Getting to know the Next Director of JTA

[jcjohnpaint]

I already started drinking

[spuwho]

Great updates, thanks to Stephen and Lake for the dialog.

I look forward to seeing an interview with Mr. Ford by metrojacksonville once his contract is in place.

[Ocklawaha]

In Jacksonville, I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.

Otherwise in Atlanta, this just in.

October 10, 2012
VIA San Antonio chief accepts MARTA top post
 
SAN ANTONIO â€" Citing mainly personal reasons and the great opportunity, VIA President/CEO Keith Parker said Tuesday he will leave San Antonio to become GM of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), starting there by early December.

The VIA board immediately appointed Deputy CEO Jeff Arndt, 57, as interim president and CEO. Arndt, who Parker hired earlier this year, has three decades of transit experience, including 25 years at Houston's public transit system, where he helped launch that city's light-rail system, according to a San Antonio-Express News report.
SOURCE: METRO MAGAZINE

So Atlanta is getting the BRT guy, and San Antonio has elevated the Light-Rail guy. All the while, we're getting the RAIL, LIGHT-RAIL, COMMUTER RAIL, SUBWAY, EL, STREETCAR, CABLE CAR GUY... Oh and did I mention buses? Yeah, them too.

[simms3]

In Jacksonville, I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.

Otherwise in Atlanta, this just in.

October 10, 2012
VIA San Antonio chief accepts MARTA top post
 
SAN ANTONIO — Citing mainly personal reasons and the great opportunity, VIA President/CEO Keith Parker said Tuesday he will leave San Antonio to become GM of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), starting there by early December.

The VIA board immediately appointed Deputy CEO Jeff Arndt, 57, as interim president and CEO. Arndt, who Parker hired earlier this year, has three decades of transit experience, including 25 years at Houston's public transit system, where he helped launch that city's light-rail system, according to a San Antonio-Express News report.
SOURCE: METRO MAGAZINE

So Atlanta is getting the BRT guy, and San Antonio has elevated the Light-Rail guy. All the while, we're getting the RAIL, LIGHT-RAIL, COMMUTER RAIL, SUBWAY, EL, STREETCAR, CABLE CAR GUY... Oh and did I mention buses? Yeah, them too.

I think you're wrong here.  Atlanta is ditching the traditional big transit system bureacracy guys (which you are getting) for a guy who laid the groundwork for the soon to happen streetcar in San Antonio (and who hired his replacement, someone who built Houston's LRT).  The SA guy has experience operating a bus system, but also building up momentum, support, attracting funding, and putting into place a system to incorporate alternative modes of fixed-rail transit.  Ford has merely inherited and run big city rail/bus systems and has left each in worse shape from what I can tell (reputation of Muni is horrible in SF and reputation of MARTA in Atlanta is similarly awful).  Also keep in mind Atlanta is gunning for streetcars and is laying track right now for one line, so the board at MARTA wanted a streetcar guy (these are usually found in the smaller cities, which are the cities putting in streetcars mostly, not the big metro areas).

Finally, SA is sad to see Parker leave.  Atlanta is not shedding any tears to see Beverly Scott or Ford leave (Scott will go to run MBTA in Boston...another typical big city transit chief trade).

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2012/10/new-marta-chief-received-praise-from.html

VIA board member Mary Briseño told mysanantonio.com following the announcement that Parker was a finalist for the MARTA job - “Obviously we would hate to see Mr. Parker go. He’s done a tremendous job for us and left us in a better place than we were before. But I don’t want to be premature; hopefully, maybe he’ll see things differently” and not leave San Antonio."

I repeatedly warned against Ford.  Wasn't Jax considering a former CATS guy from Charlotte?  Maybe it was Atlanta.  I think that would have been the best bet...someone involved in putting up LRT and streetcars in a developing southern city, not someone who has overseen and left in worse shape big transit systems in 5 million person metros.

[thelakelander]

The BRT guy was Steve Bland of Pittsburgh, who was a finalist for both the MARTA and JTA jobs.  At the JTA presentation, Bland mentioned he was a little intimidated of the Atlanta job because it was a much larger city than what he had been used to, so Atlanta made the right decision in going with Keith Parker from San Antonio.

Keith Parker was the CEO of Charlotte's CATS from 2007 to 2009.  Before then, he was the assistant city manager of Charlotte.  The planning of Charlotte's LRT dated back to 1999.  Groundbreaking for their LRT took place two years before Parker was hired at CATS. 

