We've been keeping an eye on Nat Ford's possible departure to Washington DC (or Northern Virginia, rather) for awhile now and after today's closed-session, come-to-Jesus meeting between Ford and the MTA board, it sounds like we're still left without a committed Executive Director. The Chronicle's City Insider reports this afternoon:
Muni directors, meanwhile, did not ask Ford today for a firm commitment to stay in San Francisco, nor did he offer one, City Insider learned.
The MTA board, admittedly hampered by two absent members and the sudden passing of Cameron Beach, still has the option of buying out Ford's contract, but the awkwardness we predicted has shifted from Ford's shoulders to the board itself: It could be tough to justify spending $400,000 to buy out Ford's contract while the Muni operators' union still doesn't have a contract they're happy with. Which might explain why he, "left the confidential meeting with a smile, but without comment."
The MTA Board is set to meet again in private next Tuesday.
