Friday, June 17, 2011

Ford to Leave Muni at the End of June

At the end of this month, Nathaniel Ford will be leaving his post as the chief of Muni. And in the search for his replacement, the SFMTA is switching it up from their conventional nationwide hunt and sticking to the local candidates with more intimate knowledge of the city's transit history and needs.

Tom Nolan, the Chair of SFMTA's Board of Directors, revealed the leading local choices to be Chief of Department of Public Works Ed Reiskin and Executive Deputy Director and Interim Boss of the SFMTA Carter Rohan.

Reiskin is described as the more popular and likely choice because of Rohan's time spent in Texas, where his family resides. Friday's SF Examiner Editorial entitled "What the City needs from Muni's next boss", explains the need for a chief that is "in-it-for-the-long-haul" with "100 percent commitment to solving the problems." The column specifically criticizes Ford for displaying a lack of investment into his post other than using it as a "stepping stone to some even-larger city's better-paying transit post" as exemplified by his recent dalliance with DC's Airports Authority.

It should also be mentioned that these changes bring some potentially good news for the taxpayers. The SFMTA is looking to negotiate the salary with its next chief, which will hopefully mean that he won't be making Nathaniel Ford's preposterous $308,000 annual salary. Not only was Ford the highest-paid city official, he is also receiving a $384,000 severance check along with three months of $3,000/month family healthcare coverage. On top of that, he will also be cashing in $67,000 worth of deferred compensation and unclaimed bonuses.

Source: SF Examiner

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