Posted on 01/16/2022 12:07:31 PM PST by algore
Atlanta public transit CEO Jeffrey Parker committed suicide on Friday night after stepping in front of a train in the outskirts of the city.
Parker, 56, was struck at the East Lake station in Atlanta at 10.30pm, a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority official told DailyMail.com.
No motive for his suicide has been announced. He is survived by his wife Erin and his daughters.
MARTA Board of Directors Chairwoman Rita Scott described him as 'an outstanding leader and steward of MARTA whose passing leaves us all heartbroken.
'We are devastated at this loss as we valued Jeff's leadership and looked forward to him bringing his vision for transit to fruition. The entire metro Atlanta region owes him a debt of gratitude for his transformational efforts and we will not stop working to build on the foundation he created,' she added.
Parker was named general manager and CEO of the agency in March 2018. Since then, he has overseen transit expansion plans, helped negotiate a three percent annual raises for workers and led the agency through a Super Bowl and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Parker helped lead MARTA expansion plans, such as a bus rapid transit line in Clayton County, one of the counties that make up the Atlanta metro area, according to the AJC.
He requested funding for the $300 million project through the Federal Transit Administration's Small Starts Program.
In 2019, Parker called for a $100 billion 'moonshot for transit' investment, as the region's population was set to grow by 2.5 million people by 2040, the AJC reported.
The massive funding goal - which would have vastly shadowed a $2.7 billion, 40-year plan approved by Atlanta voters in 2016 - didn't go well with some lawmakers.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
lovers spat???
Turned out he was under investigation for embezzling nearly a half million dollars from the agency to pay for a double life.
Those poor guys will probably have nightmares about it for years.
Seriously, if someone is going to kill themselves, at least do others the favor of not having to witness it or involuntarily participate in it.
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