Carolyn Cox elected new chair of Intercity Transit Authority 

Members of the Intercity Transit Authority, the agency’s board of directors, elected Lacey City Council member Carolyn Cox as their new chair and Sue Pierce as the vice chair on Wednesday, Feb 5.  

Cox replaces Olympia City Council member Clark Gilman, who is stepping down from the board. Olympia City Council member Robert Vanderpool will be representing the municipality moving forward.

The board may still meet with Gilman again should Vanderpool be absent, as he will be the alternate representative for Olympia. 

Part of the Wednesday meeting was also dedicated to deciding who would represent the agency at the Thurston Regional Planning Council and Transportation Policy Board, an advisory board to that regional council. 

Vanderpool volunteered to represent the agency at the regional council, with Tumwater City Council member Kelly Von Holtz as the alternate. 

Justin Belk, who is currently representing the agency for the policy board, offered to retain his assignment with Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia as the alternate. 

Proclamation recognizing Gilman 

After the election of the chair and the assignment of agency representatives, the board of directors issued a proclamation recognizing Gilman’s contribution to the agency. 

Clark has represented Olympia for Intercity Transit since 2016. He has been the chair of the agency’s board of directors since 2022 and vice chair in 2021.  

“We, the members of the Intercity Transit Authority, do hereby commend Clark Gilman for his dedication to Intercity Transit and the citizens of Thurston County and express our gratitude for his contribution in furthering the development of public transportation,” stated the declaration, which Cox read. 

Before reading the proclamation, Cox also shared a few words for Gilman: "You lead from your heart, but also bring along spirit and wisdom to this … It's an honor to be following in your footsteps.”