At this week’s SF MTA Board meeting, a two-year budget was approved, extending Muni’s upcoming service cuts into 2012. You know all this already, right? (If not, click on those links and read up, we’ll be here when you come back.) But did you notice that two of the three folks who voted against a budget characterized by the SF Bay Guardian as “truly terrible” are leaving the board at the end of the month?
Yup, Directors James McCray and Shirley Breyer Black’s terms on the MTA board conclude at the end of this month, and their replacements will be named by Gavin Newsom. One of those folks will be appointed via traditional means (beer pong NOT REALLY), but the other one is expected to come from the pool of applicants who emailed Gavin telling them why they should be on the board. A person, presumably, like you and me, will serve an unpaid, unpaid, four-year term overseeing all the operations of the agency Muni calls home.
So how is that from regular person to MTA board (like, From Gs To Gents!) thing going? According to Mayoral spokesperson Tony Winnicker, they received 39 applications, many of whom “weren’t necessarily the right fit for SFMTA.”
Nine of those applicants, he says, have been invited for an interview next week. One of the applicants who contacted the Appeal confirmed that that’s when their interview is, so we dared that person to come in in a full Muni driver outfit (I’ve seen them at Goodwill). They demurred.
Winnicker says the Mayor will be announcing both his appointments before the next scheduled MTA board meeting, which is is May 4, a bit over a week from now.
