Canally named sole finalist for ATP amidst confusion

Members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors have unanimously recommended that ATP interim Executive Director Greg Canally be presented to the community as the sole candidate for the permanent executive director job. Canally has served as interim director since Randy Clarke resigned last May to take a job in Washington, D.C.

ATP Board Chair Veronica Castro de Barrera released a statement about the selection on Tuesday, following Monday’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meeting. At that meeting, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion, who sits on the ATP board and is chair of CapMetro, told Capital Metro board members that ATP had selected Canally as the sole finalist for the job. He said it was a quick meeting and made no reference to voting on the matter.

In response to a question from Board Member Eric Stratton, Travillion said, “The decision was made to move forward with him as executive director.”

That came as a surprise to Stratton and other Capital Metro board members. Stratton complained that he had heard nothing about the decision or the process for reaching it. Although Stratton was disturbed that the Capital Metro board had not been informed, he stressed that he had nothing against Canally.

Board members Leslie Pool, Pio Renteria and Ann Kitchen – all of whom have worked with Canally when he served as budget director and deputy chief financial officer for the city – all said they were happy to hear about Canally’s selection. Pool said, “I’m surprised as well, but very pleased with Greg Canally as the lone finalist, but it would be good for us to be briefed.” She suggested that the board receive a memo outlining how ATP reached its decision.

João Paulo Connolly, who is part of the leadership of the Austin Justice Coalition, tweeted that he was “shocked” at the lack of a “transparent process,” in the selection of an executive to lead ATP. He tweeted, “Process matters. Transparency matters. I believe Greg Canally is an excellent candidate and well-suited for the role. But process builds trust, and the absence of process sends all the wrong messages.” Connolly has also been critical of the process for selecting Capital Metro’s new president and CEO, Dottie Watkins. That process included an executive search team and community meetings.

In her news release Tuesday, Castro de Barrera said, “The first step in this process occurred on Friday when the ATP Board evaluated the current interim executive director, Greg Canally, who was praised for his leadership competence after a review of outcomes in his short 7-month tenure. Consequently, in the spirit of maintaining stability in the organization’s leadership through the next several critical months of the Project Connect program development, the board unanimously recommended to the staff that Mr. Canally be brought forth to the community to be considered as the sole candidate. A formal vote has not been taken.”

She added, “As a board, we treasure and respect the community’s input in an appointment of this caliber and want to ensure the process and results are embraced by the board and community. We have provided guidance to staff to draft an open community process that allows this opportunity for dialogue, including involving community groups and stakeholders. The board will then consider outcomes from the community process before the final decision is made regarding an official appointment.”

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