I'm actually pretty happy Nathaniel Ford is coming to Jax.  Out of the three finalist, he was clearly head and shoulders above the other two.  He was over MARTA through the development of the Lindbergh Station TOD site.  JTA actually took a trip up there to view it a few years back when Ford was there.  That was mentioned at the presentation as well.  The Breeze card was also implemented during Ford's tenure at MARTA.  Furthermore, MARTA has always had a bad reputation.  I remember when my older brother moved up there in 1988, it had a bad reputation then.  It just didn't have any TOD.  So I'm not sure it's Ford fault for how MARTA is viewed in Georgia.

To be honest, if all Ford does is come in here and significantly revamp the bus system and leave in two years, it would be a huge success over what we currently have in place.

[simms3]

^^^Again, MARTA chose Keith Parker, who ran VIA in San Antonio.  You're confusing people.  Also Ford is not credited up here with having anything to do with Lindbergh, just so you know, though he may have overseen the partnership that a couple of prominent Atlanta developers fostered to make it happen in the late 90s early 2000s.  Besides, Lindbergh is the best and only TOD we have, and it is pretty darn pathetic.  The Breeze system is convenient, but if Ford and all the others overseeing MARTA had not changed to a card system, we'd be the only thing still using tokens, so that was a pretty obvious choice...not anything ingenious.

I'm sure Ford's great, but I have been using MARTA long enough to even remember the coins.  Fares have gone up dramatically.  Service has been cut.  Safety has been a concern.  The reputation of MARTA alone arguably killed TSPLOST this year.  Suburban counties want in on transit now, but they don't want MARTA as the fiscal side has become a huge issue, and the last report by KPMG was that compared to other systems MARTA has a problem with too large of benefits (22% higher than similar systems) and employee absenteeism (costing an additional 11% more than necessary), and that there are many areas of operations that can be outsourced, but haven't.  These are the areas that MARTA leadership should have focused on.  Without higher taxes or the state stepping in MARTA will be broke by 2018.  Time is running out to get the fiscal house in order and improve legislative relationships outside of Atlanta, something the past leadership left for the next guys.

Overall it was a lost decade for MARTA.  Last expansion was way back in 90s.  Everything has deteriorated since then.  The Streetcar and Beltline are major positives, but totally separate from MARTA.  Credit goes to the grassroots organizations, mayors and city leaders (public and private) getting those done.  Everybody's waiting for good leadership at MARTA before they start attaching their name to it.

[Tacachale]

No need to get defensive, simms. I'm sure Atlanta transit will be fine.

I'm sure Ford will do as good of a job as the limitations of the agency will allow, he was clearly the best candidate of the three (though they were never going to pick Bland). I have some hope for JTA; the fact that they've pulled off some solid roadbuilding projects shows they can be perfectly capable in the area they emphasize, so hopefully they'll be able to make the transition if the leadership changes direction a bit.

[Ocklawaha]

Marta is no different then any other operation where Heavy Rail and bus are the only options. Heavy Rail construction pretty much came to a halt after Miami Metrorail and Baltimore's metro. There have been some spotty expansions here and there, but Heavy Rail systems may be out of the limelight for the foreseeable future.

San Antonio, had a plan for a comprehensive rail network as the largest city in America with bus only mass transit. That plan was taken down, and replaced with BRT. Not unlike Tampa, San Antonio's Via did a poor job of selling rail to the masses and the project crashed at the voting booth. Granted the light rail and streetcar plans have reemerged, but they'll face a constant firestorm of angry 'tea party' tax payer's to get track on the ground.

Jacksonville is in a much better position with Skyway, city buses and express buses, and a solid funding mechanism for streetcar and commuter rail. Given we'll have a guy completely familiar with all of the above, I'm cautiously optimistic.

[simms3]

So JTA seems to think Ford's a big TOD guy and MARTA seems to think Parker's a big streetcar guy, perhaps both are misguided.  If Parker wants to tie streetcars into MARTA, he'll have an easier time doing it in Atlanta where the Tea Party won't derail him in the city than he had in SA.  If Ford wants to do TOD in Jax, he'll need to work on getting a system built first.

