BART General Manager Could Be On Her Way Out
OAKLAND (KCBS) - Behind closed door negotiations are underway that will likely lead to the exit of BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger.
BART directors voted 5-to-4 earlier this year to ask Dugger to resign, but the closed session vote was voided because it happened without proper notice.
But KCBS and San Francisco Chronicle Insider Phil Matier reports in Sunday's Matier and Ross column that negotiations are underway that could lead to Dugger leaving the agency with a severance package that may approach seven figures.
BART Director Lynette Sweet, who wants Dugger to stay, tells KCBS that some of her colleagues want the embattled GM out for personal reasons.
"The rationale that these directors were given run the gamut from, she didn't return my phone call to the way she talks to me," said Sweet.
Sweet said Dugger's leadership has paid off for BART.
"BART is probably the only agency in the country with a budget surplus, a transit agency with a budget surplus. That's unheard of," she said.
Dugger's critics have raised concerns about BART facilities, including dirty train cars and malfunctioning equipment.
The next BART board meeting is scheduled for April 14, but Sweet said a special meeting will probably be called before then to resolve the situation.
(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
