Omaha’s streetcar project.

In this episode, Levy and Michael Griffin are talking about how Levy's early interest in architecture led to his career in law and city planning, his vision for transit equity, and how to increase civic engagement in Omaha. Here is my conversation with David Levy.

Correction: A previous version of this text misidentified the school from which Levy obtained his law degree. It was Hastings College of the Law.