Members of the Memphis City Council could appoint a trustee to oversee the Memphis Area Transit Authority as soon as their meeting on Tuesday, officials said.
Who the trustee will be and what their responsibilities will entail remain unknown to the public and former and current MATA board members. An agenda for a City Council committee meeting on Tuesday only lists “Transit Update,” but no resolutions or details explicitly about a trustee.
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Last week, two finalists for MATA’s CEO position were already in Memphis for interviews when the city announced that the search for a CEO would be halted indefinitely, with the City Council appointing a trustee over MATA.
Since then, five of nine MATA board members have resigned, meaning it’s possible the board can’t make a quorum, vote or make decisions. Interim CEO John Lewis’ contract ended Thursday — the same day the five board members resigned — and the transit agency also doesn’t have a chief financial officer.
The chaos is just the latest development in the ongoing struggles of the beleaguered transit authority, which has seen financial misuse, lack of investment and several leadership changes over the past few years. For riders, it’s another twist in the ongoing saga of a system where buses break down, don’t come on time or don’t come at all.
“The lack of clarity on how the city will move forward without MATA having a CEO, a CFO, and with a trustee appointed by the city shows the lack of thoughtful commitment to transit riders, MATA employees, and the rest of the public who rely on MATA to transport hardworking Memphians to jobs that keep Memphis businesses operating,” a representative for Better Transit for a Better Memphis said in a written statement.
MATA operations continue without CEO, full board
Currently, MATA is being led by Eric Stevenson, MATA’s chief administrative officer, who has served in the role for about one year, according to his LinkedIn profile, and Tracy Craghead, the agency’s new chief operating officer. Craghead holds the role through a management agreement between MATA and RATP Dev USA, which does transit management for MATA.
Previously, the transit authority was operated by a team from consulting agency TransPro, led by Lewis. Before Lewis, Bacarra Mauldin served as interim CEO. She returned to the role of deputy CEO upon Lewis’ hiring, but was fired over inappropriate use of a MATA credit card.
Since then, an audit has shown that MATA had a widespread lack of financial documentation and controls alongside an unstructured budget process, outdated policies and procedures and issues with how federal and state grant dollars were spent.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young replaced the entire MATA Board last fall. The five members who resigned last week were from his new board and included Chairperson Emily Greer and Vice-Chairperson Anna McQuiston.
“When asked to serve, I told the mayor I would serve as long as I felt like I could make a positive impact,” McQuiston told MLK50:Justice Through Journalism. “As of last week, I did not feel that I could do that as a board member anymore.”
Memphis City Code states that the MATA Board shall consist of nine members, nominated by the mayor and approved by the Memphis City Council.
“A majority of the authority board” constitutes a “quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting.” The resignations of five members likely mean the board cannot vote on any items.
Young’s administration told MLK50 that the mayor plans to appoint new board members to fill those empty spots, although no timeline for doing so has been set.
Cynthia Bailey, one of the remaining members of the board and the co-chair of the Memphis Bus Riders Union, said she is waiting to see what the mayor and the council do next.
“I don’t want the community to lose hope,” she said. “I’m just ready to continue my assignment that I was appointed for.”
New board members appointed by Young will have to be approved by the City Council.
Asked whether new board members were likely to be appointed soon, Councilman Edmund Ford Sr., who chairs the City Council’s transit committee, said, “That’s hard to say. That’s what we’re discussing right now. We may do something different.”
He did not say what that “something different” might be.
A message to MATA staff sent from the mayor, city council and remaining board members on Friday assured that, “Your jobs, your responsibilities, and your mission remain the same. These steps are about strengthening oversight and ensuring stability at the leadership level, not changing the important work you do each day.”
Trustee role unclear, may be appointed Tuesday
It’s unclear exactly what role a trustee would play, or who first developed the idea. The trustee will be appointed by the City Council, according to a statement issued by the city last week.
“As we move forward, our priority remains to ensure safe and reliable transit for all riders,” the statement said. “We will outline next steps soon, including those to provide stability and strengthen oversight.”
In most cases, the City Council does not make appointments, although they do approve appointments made by the mayor.
Young’s office did not answer a question about what authority the city has to appoint a trustee over MATA. City Council Attorney Allan Wade indicated that he would release an opinion on the matter, but did not say when.
City Code states that MATA board members are nominated by the mayor and approved by the council, a common process for many boards of government-related entities. The mayor also has the authority to remove board members and to choose a chairperson.
The code also gives the MATA board “authority to supervise the operation of the transit system,” including hiring or contracting “with a management company or a general manager to operate such transportation system.” They have the authority to make rate changes, purchase materials, execute contracts, and determine what routes and schedules should be followed.
“They accused us of overstepping our duty,” said Sandi Klink, one of the commissioners who resigned. “How did we overstep when our board is clearly responsible for those things?”
The MATA Board’s authority on finance is more limited: The board cannot take on debt or sell or purchase real estate without the approval of the mayor and City Council. Additionally, its budget must be submitted to the mayor and ultimately to the City Council for approval.
The influence the mayor’s office and the council have over MATA is strong: Some MATA board members indicated in January that they did not want to hire TransPro for interim leadership, but that they felt obligated to do so because the mayor wanted it.
Exactly when the city decided to pause the CEO search is unclear. MATA officials had mentioned the search to the council as recently as August 5, when Lewis said the board’s executive search committee would begin interviews for the next CEO.
Ford told MLK50 the idea of a trustee did not originate with him. Councilperson Jerri Green, vice-chair of the council’s transit committee, told MLK50 she didn’t have additional information about why the CEO search was paused.
“I think the mayor wanted a broader group of candidates, it sounds like,” she said. “We as a City Council don’t do any hiring or firing or appointing. We can just approve the people and approve the budget. That’s our realm.”
Wade told MLK50 that the council members are planning to seek out experts who can help them learn more about “the most efficient and cost-effective way” to run a transit system.
Wade said the City Council has “leaned on me to try to help guide them” as they determine the next steps for MATA.
“Essentially, (the board) went ahead and started looking for a CEO without (the council) being involved,” Wade said. “Since we are primary funding for them, they need to consult with us, especially about something of that nature.”
The day before her resignation, Greer read a statement on behalf of the MATA Board to the public, stressing that “MATA needs a qualified CEO as soon as possible. Nothing can replace having a strong, permanent leader at the helm, and this board is committed to that goal.”
“We look forward to learning about the council’s plan and what having a trustee at the helm means,” Greer read. “We remain open to any opportunity that will provide reliable transit service to Memphis, Tennessee.”
Katherine Burgess is the government accountability reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Contact her at katherine.burgess@mlk50.com
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