MTA, riders sorry to see Daley go
Maryland Transit Administration employees and many of the agency's customers are distraught at the news that Katharine Daley, the MTA's director of service development, will soon leave the agency to take a new job in Tampa.
In just two years at the MTA, the energetic Daley set a new standard for community outreach and won the enthusiastic admiration of some of the most persnickety transit advocates. She became known for her patience and skill in working with diverse populations and for making changes to bus routes that riders actually liked.
(Ed Cohen, the former president of the Transit Riders Action Council, called me with this news. I wasn't in a position to take down quotes, but suffice it to say that Cohen thinks she's the best thing to happen to the MTA in years.)
Unfortunately for the MTA, news of her abilities spread beyond Baltimore and she was offered the the position of chief of service planning at Hillsborough Area Regional Transit in Tampa. Daley is expected to leave the MTA to take that position by the end of next month.
MTA Deputy Director Henry Kay praised her performance.
"Katharine Daley brought a fresh perspective, knowledge of industry best practices and a passion for listening to the needs of MTA riders and employees alike," Kay said. "Plus, she became a connoisseur of Baltimore night life faster than anyone I've ever met. She is leaving the MTA system better than she found it and we wish her well."
Comments
Katharine was the best thing to happen to the bus system in years, if not ever and we are sad to see her leave.
Also sad is the fact that Maryland can not compete with other metro areas in salary and benefits to keep such talented people in the first place; which are obviously needed to repair and merge Maryland's disjointed and inadequate transit system.
Posted by: Frank R | October 9, 2009 2:33 PM
Katharine has been a great addition to the MTA and I'm sorry to see her go. She was invaluable to the development of the transit goals and strategies in the Baltimore City Sustainability Plan and has been interested in bringing new ideas and ways of thinking to the agency.
I hope that with the departures of Katharine & Paul Wiedefeld that MTA will take this opportunity to seek out internal and external candidates that can shift the culture of the MTA and go beyond the challenges of the day-to-day operations to explore and implement innovative solutions like the QuickBus program.
Posted by: Patrick McMahon | October 21, 2009 3:07 AM