After a nine-month search, Cincinnati finally got its buck-stops-here, “one neck to choke,” streetcar czar.

But, it's not as simple as it might seem.

One, it’s an interim appointment. Travis Jeric will start on March 10. It’s unclear when he would either be hired permanently or cut loose from the role.

Two, it’s not evident that Jeric, who will make $105,000 a year as Interim Deputy Director of Streetcar Services, has any transit experience at all – much less streetcar-specific experience.

Jeric was not at the City Hall meeting on Tuesday when his appointment was announced, and he could not be reached for comment after.

He is an attorney and real estate agent, according to his LinkedIn page. And, he’s a senior assistant solicitor for the city law department, where he’s worked since 2016.

In an email announcing the appointment to council members, City Manager Patrick Duhaney said Jeric “has played a key role in effectively managing complex multi-faceted projects, including the improvements to Riverside Drive.”

No mention of transit.

“It’s a curious hire,” said Derek Bauman, a retired police officer and longtime streetcar supporter. “It’s a little curious to not hire a transit expert to run a transit system. … Moving over from the law department to run this major transportation project – I think it’s going to be challenging.”

In a statement Tuesday evening, a city spokesman said Jeric uses the streetcar "periodically" to get around, both during the week and on weekends.

In his position at the law department, Jeric has worked on several projects that involved transportation, according to the statement, including the Northside Transit Center, the I-75 widening and the MLK/I-71 interchange.

Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman has been pushing for a streetcar CEO since May, when he introduced a motion authorizing the city to make the hire. City council voted in favor 5-1.

But the hire kept getting delayed.

The initial job posting closed online on Aug. 26. The assumption was a CEO would be hired, and he or she would start in the fall.

The year came to a close, and there was no hire.

In January, Landsman announced the city would extend the search just a few weeks, with the new CEO expected to start later that month or in early February.

Then on Tuesday, with little advance warning and no fanfare, the appointment was announced. Since Jeric is technically an interim hire, though, it’s possible the city could re-open the position yet again.

"The streetcar needed a CEO, someone in charge," Landsman said. "It has that now, and Mr. Jeric will need to demonstrate he can be the big time leader that this project needs."

Landsman added that the CEO hire is not costing the city any additional money since the salary is coming from adjusting current overhead costs.

Assistant City Manager John Juech, who announced Jeric’s hire as part of a streetcar update to council on Tuesday, said he thinks it’s important for the streetcar’s new leader to be someone who has been with the city and understands what’s going on.

“In his city service thus far, Travis has already deftly handled some big projects and thorny issues," Juech told The Enquirer. "We have great confidence he will do the same in his new assignment.”

But not everyone was on board. Councilman Chris Seelbach said he doesn’t know Jeric personally, but he preferred a different candidate and is “disappointed in the decision” to hire Jeric.

“This is not just about pennies and contracts," Seelbach said, "but (it's also about): How can we make the streetcar a useful transportation tool?”

Seelbach, Landsman and Bauman all said they think the major question is whether Jeric, as CEO, will be empowered to make real changes with the streetcar. That could mean getting traffic signals changed to give the streetcar priority, updating the schedule to offer more night and weekend service and, ultimately, making the streetcar free.