Former County Supe, AC Transit Interim GM Mary King Dies

Former Alameda County supervisor and AC Transit interim general manager Mary King has died, AC Transit announced Tuesday. King, 69, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Oakland several times, was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 1988, becoming the first black woman to be elected to the board.

She was re-elected twice and served as board president for two years. During her tenure on the board, she also chaired several regional commissions, including the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the MTC’s design task force for Bay Bridge’s new eastern span.

Before she was elected to the Board of Supervisors, King served as chief of staff for Assemblyman Bill Lockyer, D-Hayward, and Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson. After leaving the board in 2001, King became a private consultant specializing in government affairs, housing, land-use and transportation and then was recruited to AC Transit in 2004 to become the bus agency’s assistant general manager for communications and external affairs.

She later served as AC Transit’s interim general manager from October 2009 through February 2012. In August 2012, she was appointed to serve on the BART Board of Directors for several months to fill a vacancy that was created by the resignation of Bob Franklin.

AC Transit officials said in a statement that King “worked tirelessly for the district and our board of directors to carry the agency through tough economic times.” They said, “Ms. King was a true trailblazer and used her considerable expertise in government to develop and advocate for efficient transportation systems and services to help people move around the Bay Area.”

Among other honors, King was given the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials, the “Allen E. Broussard Memorial Award for Outstanding Humanitarianism” by the Alameda County Bar Association, the “George Moscone Memorial Award” by the American Society of Public Administration, and the Community Leaders Recognition Award by the Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders of the East Bay.

A lifelong resident of Oakland, King is survived by her mother, Victoria King, two daughters, Kimberly and Vikki King, and two grandchildren.

By Bay City News

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