by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Almost one year to the day after taking over as executive director of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Derek Morse resigned suddenly Monday morning.
At an emergency meeting of the JTA Board of Directors, chair person Cynthia Austin announced that Morse was resigning due to personal reasons and would be returning to Reno, Nev. He was immediately — and permanently — replaced by Deputy Executive Director/Director of Mass Transit Mike Blaylock.
In a prepared statement, Austin said Morse — who started April 1, 2001 — was returning to Reno to lead transportation initiatives for the Regional Transportation Commission. He also plans to begin a private consulting practice.
“This is an opportunity for Derek to pursue a goal he has had for a number of years, and with deep regret and best wishes the board accepts his resignation,” said Austin.
Morse’s appointment came after a nationwide search to find a replacement for former executive director Miles Francis. The search and appointment of Morse drew plenty of criticism locally, especially from African-American leaders who questioned why an outsider was needed for the job when Blaylock was already the second-in-command and had 19 years of experience with JTA.
The Board’s vote, 4-3 in favor of Morse, also reflected the amount of debate surrounding the appointment. Austin was joined by Aage Schroder and Donna Harper-Gibbs in support of Blaylock while John Peyton, Charles Sawyer, Russell Healey and Marcia Howard voted in favor of Morse.
“The truth is, both of them are uniquely qualified and brought a lot to the table,” said Peyton. “They have a really close friendship, one that has worked well to prepare Mike for the job.”
Blaylock expressed no disappointment in not getting the job initially and said he actually benefited from the tutelage of Morse, whose engineering background allowed Blaylock to further understand another aspect of mass transit.
“I pursued and wanted the job, but we are better off today than a year ago,” said Blaylock. “I think my work with him [Morse] has prepared me better and we can continue what we started together.”
Peyton, an unannounced candidate for mayor, denied the Morse resignation could potentially embarrass the board. Like Blaylock, Peyton said the JTA has enjoyed tremendous success in the last year and doesn’t believe that Morse’s decision will open the door for last year’s naysayers to say ‘I told you so.’
Peyton said the personal and professional relationship between Morse and Blaylock will help JTA as it continues to implement its aspects of the Better Jacksonville Plan. While the Plan’s four major vertical projects usually garner the headlines, there is also $1.5 billion worth of road and infrastructure work in the Plan, of which JTA is a major component.
“Derek brought a real strong engineering background to the job. I felt that was important for the implementation of the Better Jacksonville Plan,” said Peyton. “The agency has really transformed in one year. We are in a different place than we were a year ago. I’m disappointed that Derek didn’t stay with the job, but I have complete confidence that Mike can keep us on track.”
Although a contract and its terms were not announced, Peyton said he would support a multi-year deal for Blaylock.
“I would like to see speedy negotiations over the next few days and a three-year contract is my preference,” said Peyton, with the rest of the board agreeing.
With Blaylock moving up, there is now a need to fill his position. Blaylock said he had several capable candidates in mind, but will take a week or two to select someone who will almost certainly come from within JTA.
“I’m going to discuss it with the board over the next couple of weeks,” said Blaylock.