A MARTA board member says he intends to resign this week when he files to run for the Atlanta City Council.
Thomas Worthy made the announcement Thursday during what will be his last board meeting. Worthy, who has served on the board for almost a decade, said stepping down while he’s actively campaigning is “in the best interests of the authority and this board.
“The nine years on this board has been a really, really meaningful experience to me and has made me a true believer in the authority and the role of public transit as we move our region forward,” Worthy said.
Worthy’s announcement comes a few days after an ethics complaint was filed with MARTA over campaign contributions he accepted from an executive at an engineering consulting firm that has contracts with MARTA. The complaint also flagged a contribution he accepted from the spouse of an executive at the same firm, HNTB.
MARTA’s ethics code limits gifts from vendors to $75.
There has been no finding of wrongdoing in response to the ethics complaint. But in an email to the person who filed it, Worthy wrote that he took steps to return both contributions totaling $2,150. The email was shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The HNTB-affiliated donations represent a small portion of Worthy’s total fundraising, according to his campaign finance reports. He disclosed $70,050 in total contributions.
HNTB has consulted for MARTA on numerous projects, including the architectural and design work for the South DeKalb Transit Hub. Since 2018, MARTA has paid HNTB at least $72.7 million in fees, according to reports filed with the state.
Worthy, an executive at Piedmont Healthcare, was originally appointed to MARTA’s board in 2016 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal. He was reappointed by Gov. Brian Kemp. The governor has one appointment on the 13-member board, in addition to two state officials who sit on the board in a nonvoting, ex officio capacity.
Worthy’s term expired last December, but Kemp has not appointed a successor. MARTA’s governing legislation says that members shall serve until a successor is appointed.
Worthy told the board he intends to submit his resignation this week, which is when he will formally file to run for the Atlanta City Council District 7 seat. Worthy is seeking to replace longtime Council member Howard Shook, who is not seeking a seventh term.
A Kemp spokesperson said the governor intends to appoint a successor quickly, in a “swift, but thorough process,” once Worthy tenders his resignation.
Worthy is one of the longer-serving members on MARTA’s board, and was its chairman during 2022. More recently, he’s been leading an ad hoc committee studying new potential revenue streams for MARTA, which largely relies on a sales tax for funding operations.
He is stepping down from the board during a time of change at the transit agency. Its general manager and CEO, Collie Greenwood, retired citing immigration and personal issues last month. Also on Thursday, the board named its attorney, Jonathan Hunt, to serve as the interim chief until a permanent replacement can be hired.
Hunt will be advised by a committee of up to seven people appointed by the board.
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