The award for Best Joke of the Decade goes to Nathaniel Ford, who was given leadership of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) last year.
He came from Atalnta, Georgia, and although his bio on the MUNI web site touts his experience as being second only to Jesus Christ in performing miracles, the fact is that Ford has yet to accomplish a damn thing at MUNI - and for God's sake, Nat - don't point to the T-Line as any measure of your success. (You came on board at the 59th minute of the 11th hour, pal.)
So, after about one year in the MUNI driver's seat, this is what Miracle Man Ford has to say: "We have to do better and we will."
What?
This is the miracle man Mayor Newsom hired and who Newsom said would be able to pull MUNI into line? Come on, Gavin, you must be kidding. This is the same old bureaucratic crap we've been hearing for years.
Listen Mayor Newsom, and listen carefully: We, the people of San Francisco, have to do better in the way we allow the Mayor's Office to be in charge of MUNI.
So far, not a single mayor of recent memory has been able to manage MUNI. Willie Brown said he would fix MUNI in his first 100 days in office. Even Willie looks back on that statement with a chuckle. Mayor Newsom, however, is not so damn funny.
Nathaniel Ford, Newsom's pick for MUNI boss, started as a streetcar or train conductor in New York. He slowly clawed and crawled his way up the ladder the same way any other ambitious slugger does. Eventually he reached the top and landed a plum job as head of Atlanta's transit system.
Now he wears expensive suits and takes home over a hundred-grand of our money in pay. Can you hear the laughter from his MUNI headquarters office? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. The laugh's on us.
Nat Ford's qualifications are those of a slugger and a heavyweight champion. But just like any other heavyweight champion it doesn't mean he has the intelligence and education necessary for the subtleties of managing a major public transit agency, particularly one like MUNI. Oh, sure, Ford received a bachelor's degree from a small Baptist college in Macon, Georgia with a total student population of 5,000. That isn't exactly the level of education to which I am referring.
I don't say we should rudely fire Nat Ford. Rather, let's let the Mayor give Nat Ford a big party and say goodbye to him as Ford moves on to explore other opportunities elsewhere. That's the "political spin" way to give a department head the axe.
I like San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin's idea. According to a story in today's Chronicle, Peskin wants to place a measure on the November ballot that would funnel MUNI more revenue from parking meters, parking fines and city-owned parking garages.
The ballot measure proposed by Peskin, the Board of Supervisors president, would give MUNI management new leverage at the bargaining table. Now, salaries for MUNI drivers are set by formula, making them the second-best paid in the nation, behind the Valley Transportation Authority in Santa Clara County. MUNI operators make $27.08 an hour.
Under the Peskin plan, if the drivers want a pay hike they may have to give a little somewhere else, such as rules governing absences and termination. It also would give management more flexibility to hire and fire more mid-level managers.
Listen, folks, Aaron Peskin's plan is solid, thoughtful and reflects the real needs and real interests of San Fanciscans. Aaron Peskin, by the way, was born in the Bay Area, went to school here, his father taught psychology at SF State, his mother taught at UC Berkeley and he's as much a true San Franciscan as anybody here.I'm going to trust Aaron Peskin's judgment long before I trust an aggressive former train conductor from New York who just got off the boat from Atlanta. That November ballot measure has a yes vote here! How about you?
Drop a quick email to Aaron Peskin and let him know you think his idea sounds solid. Here's his address:
5 comments:
From a purely technical perspective, the SFMTA Board appointed Nathaniel Ford, but, the entire SFMTA Board is appointed by the Mayor, so as I said, it's just a technicality.
The SFMTA Board consists of some really fine people. Project Open Hand's Tom Nolan comes to mind.
But Tom Nolan is the fantastic executive director of Project Open Hand, but that doesn't always translate into other areas of expertise.
The SFMTA Board sings right on key to the tune Gavin selects for them.
Even if Peskin's ballot measure succeeds (and I hope it does) what can we do to give the SFMTA Board more autonomy?
Can we create a couple of more seats on the SFMTA Board and give them to Rescue Muni?
And one more thing: Nathaniel Ford will be the guy who puts the Peskin Plan in motion if the ballot measure succeeds. Isn't that sort of like letting the cat take of the pet mice?
I'd sure like to see Aaron Peskin run for mayor. Gavin Newsom will have a second term. That is a safe projection to make, but after Newsom's second term, it would be great to see Aaron Peskin run for mayor.
does not anyone find it funny that we're allowed to vote on pretty much everyone and everything, including the BART board, but that somehow, we're deemed too stupid to have any direct say on who runs muni?
http://www.njudahchronicles.com/2007/06/post_1.html
Where can I sign the petition? What can we do to be sure Peskin's idea gets on the ballot?
I would like to see the mayor authorized to appoint half of the SFMTA Board of Directors and see the Board of Supervisors empowered to appoint the other half.
As for Nathaniel Ford, he is just an administrator. As long as he does what the Board tells him to do, things should be OK. But if Ford starts thinking he can set policy, then it's time for him to conduct himself onto a train and head outta town.
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