The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board will hold a closed-door meeting today to consider candidates to become the agency’s next CEO.
CEO Art Leahy announced in January that he will be stepping down April 5, when his contract with Metro ends.
It’s unclear if the board will choose a new CEO during today’s meeting. Metro spokesman Marc Littman said if a decision is made, it will be announced following the closed-door session, which begins at 9 a.m.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, who chairs the Metro board, is backing Phil Washington, head of the Denver Regional Transportation District, for the CEO post, the Los Angeles Times reported. Other finalists are Caltrans director Malcolm Dougherty and Steve Banta, who heads the transportation agency in Phoenix, according to the newspaper.
Leahy, 65, has been the CEO for six years. He grew up in Highland Park and began his career in the transportation industry as a Los Angeles bus driver in 1971. He rose through the ranks of various agencies and served a stint as Orange County Transportation Authority CEO. He also managed the transportation agency in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
During his tenure as Metro CEO, the agency introduced the Silver Line express bus service from El Monte to Artesia, the Orange Line extension to Chatsworth and a $1.2 billion upgrade of the Metro Blue Line.
Leahy also led the city through two so-called “Carmageddon” events, during which the San Diego (405) Freeway underwent weekend-long closures to accommodate work on roadway improvements and widening in the Sepulveda Pass.
Leahy earns about $325,500 a year as Metro CEO. Littman said the salary range for the CEO position is $326,788 to $470,537 per year, but the exact salary of the new CEO will be negotiated in contract talks.
