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riders easily identify them as means to reach the beaches. The county's two new routes are serving Siesta Key and University Parkway. "Both … are under way," Carson pointed out. The transit system will be using Twitter and Facebook as part of the effort to "engage rid- ers," she added. "We want the community to know that we are steadfast in our commitment to customer service and providing quality public transpor- tation for our citizens as we move forward with the new SCAT routes and services," Carson said. "The goal and mission remain the same." SCAT has also been facing the possibility of more significant changes. The evaluation of the system released ear- lier this month marks the first step toward a County Commission decision on whether pri- vatization or merging SCAT with another bus system would save money. The commission- ers will discuss the findings during their Aug. 20 budget workshop. Carson emphasized Carter's termination this week "has no connection" to that evaluation of SCAT or talk of consolidation or privatization. ABOVE AVERAGE In her November 2013 job evaluation, Carter received an overall performance rating of 4 out of 5. (See the accompanying link.) Assistant County Administrator Cunningham wrote, "Glama is a very hard-working, dedicated and capable director who is task-oriented and focuses on getting the job done in an efficient and effective manner." During the review period, which covered Nov. 1, 2012 to Nov. 1, 2013, Carter's achievements included helping negotiate a union employee contract after eight years at an impasse; re-as- sessing driver training; hiring 34 new drivers; and operating SCAT under challenges while staying within budget. She oversaw the addi- tion of a new express route and reorganized the customer service phone network. Carter was slated to be reviewed again in November of this year. YET ANOTHER CHANGE Public transportation advocate Thomas believes that because former County Administrator Reid hired Carter, her standing with new County Administrator Harmer was less favorable. "She was appointed by the for- mer administrator, so that kind of explains it right there," Thomas said. "How many times do we have to go through this?" In March, Harmer began reshuffling the county's organizational plan, resulting in two managers losing their jobs: Ethics and Compliance Officer Steve Uebelacker and Natural Resources Department Director Amy Meese. The county will likely seek a replacement for Carter soon. Patterson said it is important to fill the SCAT position before November, when Lewis, the interim director, might be needed to help with legislative matters. Patterson added that she thinks other com- petent staffers will help to make sure there are no interruptions in bus service, in the meantime. % Sarasota News Leader July 18, 2014 Page 14