What If No One Wants ST CEO Job?

The following three items in Sound Transit’s list of documents indicates they were finally getting serious about replacing CEO Rogoff: 

1-26-2022 CEO Selection Committee Meeting Agenda 

01-26-2022 CEO Selection Committee Member Written Public Documents 

CEO Recruitment Work Plan 01-26-2022 

The “finally” description refers to the fact that, while they announced their decision to replace Rogoff in September, they waited until the December 2 to hold the first CEO Selection Committee meeting. Their January 26th CEO Recruitment Work Plan announced their decision to hire CPS HR Consulting to find suitable candidates.  

The process began with a December 23rd “Kickoff” and December 30th meet to “review draft workplan”. January 3-21 was used to Conduct Stakeholder Sessions and Committee and Board member meetings. The January 26th meeting with CEO Selection Committee was to “finalize selection criteria”. The Selection Committee Meeting Agenda had included the following: 

1. CEO recruitment discussion 

• Stakeholder feedback report 

• Qualities, skills, abilities, and experiences to look for in a new CEO 

• Challenges and opportunities facing the new CEO 

• Major projects underway and on the horizon at Sound Transit 

  
  

It’s unclear what was included in final “Selection Committee’s Criteria”. For example, did it include "Transit Choices" requirements?:

Sound Transit should commit to hiring a new CEO with a strong background and experience in racial and social equity 

Sound Transit should commit to hiring a new CEO with a strong background and experience in multimodal access, affordable housing, and equitable TOD (Transit Oriented Development)  

January was also used to “Prepare Recruitment Materials with client submitting final revisions to recruitment brochure text and final approval of brochure on February 1st. “Active Recruitment” with “Advertising” will begin on February 7 with posting job openings in websites, publications, and various professional associations, and reaching out to potentially competitive candidates. 

The “Aggressive Recruiting/Application Process” will begin on February 9th when “consultants follow up with targeted/qualified candidates”, and conversations with client on “best avenue to proceed”. The “consultants will vet candidate applications against minimum qualifications” and “provide weekly updates regarding recruitment activities.” “Active Recruitment” will end on March 16th.  

There is something prophetic about it ending one day after Shakespear’s warning, “Beware the Ides of March.”  What will Sound Transit do if no one applies? Again, there’s been no public release of the final “selection criteria” or the recruiting brochure, so it’s unclear what Sound Transit expects from the new CEO. It’s not clear why the Board decided to replace Rogoff. It’s not that he should not have been fired, but problems replacing him imply he should have never been hired in the first place.  

Rogoff may have been able to effectively expand the area’s light rail system. However, his 2019 budgets claim for 160 million Link riders in 2041 showed he didn’t recognize DSTT limits on light rail capacity. That budget's refusal to increase bus ridership indicated he never understood the benefits of increased bus capacity or the need to provide access to either light rail or bus routes. He recently demonstrated even more incompetence by implementing plans to spend $300 million for a new stop on I-405 rather than spending a fraction of that adding access to existing stations. 

The “warning” also applies to the Sound Transit Board. The lack of applicants should demonstrate those with the competence needed to construct public transit systems will recognize light rail routed through the DSTT doesn't have the capacity needed to reduce congestion. They may be reluctant to work with a Sound Transit Board of elected officials who don't understand what constitutes effective public transit. 

A competent transit board would have never expanded light rail routed through DSTT beyond UW, across I-90 Bridge, or beyond SeaTac. Those funds should have been used for Ballard to West Seattle extension and added parking or local bus routes for access along I-5 and I-90. Instead they're only the precursor to spending countless billions more on the biggest transportation boondoggle in history.

The bottom line is it’s unclear whether Sound Transit will find a new CEO. If not, will they recognize no one wants to work for an incompetent board bent on continuing this debacle. It’s ironic that Sound Transit’s decision to fire Rogoff and failure to find a new CEO could expose this decade of incompetence. Something this blog’s been attempting and Seattle Times Traffic Lab assiduously refusing to do.