|
As a Citrus Connection bus driver put it after workers voted unionize, the agency's executive director Tom Phillips walked into a mess when he started six weeks ago.
Some of the $8 million agency's routes had just been cut. The previous director, Danny Ours, had been fired. Morale was low and the agency faced a union vote.
Phillips, 34, is trying to rebuild the agency and reach out to its 125 employees. So far, he has:
Met with employees every morning when he arrives at work.
Held weekly lunch chats with just a handful of workers.
Taken over the Polk Transit Authority in an attempt to create a unified county transit system.
Implemented a more transparent discipline and cell phone policy. Previously, employees weren't allowed to use cell phones on Lakeland Area Mass Transit grounds. Now, during breaks employees are allowed to use cell phones.
Addressed financial issues by not filling an executive assistant position after the previous employee left the agency.
Phillips says he plans to surround himself with experienced employees and said he's not afraid to say, "I don't know" or ask "what do you think?" to fellow employees.
He said the agency lacked communication before he arrived.
"I want to make sure communication is constant," Phillips said. "That challenge was not being met prior to my arrival."
Lakeland Area Mass Transit District Board Chair Don Selvage, a Lakeland city commissioner, said Phillips has a passion for public transportation that employees have recognized.
"He's a ball of fire," Selvage said. "He appears to me to be a true advocate of public transportation."
Selvage said the biggest challenge Phillips may face will be working with residents who are skeptical of public transportation.
For the full article, visit the Lakeland Ledger.
|