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McGlaughlin, Husted square off in RVTD race Shandra Husted, left, and Sarah McGlaughlin Saturday Apr 29, 2017 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune The race for Position 5 on the Rogue Valley Transportation District board features two newcomers with longtime local ties and varying life experiences related to transportation. Sarah McGlaughlin, 31, of Central Point, and Shandra Husted, 39, of Medford, are seeking to fill the seat left vacant by board chair Terry Batement, who did not seek re-election.  A Central Point native and deputy district attorney for Josephine County, McGlaughlin said she wants to give back to the community she grew up in. Husted, owner of a transportation brokering firm, said she wants to push for efficiency and smart growth for what she says is an already well-run district. McGlaughlin said she views the transportation district as an important connection between "low-income citizens and opportunities for increased financial stability." During her years away from the Rogue Valley, living in a number of cities including Boston and New York, McGlaughlin said she grew to understand public reliance on transit systems in bigger cities. "As communities grow, people really rely on public transit to get to places of employment, shopping centers, health care centers. ... When I grew up here, Southern Oregon was very rural, but now it's becoming a population hub and the district is very aware they are on the cusp of changing how we view public transportation," said McGlaughlin. "The district is definitely moving in the right direction, and I want to keep that momentum going forward. I know how to ask the right kind of questions and to get the information we need to make informed, important decisions." Husted, owner of Husted Trucking and managing partner for Rogue Logistics and Consulting, said her expertise in managing a transportation firm and private business would benefit her as a board member. "I'm used to working with a tight budget and just working with people in general, so I feel like those are strong assets for me," Husted said. "One of my biggest concerns that I'd like to address is that I see buses running empty a lot and there has to be a reason for that. I don't know if it has to do with route efficiency or what, but there has to be something going on. "I believe the public transit system is vital and we're only going to continue to grow," she said. "It's super important for us to focus on managing the district in an efficient and balanced way." — Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].