[tufsu1]

If Ford wants to do TOD in Jax, he'll need to work on getting a system built first.

actually, no....because you can set up good development that is transit (and pedestrian) oriented...and if high quality transit never comes, you still have a nice walkable community.

[thelakelander]

^^^Again, MARTA chose Keith Parker, who ran VIA in San Antonio.  You're confusing people.

No I'm not.  Keith Parker was the CEO of Charlotte's CATS before he moved on the VIA.

http://www.itsmarta.com/marta-gm-selection.aspx

[tufsu1]

sure hope Ford wasn't a decision maker on MARTA's ad campaign from years back....

MARTA is SMARTA

which was only bested by

SEPTA - We're Getting There!

seriously....people get paid to come up with these

[simms3]

Well ok...TOD without the T.  Higher quality developments are pretty standard nowadays.  I guess I can call a lot of the infill going up where I live TOD, even if it is not near a metro station.  In that case Black Sheep's new development is a TOD.  The small projects in San Marco are TODs.  Let's stick with the traditional definition here and just ackowledge that overall development standards with or without transit have changed and need to continue to change (and improve).

I was referring to TOD as mastered in the DC metro, where entire CBDs spring up around metro stations.  Where having the Nats stadium in your backyard is merely a bonus but the real impetus for your development is Waterfront or Navy Yard metro station.  Where the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor has become the national model...a miles long string of walkability built on the DC metro and nonexistent without.

Jax can perhaps do TOD at Kings Ave station, but aside from that all other stations are already "downtown".  It needs to build a system or expand the skyway before it can start up the officially recognized TOD.  Otherwise I agree...higher quality developments that fit in with "complete streets" guidelines can still be built basically anywhere.

[simms3]

sure hope Ford wasn't a decision maker on MARTA's ad campaign from years back....

MARTA is SMARTA

which was only bested by

SEPTA - We're Getting There!

seriously....people get paid to come up with these

Hahaha.  It is pretty ridiculous.  In most cases MARTA is not smarta and SEPTA is certainly not "getting there" any time soon.

^^^Again, MARTA chose Keith Parker, who ran VIA in San Antonio.  You're confusing people.

No I'm not.  Keith Parker was the CEO of Charlotte's CATS before he moved on the VIA.

http://www.itsmarta.com/marta-gm-selection.aspx

That makes me even happier...I thought someone in the running for one of the cities was involved with CATS.  Glad to be rid of a big system/big city bureaucrat and replaced with a smaller city guy who has touched the developmental process of LRT and streetcars.

[thelakelander]

Jax can perhaps do TOD at Kings Ave station, but aside from that all other stations are already "downtown".  It needs to build a system or expand the skyway before it can start up the officially recognized TOD.  Otherwise I agree...higher quality developments that fit in with "complete streets" guidelines can still be built basically anywhere.

Using most of the cities that opened starter rail lines over the last decade as examples, TOD starts occurring when you make the public commitment to actually moving forward with your project.  Charlotte, Austin, Salt Lake City, Denver, Houston, etc. all saw TOD spring up along the transit corridors before their actual operation.

In Jax's case, there are TOD opportunities still available around several of the existing skyway stations and Prime Osborn (assuming its converted back into a train station).  The mobility plan also generates the capital funding for a streetcar connecting downtown to Riverside and Springfield.  It's possible for TOD concepts to come online around these corridors, as well as the commuter rail corridors over the next few years.  Outside of that, high quality infill development that is context sensitive is also good thing Jax should strive for as well.

sure hope Ford wasn't a decision maker on MARTA's ad campaign from years back....

MARTA is SMARTA

which was only bested by

SEPTA - We're Getting There!

seriously....people get paid to come up with these

Hahaha.  It is pretty ridiculous.  In most cases MARTA is not smarta and SEPTA is certainly not "getting there" any time soon.

^^^Again, MARTA chose Keith Parker, who ran VIA in San Antonio.  You're confusing people.

No I'm not.  Keith Parker was the CEO of Charlotte's CATS before he moved on the VIA.

http://www.itsmarta.com/marta-gm-selection.aspx

That makes me even happier...I thought someone in the running for one of the cities was involved with CATS.  Glad to be rid of a big system/big city bureaucrat and replaced with a smaller city guy who has touched the developmental process of LRT and streetcars.

I'm not trying to get in a pissing contest between who's better out of Parker and Ford.  I think both MARTA and JTA made good decisions in their selections over the past week.