Just one day after the State Legislature bailed out the MTA, its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Sander decided to bail on the agency. Governor David Paterson accepted Sander’s resignation on Thursday, May 7.
Sander offered his resignation to Paterson earlier this year in anticipation of yesterday’s passage of legislation that joins the Chair and CEO positions at the MTA. Currently, Dale Hemmerdinger is the Chair of the agency.
“It has been a great honor to lead the 70,000 hard-working men and women who run the world’s greatest public transportation system,” Sander set. “I am tremendously proud of our accomplishments making the MTA a leaner, more efficient and effective organization.”
Sander’s resignation is effective May 22, 2009, ending a tenure that began January 1, 2007.
According to his biography on the MTA web site, Sander has more than 30 years of experience in the public, private, and academic sectors, where he has specialized in organizational "turn-arounds," managing large capital projects and programs, and developing and implementing progressive transportation policy.
At the MTA, he has focused on improving overall performance by focusing on customer service, workforce development and institutional transformation while dealing with large budgetary shortfalls. His initiatives have received significant praise from elected officials, transportation advocates and the media.
“Each of the MTA’s agencies is performing at peak levels, the relationship with our employees is dramatically improved and we communicate more frequently with our customers,” Sander said. “The integration of the MTA’s three bus companies, the merging of back office functions across seven agencies and the introduction of line general managers on the subway system will save the MTA millions and improve the agency’s performance.”
Sander thanked Governor Paterson and former Governor Eliot Spitzer for giving him the opportunity and wished Paterson luck in choosing a successor.
