D’Agostino leaves large shoes to fill for FirstNet

Yesterday’s news of D’Agostino’s resignation was a surprise to almost everyone I spoke with. Many have predicted—and continue to predict—that at least one key member of the FirstNet board will step down for a variety of reasons, but most did not anticipate that D’Agostino would resign.

While the FirstNet press release indicated that D’Agostino left because of “personal and family reasons,” the fact is that explanation often is used to mask other issues. If other organizational issues do exist that contributed to D’Agostino’s resignation, it is important that FirstNet’s board is upfront with finalist candidates about those realities.

Candidates deserve to know exactly what the job of FirstNet general manager entails, and FirstNet does not want to be in the position of having to look for another general manager next year. Under the best of circumstances, the task of deploying and maintaining a nationwide broadband network for public safety is very challenging. The last thing that is needed is a revolving door of leadership for a project that is so critical to the safety of first responders and the people they serve.