Sound Transit selects new CEO without disclosing nominee’s ID
Jun 3, 2022, 9:05 AM
(Flickr Creative Commons)
(Flickr Creative Commons)
The next leader of Sound Transit is …”Candidate A”.
That’s all the Sound Transit directors will tell the public right now – after deciding on a replacement for Peter Rogoff, whose 6-year term ended on Tuesday.
Departing Sound Transit CEO looks back on stewardship of nation’s largest transit expansion
The selection committee has voted to recommend the candidate from a list of three finalists, a spokesperson with the agency confirmed with MyNorthwest.
“I find it unusual that we wouldn’t know who the candidates are before they’ve given us their first choice,” Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio transportation reporter, said.
“It goes against the transparency from Sound Transit that we’ve come to expect. They should be more open about this, especially since the CEO will be in charge of a $3 billion agency.”
90 people applied for the job – and of that, 14 were determined to be highly qualified.
Sullivan noted that there are some relevant privacy concerns that Sound Transit must take into consideration. For example, it might be difficult for the transit agency to field applicants if their current employers know they’re seeking employment elsewhere.
The court of public opinion is also a relevant consideration, where political pressure might outweigh Sound Transit’s judgment of a candidate’s ability to perform the job were the names of the candidates disclosed ahead of time.
The name of “Candidate A” will not be disclosed until just before the board takes a final vote on June 23rd.
Sound Transit’s next CEO will be immediately tasked with coordinating the expansion of light rail into West Seattle, Ballard, Bellevue, and Lynnwood. The West Seattle/Ballard Link extension recently concluded its public comment period, after which Sound Transit’s draft Environmental Impact statement will be subject to revision. The East Link into Bellevue and Redmond is scheduled to open in 2023; the Lynnwood Link extension in 2024.
Editor’s note: This article reflects the analysis and commentary of MyNorthwest.
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