HRT to search for new leadership

By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 13, 2010

Hampton Roads Transit’s executive committee will meet twice over the next two weeks to start the work of selecting an interim leader and searching for a permanent one.

Michael Townes announced Monday that he will step down at the end of the month as HRT president and CEO and will retire from the agency in September after spiraling cost overruns on the light rail starter line in Norfolk.

Jim Wood, an HRT board member and Virginia Beach councilman, called for the executive committee to meet at 10 a.m. Jan. 20 at HRT’s Norfolk office and again at 11 a.m. Jan. 28 at the Hampton office.

The meeting notice says the purpose is to ” discuss process for selecting an interim CEO and for selecting a new CEO.”