I had the pleasure of having lunch Michael Ford today, AATA’s new CEO.  Mr. Ford met with myself and my advisory board as we completed our retreat.

My first impression: impressive.

Mr. Ford grew up in Seattle and went to school in Portland.  He helped make Portland what it is today in terms of great transit (including rail).  And as many of us in Ann Arbor like to compare ourselves to Portland, it’s great to have someone at AATA who comes from that area.

Mr. Ford was funny and well spoken.  He already seems to have a grasp of some of the key issues we face in this community (such as having both rural and urban components, issues with transit funding, and relations between the U and the area) and was very good at listening to what all of us had to say.

For all of you avid cyclists out there, you might also be interested to know that he’s biked the 200 some miles from Portland to Seattle.

I only got to meet with Mr. Ford for an hour, but I am excited about what he will bring to the AATA.  In the past couple of days he has managed to get the Northeast Connector Study approved by the AATA Board and is trying to figure out a better solution for the Arborland issue.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about Mr. Ford in the coming months.  It seems like he’s off to a good start.