Max for Cap Met Chief?

Could outgoing City Councilmember Max Nofziger become the next General Manager of Capital Metro? Nofziger says that he is definitely interested in the job, and that while he may lack the technical expertise of former General Manager Michael Bolton, he has qualifications for which transit professionals are not usually trained, like local political capital and a tough political hide. "Bolton was well regarded, but local politics cooked him in two years," says Nofziger. "He brought in excellent people to run the organization, so the operations side is in good hands. What we need to address head on at this point is community and public relations."

"This is a make or break time for Capital Metro," says Nofziger. "All the city council candidates featured attacks on Capital Metro in their TV ads. You have councilmembers trying to raid their funds for pet projects. You have Gerald Daugherty out stirring up a petition drive against them. It's going to be hard to find an outside transit expert to come into this boiling political pot and try to have much success. It's going to take someone who knows the community and who can deal with the politics."

As General Manager, Nofziger says his highest priority would be to begin construction of commuter rail. "We've been talking about it all these years, and it's time to get past the planning stage," he says. "The Capital Metro General Manager and board have to form a flying wedge and punch it through. We have to provide an alternative to the automobile to people who will leave their cars two or three days a week because of their concern over air quality and traffic congestion." Nofziger says he especially favors the proposed commuter line on MoPac, as well as a light rail line to the airport. He points out that the airport line would also serve the high density "apartment city" around East Riverside, and open up major tracts of land for development in Southeast Austin. "That's a proven concept," says Nofziger, "that where light rail goes, growth will follow. That's what I've been saying for years -- let's grow to the east and take the pressure off the watersheds to the west."

"I think the 1/4 cent sales tax should continue to be collected," adds Nofziger, "but Capital Metro needs to show people what we are getting for that tax increase. The public needs to see new services, and the biggest new service that we need is the rail system."

It will be up to Capital Metro's board of directors to choose a new General Manager, and the process is likely to take three to six months. Meanwhile, three of the seven board positions are up for reappointment this month in a highly charged political atmosphere which may see demands for board candidates to commit to rolling back Capital Metro's sales tax.

"If I were hired to head Capital Metro, some of the good will in the community that I've developed over 18 years of working in public policy matters would transfer to Capital Metro." says Nofziger, but he admits that the board would "have to have some guts" to select him, because he carries political baggage as well. "It would send a message that this isn't business as usual," he says. At the same time, Nofziger acknowledges the risk of damaging his own career by becoming the captain of a ship that some in the community would like to sink. "I think it's important enough to have mass transit succeed here that I'd be willing to try it," he says, "and if I go down with the ship, well, that's what would happen." -- N.E.