A day after the Memphis Area Transit Authority Board had planned to interview two finalists for CEO, five of its nine members resigned. The city had told them earlier that week — after the finalists had arrived in Memphis — to pause the CEO search and that the City Council would instead appoint a temporary trustee to oversee the beleaguered transit agency.
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism reached out to each of the former board members to ask why they chose to resign. Four responded, and you can read their answers below, including a statement from former Chairperson Emily Greer, given before her resignation.
Get more stories like this in your inbox every Wednesday in The Weekly.
Subscribe to MLK50’s newsletter
and get Memphis-rooted news and insights
right-sized for your neighborhood.
Former MATA Chairperson Emily Greer
Greer did not respond to MLK50’s request for comment, but read a statement on behalf of the board at her final meeting on August 27.
In the statement, she pointed out that the board conducted its national search for a CEO over several months, receiving more than 100 applicants. That pool was narrowed to 11 applicants, then to five. Two of the final five withdrew their applications when they accepted other positions. The final three were interviewed by board members, with two finalists invited to Memphis for interviews, she said.
“We continue to believe 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,” Greer said. “This week, the board was made aware of the City Council’s plan to appoint a trustee to oversee MATA and not continue with interviews of the two CEO candidates brought to Memphis. Had we been aware of this last week, we would have adjusted our interview process accordingly, and we apologize to the candidates and the public for the abrupt changes in this process.”
Former 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. As of last week, I did not feel that I could do that as a board member anymore,” McQuiston told MLK50.
“The employees who work there, the heart and soul of the entire organization, they need a good leader,” she said. “They need someone that is there permanently, that is not an interim who’s gonna be there short-term. They need someone that wants to do the long-term work and build the organization that they want to work for, so we can get the organization that better serves the community.”
Former Commissioner Sandi Klink
“The City Council basically undermined and disrespected us by saying instead of interviewing people we had brought in for final interviews, they were going to appoint a trustee,” Klink said. “At the last minute, when we had people in town expecting to be interviewed, they told us to stop the interviews. That was the last straw for me. I felt so, just disregarded and insulted. Our work was for nothing. If they want to run MATA, then you have to run it and answer to your voters, our riders.”
Former Commissioner Brian Marflak
“It seemed like the City Council and the city were going in a different direction than when originally we came on the board,” Marflak said. “It appears they’re going to bring in a trustee which, by bringing that person in, what’s the purpose of the board? We didn’t get much information, very little communication. Based on that, that’s what made me make the decision to resign, not understanding exactly what the future of the board would entail.”
Former Commissioner Jackson McNeil
“I feel that we had done as much as we could as a board, and we had made some positive changes, and that the city wanted to move in a different direction,” McNeil said. “We look forward to seeing what kinds of solutions are proposed for the future of public transit. I think we can all agree on the fact that we need much better public transit in Memphis, and so I am open to whatever can help make that happen.”
Katherine Burgess is the government accountability reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Contact her at katherine.burgess@mlk50.com
This story is brought to you by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.