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Council adopts work‑group plan for Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority appointments; timeline and transparency concerns raised
Summary
Council approved a work‑group process for appointing members to the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, with a package delivery Oct. 14, interviews Oct. 27–30 and recommendations Nov. 6; several members asked for more public transparency about evaluation criteria and urged delaying interviews until after the Nov. 4 election.
Councilmember James Mitchell presented a recommended timeline and interview process for filling seats on the newly formed Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, and the council adopted the work group's recommendation after debate about timing and transparency.
Mitchell said the city had received 126 applications as of the stated count and proposed that council members submit top candidates via SurveyMonkey (three per category) to produce a narrowed list of 27 applicants to be interviewed. "You will receive every resume and every application," Mitchell said, outlining key dates: special delivery of application packages Oct. 14, notification of the interview list Oct. 22, interviews Oct. 27–30 (30 minutes each), work-group recommendations Nov. 6, council nominations Nov. 10 and a final decision no later than Dec. 12 so appointments can be effective Jan. 1, 2026 per the MOU.
Several council members raised procedural and transparency questions. Councilmember Renee Johnson asked why interviews would begin Oct. 27, before the Nov. 4 election and referendum, and urged that eligibility criteria be publicized so the community understands how candidates will be evaluated. Interim city attorney and staff said the timeline reflects a memorandum of understanding and statutory deadlines; the committee said it will share evaluation criteria with council and the public after interviews to avoid encouraging applicants to tailor responses.
The council voted to adopt the work group's recommendation; the recorded vote in the transcript indicates eight in favor and three opposed (Councilmembers Victoria Watlington, Renee Johnson and Councilmember Brown registered opposition). The work group will deliver interview questions and a recommended interview-evaluation approach to the full council according to the schedule.
