TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tampa Region Transit Authority Hires Executive Director

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2008

Updated: 10/24/2008 11:21 am

ST. PETERSBURG - The region's transportation authority today hired a permanent executive director, but whether he remains will depend on funding for the governmental body.

Members of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority's voted to hire Bob Clifford, planning director for the Department of Transportation's District 7 in Tampa. Clifford has been acting executive director since the formation of the seven-county agency in June 2007.

Now board members must negotiate with Clifford on a salary and the terms of his employment.

He was one of two shortlisted candidates from a pool of 27 applicants. The other was John W. Powell Jr., who is a transportation consultant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

TBARTA was created by the state Legislature and relies on the Tampa Bay Partnership, a public-private consortium, for much of its financing. The agency is working on a mass transit plan for Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, Manatee, Sarasota, Polk and Citrus counties.

This year, legislators gave the authority a one-time infusion of $2 million that board members hope to use to entice a director and hire a lawyer. That funding source expires in July 2009, and any contract with Clifford is not expected to go beyond that date, board members said.

Board members hope to create a funding mechanism before that date.

Mayor Pam Iorio, a board member, voted for neither candidate, saying she was concerned about hiring an executive director without a dedicated source of funding for his salary.

"It's not prudent to hire staff when we don't know if we'll have funding after next year," Iorio said. "We're spending money that we don't really have."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT