22 to watch in 2022: SMART general manager Eddy Cumins

Name: Eddy Cumins

Title or position: Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit general manager

On the job since: Nov. 29, 2021

Age: 48

Hometown: Born in Oklahoma, recently moved Sonoma County

Why Cumins is someone to watch:

Eddy Cumins faces daunting challenges in his first full year as general manager of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, the tax-supported agency that launched service in 2017 and took a hit to ridership during the pandemic.

Cumins took over the $298,000-a-year post in November, supervising a staff of 127 employees who currently run 26 weekday trips by silver and green diesel-fueled trains on rebuilt tracks from the Sonoma County Airport to the Larkspur ferry terminal.

Cumins served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and came to SMART from the Utah Transit Authority where he held the title of chief operating officer.

The pandemic dropped SMART’s average weekday ridership from 2,765 boardings per day in Nov. 2019 to 1,162 in Nov. 2021, indicating a 42% ridership recovery, the agency said.

Throughout its existence, SMART has been dogged by criticisms that it has failed to deliver the 70-mile system up to Cloverdale and reduce congestion on Highway 101.

Voters dealt a setback to the system, which has cost $653 million, by refusing in March, 2020 to renew the quarter-cent sales tax that supports operations. The agency’s governing board has yet to decide on when it might try again.

SMART is also hoping for a state Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that would free up $40 million to resume work on the extension to Windsor, which would take 12 to 18 months to complete.

There is no timetable for extending service to Healdsburg and Cloverdale.

What others are saying about Cumins:

“As chair of SMART, I am looking forward to working alongside our new General Manager Eddy Cumins in the year ahead. Eddy brings not only his experience in operations and management to the agency, he brings his collaborative demeanor and the proven ability and desire to get things done and move the young fence forward. SMART is poised to complete the Windsor extension and head farther north, look for state-funded opportunities to extend east and ensure the North Bay has a rail freight alternative. All challenges to be sure, but Eddy Cumins is up to the task and we welcome his leadership at SMART.” — David Rabbitt, SMART board chairman and Sonoma County supervisor

What Cumins says about 2022:

“I am excited and looking forward to being a part of the SMART Team in 2022. I am an experienced transit professional with an operational background and believe my skill set is well suited to lead SMART into the future. I think the biggest immediate challenge facing SMART is rebuilding ridership lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As many people continue to work from home, SMART needs to look at new and innovative ways to increase its ridership. One of my goals for this coming year will be to enhance the transportation system in Sonoma and Marin counties by working with our community and local transit partners to better integrate the SMART train with local buses, bicycle pathways, the ferry and roadways. In 2022, SMART will continue to work on securing the necessary funding for expansion efforts while aggressively pursuing ridership growth opportunities.”

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-888-9149 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.