Dallas Area Rapid Transit, whose 12-city service area includes Plano, is scheduled to get a new chief executive on Monday, Oct. 26.
Nathaniel Ford was named DART's next CEO in July after leading the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida. His DART contract pays $515,000 a year and includes $80,000 for relocation, News4JAX reported.
The hire has drawn questions in Dallas since the Florida attorney general's office opened a criminal investigation in early October into spending at the Jacksonville agency during Ford's tenure, FOX 4 reported. The station said the inquiry covers expenses including massages, murals and hotel stays, along with the authority's tuition reimbursement policy, and that subpoenas issued in the probe name Ford and Jacksonville's mayor.
FOX 4 reported that the Jacksonville agency faces a budget shortfall of about $40 million that has forced route reductions and staff cuts, and that Ford is not facing criminal charges.
Board says its decision stands
At a Dallas City Council Transportation Committee meeting Monday, Oct. 19, council members questioned DART interim CEO David Leninger and board chair Randall Bryant about the hire.
"We have affirmed Nat Ford as our CEO, and we continue to do that," Bryant said, according to FOX 4. He said the board made its decision based on what it knew then and knows now.
News4JAX reported that Bryant called the hiring process thorough and transparent, said some of the issues now being raised were known and looked into at the time, and said DART's general counsel is in contact with lawyers in Jacksonville.
Council members also asked about ridership. DART's interim CEO acknowledged that ridership is down overall and said turning it around will be a priority for Ford, according to News4JAX. Officials attributed discrepancies in some ridership counts to human error.
