Two agenda items in the April 8, 2022, CEO Selection Committee Meeting prompted my attempts to view the video regarding CEO Rogoff’s replacement. The first was the following:
6. CEO Recruitment Summary and Process
The April 8th meeting followed a January 26th CEO Selection Committee meeting announcing plans to have CPS HR Consulting search for Rogoff’s replacement. The meeting included extensive presentations of “Stakeholder” requirements for his replacement. CPS responded with the following regarding their approach to the process:
CPS HR Consulting Draft- Stakeholder Summary Report
It was clear that we are asked to recruit a leader with the following talents:
Exceptional ability to listen and to conduct follow-up A passion to build and advance an anti-racism agenda Ability to convene and collaborate stakeholders Integrity-operate in the best interest of the public
Proposed “Ideal Candidate Profile" Statement
Authentic, Passionate, Collaborative, Committed
The CEO should have experience leading a complex organization, preferably with some level of public sector expertise. That leadership does not mean the candidate was previously in the top executive role in the past organizations but has developed and demonstrated the skills necessary to lead Soud Transit. Past experience in public transportation is helpful but is certainly not required.
Their “Aggressive Recruiting/Application Process” began on February 9th with “consultants follow up with targeted/qualified candidates”, and conversations with client on “best avenue to proceed”. The “consultants vetted candidate applications against minimum qualifications” and “provided weekly updates regarding recruitment activities.” CPS’s contract apparently ended when “Active Recruitment” stopped on March 16th.
The April 8th agenda was expected to report the search results. This blog had previously anticipated “Problems Replacing ST CEO Rogoff (1/22/22)”, asking “What If No One Wants ST CEO Job (2/01/22)”, and predicting, “Why No One Wants to Be ST CEO (2/27/22)”. It wasn’t that Rogoff should not have been fired, the lack of applicants demonstrated he should never have been hired.
The Northgate Link debut demonstrated his ridership claims for Sound Transit 3 “voter approved” Prop 1 and Beyond extensions prior to 2016 vote delusional. That using light rail to replace bus routes for riders rather than add parking for access reduces transit capacity into Seattle, limits access for current riders, and nothing to reduce freeway congestion.
Any competent transit system CEO replacement would recognize 4-car light rail trains don’t have the capacity needed to attract the ridership required to reduce congestion on multilane freeways. Reducing freeway congestion requires implementing BRT routes along a limited access lane with capacity to reduce traffic on remaining lanes. That doing so also requires providing access with parking near stations.
Again, I was looking forward to learning the Selection Committee’s response to the end of “Active Recruitment". The other April 9th meeting agenda item prompted interest:
9. Executive Session to discuss the qualifications of CEO applicants as authorized under RCW 42.30.110.(1)(g)
RCW 42.30,110.(1) included the following
(g) To evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. However, subject to RCW 42.30.140(4), discussion by a governing body of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the agency shall occur in a meeting open to the public, and when a governing body elects to take final action hiring, setting the salary of an individual employee or class of employees, or discharging or disciplining an employee, that action shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;
The RCW would seem to require any action regarding replacing Rogoff would be in a meeting open to the public. Yet the reason for firing Rogoff’s firing was anything but public. The September 24th Seattle Times headline “Sound Transit board ousting CEO” included a photo and caption:
Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff will be replaced in 2022 following more than six years of accomplishments with the agency
The article cited a "consultant report issued in August found management problems, including flaws in how the agency studied its soaring real estate costs and staff not knowing when to expose bad news". Yet the Sound Transit Board's Sept 23rd agenda authorized him to implement several items and made no mention of his "future status” His recommendations to the Board had all been unanimously approved.
Board Chair Keel praised Rogoff with, "all but one of Sound Transit's seven major construction projects are on time and below budget". Board member Claudia Balducci praised Rogoff for his "efforts to manage multiple projects across the region". Member Roger Millar, the state transportation secretary, claimed "Mr. Rogoff is going to be going out on a high note". Yet all three chose not to renew his contract.
Again, I looked forward to viewing the meeting but was “blocked by the host”. A later attempt revealed the committee was in “Executive Session” for 90 minutes. Sound Transit’s video archive of the meeting still consists of 5 days later, “Processing video. Please come back later.” Hardly an example of “meeting open to the public, yet okayed by, "surprise", Sound Transit's General Council.
”
The bottom line is Sound Transit clearly violated RCW 42.30.110.(1) (g) when they ousted CEO Rogoff; undoubtedly adding to the debacle of both his hiring and firing. And still no replacement in sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment