Skip to Content
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Log In
Muni

MTA Chief Operating Officer Ken McDonald Resigns

1:02 PM PDT on August 4, 2009

Ken_McDonald.jpgKen McDonald, in the middle with his hands resting on the rail, at the scene of last night's streetcar crash. Photo by Bryan Goebel.

We heard rumblings from sources in the days following the West Portal Muni crash that Ken McDonald, Muni's Chief Operating Officer, had been reassigned by MTA Chief Nat Ford. The agency never confirmed the rumor but this just in: McDonald has submitted his resignation with "mixed emotions." Read his resignation letter here (PDF). His last day at the agency will be October 9th.

In the letter, McDonald makes it a point to list his successes, stressing that in his three-year tenure Muni collisions decreased 28 percent while derailments fell by 48 percent.

"I truly believe those successes outweigh the challenges and from an operational vantage point the agency is in better position than it was three years ago," he wrote.

Meantime, safety issues are expected to dominate this afternoon's MTA Board meeting, especially in light of yesterday's streetcar crash. We'll be tweeting from the meeting.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Guest Commentary: Traffic Engineers Must Put Safety Over Driver Throughput

No other field would tolerate this level of death and destruction. The tragedy of West Portal is more evidence that the traffic engineering profession is fundamentally broken

March 27, 2024
See all posts