The SFMTA's Search Committee for a new Director of Transportation is convening Tuesday, and the public is welcome to attend and comment — though your complaints about rush-hour meltdowns, etc., might best be left for meetings of the full board.
The meeting happening tomorrow (6/11) at noon at SFMTA headquarters (1 South Van Ness, 7th Floor, Union Square Conference Room) will discuss both the draft job description for the Director role, and and the process through which applicants will be sought, including the possible hiring of an employee search firm. Public comment will be allowed after the other agenda items are complete, though comments are limited to things within this committee's jurisdiction.
The SFMTA is searching for a new director following the late-April announcement by Ed Reiskin that he plans to step down in August. Reiskin's resignation followed a particularly bad week for Muni service, including a Friday morning rush hour meltdown that appeared to be caused by a preventable maintenance issue. The decision also came after a year in which tensions rose with Mayor London Breed voicing her displeasure both with Reiskin and with the SFMTA board. Shortly following Reiskin's resignation announcement, Breed made a pointed statement about wanting to find a "transportation expert" for the role — Reiskin came to the job in 2011 after heading the Public Works department and the city's 311 call center.
Most recently, Breed nominated Steve Heminger, the recently retired, 18-year head of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, to the SFMTA board in order that he could lead the search effort for a new director. Heminger was unanimously voted in by the Board of Supervisors last week.
The job description says the city is seeking a candidate with knowledge of "Operation and methods of managing a large municipal transit system; Principles and practices of public administration and financial management; Organizational development and management principles and practices; [and] Principles and practices of labor relations." The job also requires awareness of "Social, political and environmental issues influencing programs under the jurisdiction of the SFMTA."
The SFMTA has received four proposals from executive search firms to help with the process.
Previously: Muni Chief Ed Reiskin To Step Down Following Friday System Meltdown
