Logan resigns as transportation boss
City officials, mayor shed no light on circumstances surrounding departure
Calgary’s city manager confirmed Monday transportation boss Mac Logan has resigned, though city staff and municipal politicians remain tight-lipped on the circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure.
“Mr. Logan and I reached a mutual decision that he resign,” city manager Jeff Fielding told council Monday morning.
“Beyond that, I can’t comment. It’s a personnel matter,” Fielding added.
Logan began working with the city in 1995 and was named the city’s general manager of transportation in March 2010.
In the weeks before his resignation, Logan was on leave from his job as transportation boss, where he oversaw projects including the multi-billion-dollar Green Line LRT.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi told reporters there was little he could say about Logan’s sudden exit.
“As you know, I cannot discuss human resources issues,” Nenshi said.
“In fact, I can just say that the city manager and Mac sat down and came to a mutual agreement that it was time for him to resign.”
City spokeswoman Vickie Megrath said the decision for Logan to resign was reached on Dec. 8.
Megrath said she didn’t know how long Logan was on leave before he quit, and she couldn’t reveal any details surrounding if the leave was paid, or what compensation, if any, came with Logan’s departure.
“The only thing I can say is the resignation did include confidentiality discussions, so we’re not at liberty to discuss the details,” Megrath said.
Fielding’s brief statement about Logan came following a query in question period from Ward 11 Coun. Jeromy Farkas during Monday’s council meeting.
“I have fielded a lot of questions from constituents regarding the absence of Mac Logan,” Farkas said.
“I was wondering if you could speak to the circumstances, the costs if any, as well as how important files like the Green Line will be handled in that transition?” he asked.
Fielding did not detail the circumstances surrounding Logan’s departure or speak about the costs.
He said Michael Thompson will take over the file as acting general manager of transportation.
“I trust he’ll do a more-thanadequate job,” Fielding said.
During a break in Monday’s meeting, Farkas said he posed the question because of the scope of the Green Line project and concerns he’s hearing from residents in the wake of Logan’s departure.
“This is the biggest project that we’re going to be undertaking in Calgary, maybe Alberta’s history,” Farkas said.
“A lot of people want to make sure that this, as well as other issues like the Southwest BRT are being handled. That’s why I inquired about where those projects are at.”
Following Fielding’s brief statement, Mayor Naheed Nenshi presented two awards to city staff — one from the Institute of Transportation Engineers in honour of the Step Forward Pedestrian Strategy, and a second from the Transportation Association of Canada for a ‘street lab party’ held last summer on 20th Avenue.
Ward 13 Coun. Diane ColleyUrquhart said Logan played a major role in the “extraordinary awards.”
“His leadership, and his team building, and his vision for this city has directly resulted in the city of Calgary receiving these awards,” she said at Monday’s meeting.
Nenshi told reporters Logan spearheaded “a lot of very big transportation projects in the city, but not just transportation projects — city building projects,” during his time with the City of Calgary.