At the October 21, 2021 BPAC meeting, the BPAC Recruitment Committee reported back with recommendations from its review of applications of people seeking to be appointed to the BPAC for 2022-2024 terms. The Committee is recommending Phoenix Mangrum (reappointment), Alex Frank, and Nick Whipps. Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council.

The applicant statements and resume of the two new recommended commissioners are below, excerpted from the agenda packet [6mb PDF].

Alex Frank

“Dear Committee Members,

I am born, raised, and live here in Oakland. Though I do have a car, I have used a bicycle, skateboard, bus, and walking as my primary modes of transportation since childhood. As the Founder of Campmobility.org, a non-profit that works to support the unhoused with bicycles as a means of sustainably low cost transportation, I have spent significant time in the last three years riding my bike to parts of Oakland that many have not seen. I am deeply familiar with the condition of streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian thoroughfares in East Oakland because we have been supporting the development of the Tiny House Youth Empowerment Village—providing bikes, transportation focused education, and transportation planning for the facility at 633 Hegenberger. I also spent more than 15 years working with various city governments to improve pedestrian and bicycle access in New York City and Brooklyn, as an advocate for Transportation Alternatives, and a member of the District 6 Community Board Transportation Committee. I currently serve on the East Oakland Collective Community Advisory Group, through which I am familiar with many of East Oakland’s community driven plans and actions to improve access in the area. I have seen transformation and gentrification, I am deeply connected with issues of displacement, access equity, and the need to keep the community involved in decisions about their space. I believe I could contribute both direct, on-the-ground experience, as well as bring in perspectives from what is done in other cities, and would relish the role as an opportunity to improve community access and equity, particularly in areas that seem often to be left out.

Thank you for the consideration,
Sincerely, Alex Frank”

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Nick Whipps

“I am an attorney who has practiced in the areas of municipal, land use, and environmental law. This background allows me to effectively navigate city government and to understand how projects are planned and become realized. As a long-time bicycle commuter living in East Oakland, I can speak firsthand to the dangers of riding through my neighborhood and the lack of safety or planning provided for East Oakland pedestrians and bicyclists. I have biked Oakland from north to the south, and I can also speak to the inequities of city planning as reflected in the preferential creation of safe biking and walking spaces in more affluent areas of the city when compared to East Oakland. That said, I can see real potential in making major transit and recreational corridors in East Oakland safer to bike and walk to. More fundamentally, I truly love biking and bike-commuting, and it is something I want everyone to be able to safely enjoy. It would be a privilege to work with the BPAC to make all of Oakland a better place to live, bike, and walk.”

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