[URBAN NOTE] Gary Webster has been fired

[rfmcdonald]

Well, they did it.

Over on Facebook. blogTO reported this news on Facebook by pointing out that the Toronto Transit Commission board is responsible to City Council, the members indeed serving at the discretion of the city council that just voted by a majority in favour of the light rail plan that got Webster fired.

TTC chief general manager Gary Webster has been relieved of his duties, following a vote during a special meeting of transit commissioners Tuesday.

In a motion describing termination "without just cause," the transit commission voted 5-4 to fire Webster, who has worked at the service for 35 years, just two weeks after he expressed open defiance to a subway plan championed by Mayor Rob Ford. His ouster comes a year before he was set to retire.

"This was not how I expected this to end — certainly not how I wanted it to end," Webster told reporters shortly after his termination. "But clearly the choice has been made to replace me as chief general manager and I accept that."

TTC chair Karen Stintz, a vocal supporter of Webster's, thanked the outgoing senior manager for his years with the commission.

"Coming into the meeting, I had questions of 'why now' and 'what next,'" she said. "And the 'what next' is we now need to do a search; the 'why now' is not answered."

The TTC's current chief operating officer, Andy Byford, will take over Webster's day-to-day duties until a permanent replacement is found.

Tuesday's vote came after an hours-long in-camera meeting at Toronto City Hall and was followed by impassioned pleas from several councillors to save Webster's job.

Calling Webster a "consummate professional," Coun. Maria Augimeri's voice broke with emotion as she faced the commission members who wanted to dump the TTC veteran.

"You're kicking success out the door. You're throwing away success with both hands. What are you thinking?" she said, moments before the vote came down.

At one point, Augimeri raised her voice to a yell, accusing those loyal to Ford of "abuse of power" for getting rid of a dissenting voice.

[. . .]

Stintz had said earlier Tuesday her fellow transit commissioners should think twice about dumping Webster, who she said guided the TTC through a difficult period and is set to retire next year.

She estimated getting rid of Webster will cost taxpayers at least $500,000 in severance “because there is no cause” to do so.