Oklahoma City names new assistant transit director

[Plutonic Panda]

Wonder if anything will come out of this.

By William Crum Modified: February 26, 2014 at 8:30 pm • Published: February 27, 2014
Oklahoma City Manager Jim Couch has named the assistant public transit director to the agency’s top spot.

Jason Ferbrache, 42, has been with the city since 2005. He began his career with the city as a budget analyst. He became deputy budget director in 2011 and was named assistant public transportation and parking director in 2013.

Ferbrache has a master’s degree in business administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

- Oklahoma City names new assistant transit director | News OK

[HangryHippo]

Forgive me if I'm less than enthusiastic about this hire, but how in the hell does a budget analyst that's only been in a transit/parking role for probably less than a year get named transit director?

[Plutonic Panda]

lol, I kind of thought about that.

[betts]

I wouldn't think an MBA from a school in Weatherford would put you on the path to greatness either. Not to mention, I doubt there's any transit in Weatherford that has more than 4 wheels or no wheels. They don't even have parking issues there, I bet.

[LakeEffect]

Jason is an incredibly sharp finance guy - he and I started at the City the same week back in 2005.

[HangryHippo]

Jason is an incredibly sharp finance guy - he and I started at the City the same week back in 2005.

But how does him being a sharp finance guy qualify him to run a transit agency? That being said, I do appreciate that he's good with finances as that is an important part of the job, but how sharp is he on transit?

[AP]

nm

[LakeEffect]

But how does him being a sharp finance guy qualify him to run a transit agency? That being said, I do appreciate that he's good with finances as that is an important part of the job, but how sharp is he on transit?

...

One thing that an observer indicated - OKC is a general fund/grant funded transit authority, and therefore doesn't have the coffers to offer higher salaries to a potential director, thereby not attracting talent from outside the area. Regional transit authorities in large metros can out-pay...

[betts]

If he's incredibly sharp, that's good. I just hope he's been educating himself on transit as well as parking. I hope he's lived in a city with great transit or at least traveled enough that he's experienced it. The business school in Weatherford took me aback. We want transit to be a big part of what COTPA is doing over the next several decades (or no part of COTPA) and I want a leader who sees that and knows where we should be.

[catcherinthewry]

I wouldn't think an MBA from a school in Weatherford would put you on the path to greatness either.

That's the same kind of small-minded thinking that the coasts have about us here in the fly-over states. Many great leaders and thinkers went to small state schools.