MARTA votes for new general manager
September 10, 2007 at 11:52 am by Thomas Wheatley in NewsThe MARTA board is expected to vote today to approve Sacramento Regional Transit head Beverly Scott as new general manager. The vote — largely a “legal formality,” as the Sacramento Bee quoted MARTA board member Clara Axam in an Aug. 28 article — is a pre-emptive move by MARTA to snatch transit manager talent as other agencies around the country are hunting top talent. Scott is the only candidate under consideration and will succeed Richard McCrillis.
“Dr. Scott is one of the most highly regarded, sought-after transit professionals in the nation,” the Rev. Walter L. Kimbrough, MARTA’s board chairman, said in a released statement. “We had to demonstrate our interest right away — and we are convinced that the excellent job Richard McCrillis has done over the last year makes it possible for MARTA to attract a candidate of this caliber.”
Her new job — which comes with a $250,000 salary, according to agency officials quoted in the article — may carry many of the same challenges Scott faced in Sacramento. RT, as Sacramento’s transit authority is known, has seen its share of route reductions, layoffs, price hikes and dwindling ridership during her tenure. She leaves behind a $171,684 salary and was reportedly being wooed by several other transit agencies around the country.
Prior to her five years in California, Scott worked at the Rhode Island Public Transit District.
So how is she? Quoth the Bee…
“She is a strong transit advocate as well as a manager, and that takes a bit of balance,” Sacramento Transportation Authority Executive Director Brian Williams said. “Sacramento is the richer for having her for five years.”
But why not hear the voice of the people, as seen in the comments of the Bee article…
“Joy at RT! Hurricane Bev has passed!” wrote “I_Love_Sacramento,” before going on to allege Scott “USED RT as a political stepping stone.” He/she then goes on to wish MARTA the best of luck in “trying to survive Hurricane Bev…you’ll need it!”
Commenter “arkitkt” agreed, adding Scott “has done much to lower morale at RT and should go whether MARTA takes her or not!”
“Mazil1120″ chimed in and reminded her fellow comment-lounge denizens that Scott was caught in a political tug-of-war and that it is “difficult to please everybody in City hall [sic].” “earthman4peace” argued the problem lies with the RT board’s head and applauded Scott’s charity work for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Your turn, Atlanta. What do you think?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Scott talks well during interviews (”buzz word bingo”) but has been a disaster for RT due to her denegrating staff at every opportunity. And her taking credit for increases in LRT mileage is disingenuous; they were planned and acquired years before she arrived in Sacto. The Atlanta J-C paper mentioned MARTA has problems with crime on transit and at stops, and a lack of enforcement. Since “Dr.” Scott arrived in Sacto our problems with the same issues have grown immensely. She’s just a “climb-the-ladder” waste of DNA. Good luck, Atlanta. Oh, and don’t be surprised when she fleeces you for mega-bucks after pulling the race card, either. You’ve been warned.