Muni Head Nathaniel Ford in the Running for D.C. Post
Photo by Michael Renner
Deja vu time: Muni chief Nathaniel Ford is a front runner for an exec position to run airport authority in Washington D.C., reports the San Francisco Chronicle. As SF Examiner rightly pointed out, Ford was rumored to be a candidate to run the Washington metropolitan transit authority earlier last year. The Examiner’s Will Reisman also mentions that some folks in the Washington media world are critical of his lack of experience in aviation matters.
How will this affect our commute? The Chronicle reports:
Ford should hear whether he has the new job around March 1, [SFMTA chairman Tom] Nolan said. If it’s a go, Nolan said Ford plans to remain as head of the San Francisco transportation agency for 45 days or longer.
His possible departure comes at a crucial time for Muni, the Bay Area’s busiest transit agency with nearly 700,000 boardings every weekday. The agency faces a $1 billion-plus budget shortfall over the next 20 years without deep spending cuts and/or new sources of revenue.
Management recently began contract negotiations with Muni operators, who, under voter mandate, are losing their guarantee of being the second best-paid in the nation. Last year, Muni cut service an unprecedented 10 percent and has yet to fully restore the lost service.
Will there be a job opening soon at SFMTA? We’ll keep you posted.
Next Muni Chief after Ford? Ed Lee!
Seriously, I see Muni crumbling right before my eyes as I board every day. Between the late busses and graffiti, it no wonder that riders have not had a revolt of their own. Planned studies to improve service, restoring service cuts, labor negotiations, etc. have shown me that there is a lot of talk, but no results with this management. Don’t even get me started on the parking tickets and Nanny Gate.
Bottom line is we need a Director who will ring in not only salaries of drivers, but also trim the fat off the top-heavy management of SFMTA and bloated expenses that have caused nothing but frustration for us. When a study or other issue is being considered, don’t leave the owners of Muni (us) in the dark.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Ford…
Oh Nanny Gate. That’s really the most ridiculous news of the year so far imo.
I think Nate’s just trying his best to get out of SF, but is having a hard time finding an exit. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s his incompetence. Who really knows? I think it’s just a toss of the the dice…which is pretty much the way he’s run Muni.