{"id":34662,"date":"2012-11-12T08:30:36","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T13:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=34662"},"modified":"2012-11-11T23:16:08","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T04:16:08","slug":"lorinc-does-andy-byford-have-buyers-regret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2012\/11\/12\/lorinc-does-andy-byford-have-buyers-regret\/","title":{"rendered":"LORINC: Does Andy Byford have buyer’s regret?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One can only imagine the thoughts that must have chugged through Andy Byford\u2019s mind last week when he found himself forced to inform the mayor\u2019s office that his cell phone was not for incoming personal calls from Mr. Subway3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The precise chronology of the shelter bus incident at the Don Bosco football game remains somewhat murky, even though the police gamely threw themselves on this ticking hand grenade. But no one disputes that Rob Ford left a message for Byford in the midst of the alleged tumult, wondering why his bus was late.<\/p>\n

As he briskly laid down the rules of engagement for the chief magistrate, did Byford quietly say to himself, \u201cI threw away a big league career atop Sydney\u2019s massive RailCorp to join this gong show?\u201d<\/p>\n

I have no special insight into Byford\u2019s frame of mind, and for the record, he\u2019s offered absolutely no hint of dissatisfaction. But the question is hard to ignore. After all, RailCorp is an AUS$3.5 billion operation with 15,000 employees and almost 300 million riders annually. And Byford, who spent two years down under as chief operating officer, earned AUS$422,850 a year, according to the agency\u2019s 2010-2011 annual report<\/a>. (The Australian dollar and the loonie were almost at par at the time.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

His salary as TTC CEO, by contrast, is $303,885 (frozen until next year), so one can see the quantum of the financial sacrifice involved \u2013 a 28% pay cut to come to a city where the mayor treats him like a saviour one day and a servant the next.<\/p>\n

This is not to suggest that Byford, who earned his stripes in the British rail system and then with the London Underground, is motivated by money. I\u2019ve been impressed with his sang froid<\/em> during the Union Station flood, his seriousness as an operator and his obvious dedication to bolstering the TTC\u2019s customer service performance. He\u2019s clearly a transit guy with world-class credentials.<\/p>\n

But for those very reasons, I wouldn\u2019t be the least bit surprised if he jumped on the first train out of here (his contract, according to TTC spokesperson Brad Ross, is indefinite). And who could blame him? He\u2019s a guy who can write his own ticket, and likely joined the TTC for the same reason that star athletes accept trades to struggling teams: they want to see if they have the jam to turn things around.<\/p>\n

Byford, of course, isn\u2019t worried that his bloodied scalp will be left in the civic square as a warning. He\u2019s got the Commission\u2019s support. Ford, morever, is sufficiently invested in Byford as the anti-Webster that he won\u2019t push for change any time soon.<\/p>\n

But for talented mandarins, working under the big top at City Hall is not only a bracing experience; it has become an occasion for soul searching, for wondering if there are other, more sane places to serve the public.<\/p>\n

In some cases, there\u2019s no way to assess the damage inflicted on the civil service by the Ford administration because the narrative is all about opportunity cost — the talented prospects who opt not to apply for high profile positions.<\/p>\n

In others, as we\u2019ve seen right from the start of Ford\u2019s term, bureaucrats with a strong reputation, ambition and a sense of their own independence have either quit or sought jobs elsewhere, if for no other reason than to avoid the atmosphere of bullying, fear and unprofessionalism.<\/p>\n

The TTC is another story altogether. The revolving door to the corner office has been spinning for years due to the culture of friction and meddling that describes the relationship between the Commission and senior management.<\/p>\n

This issue goes back to the late 1990s, when Howard Moscoe hounded David Gunn, one of North America\u2019s top transit bosses, out of the chief general manager\u2019s job because he couldn\u2019t stand sharing the limelight. Then, in 2006, Rick Ducharme, another highly capable executive, resigned in disgust because he wasn\u2019t allowed to do his job. And last year, of course, the Fordites on the Commission ousted Webster for daring to suggest the TTC couldn\u2019t afford the mayor\u2019s choo-choo trains.<\/p>\n

A guy like Byford, I\u2019m guessing, is less concerned about backstabbing than he is about ambient stupidity, chronic indecision and the political uncertainty looming on the horizon. If he\u2019s still in office, the mayor\u2019s going to run for re-election in 2014 on a pledge to build subways out of fairy dust and the proceeds of 50-50 draws. Tim Hudak, who will be premier by this time next year, is promising to gut the TTC by uploading the rails to Metrolinx and possibly nixing the LRT lines, the master agreement to which was finally approved this month.<\/p>\n

A well-traveled outsider like Byford \u2013 who has lots of experience in stable transit organizations, and thus a clearer perspective on our civic dysfunction — could be forgiven for surveying this barren landscape and then looking for the exit.<\/p>\n

photo by Danielle Scott<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  One can only imagine the thoughts that must have chugged through Andy Byford\u2019s mind last week when he found himself forced to inform the mayor\u2019s office that his cell phone was not for incoming personal calls from Mr. Subway3. The precise chronology of the shelter bus incident at the Don Bosco football game remainsContinue reading “LORINC: Does Andy Byford have buyer’s regret?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[19401,6376,21448,865,984,2450,3483,18363,10992,1387,16543,330,426,21449,1154,22085,21450,1734,227,3004,594,8893,889,391],"class_list":["post-34662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transit","tag-andy-byford","tag-brad-ross","tag-capable-executive","tag-cellular-telephone","tag-ceo","tag-chief-general-manager","tag-chief-magistrate","tag-chief-operating-officer","tag-danielle-scott","tag-david-gunn","tag-ford-administration","tag-howard-moscoe","tag-mayor","tag-mr-subway","tag-north-america","tag-politics","tag-railcorp","tag-rick-ducharme","tag-rob-ford","tag-spokesperson","tag-sydney","tag-tim-hudak","tag-ttc","tag-usd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLORINC: Does Andy Byford have buyer's regret? - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2012\/11\/12\/lorinc-does-andy-byford-have-buyers-regret\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LORINC: Does Andy Byford have buyer's regret? - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  One can only imagine the thoughts that must have chugged through Andy Byford\u2019s mind last week when he found himself forced to inform the mayor\u2019s office that his cell phone was not for incoming personal calls from Mr. Subway3. 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