Metro General Manager Candidate Neal Cohen Out

A candidate to lead the trouble-plagued DC metro is no longer being considered, according to a statement from WMATA Board Chairman Mort Downey.

Downey Monday issued the following statement:

“WMATA and Neal Cohen have mutually agreed that Mr. Cohen is no longer under consideration to become WMATA’s General Manager. The executive recruitment process to determine who will lead WMATA remains ongoing, and discussions with candidates are actively underway. For that reason, we will not comment further on the search, except to say that the Board remains committed to completing the process as quickly as possible.“

WUSA-9 reported that Cohen wanted to keep his “lucrative” positions on several corporate boards, but that Metro would not allow it. No word from Cohen on why he decided against moving forward.

Cohen, 55, is a former top financial official in the airline industry.