Current Chairman Jim Graham said he is jump-starting the process of finding a new general manager, just days after John Catoe’s unexpected announcement to step down.
“I am the chairman and I am going to act this week because obviously everyone wants a resolution,” Graham told The Examiner.
But Graham himself has only a few days left as chairman even as major troubles loom ranging from safety problems, budget crises, and court battles.
The change represents part of a major power shift that hits all the top levels of the agency.
Metro already has a number of vacancies on the executive leadership team from earlier management shake-ups. The board is slated to receive four federal appointees to its already 12-person board this year. Now the agency needs to find a new general manager — first an interim leader to fill Catoe’s shoes after his April 2 departure, then a permanent general manager following a nationwide search that will likely involve a prominent headhunting firm.
Meanwhile, the board is scheduled to change its leadership next week, with Maryland representative Peter Benjamin slated to take over as chairman at the end of the next full board meeting. Despite all the turmoil, three of the most active board members say they expect the switch to a new chairmanship to occur as expected.
“The compact governs this and mostly we follow what the compact says,” said Christopher Zimmerman, an Arlington County representative.
Still, even with all the uncertainty ahead, Zimmerman said he expects the general manager search to be “simpler than the last one.”
In this case, Catoe gave the agency notice before leaving. Zimmerman said the board also has more consensus than it did in 2006 when Richard White was forced out as general manager. At the time, District Department of Transportation Director Dan Tangherlini was tapped from the board of directors to run the agency. But he then left to become city administrator after Adrian Fenty won the D.C. mayor’s race. So the agency tapped executive Jack Requa to be the second interim manager and rebooted its national search.
Neither Zimmerman nor Benjamin think the interim leader should come from the existing board this time.
“It’s unlikely and personally I think it’s a mistake,” Benjamin said.
Zimmerman added, “I don’t see anybody on the board looking for that job.”
The board will likely look both internally at its depleted executive ranks, and externally for an interim leader.
“My preference would be the maximum amount of stability as soon as possible,” Graham said. “We don’t need someone who can solve all the problems now. We do need someone who can steer the course.”
