Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has appointed a former MARTA assistant general manager to lead the city’s Department of Transportation in an interim capacity.
Marsha Anderson Bomar’s first day as interim transportation commissioner was Tuesday. She takes over for Josh Rowan, the first leader of the department, who announced his resignation in May and left City Hall about two weeks ago.
Anderson Bomar most recently served as MARTA’s assistant general manager for capital program delivery. She briefly addressed the City Council’s transportation committee Wednesday morning, saying she hopes her experience in project delivery will serve the city well, and could accelerate much-needed transportation improvements across the city.
Given the urgency of transportation issues and the amount of infrastructure funds at the department’s disposal, Dickens said, he didn’t want the position to be vacant for long.
“We wanted to start right away with an interim commissioner to do all these projects that we have,” Dickens told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “I didn’t want any delays and I wanted to go and get someone who knew how to deliver on projects.”
Anderson Bomar has also served as executive director of the Gateway85 Community Improvement District, and was a City Council member in Duluth for four terms.
The department, known as ATLDOT, handles pothole repairs, road repaving and redesigns and a host of other transportation-related issues.
Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed Rowan in late 2019 to lead the transportation department, which had been officially created a few months earlier, after Dickens proposed the idea as a councilman.
A search is ongoing for a permanent transportation commissioner.
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