TransLink’s soon-to-be boss has a West Coast connection.
The Metro Vancouver transit agency has hired Kevin Desmond, general manager of King County Metro Transit, as its new permanent CEO.
Desmond’s first day on the job is March 21, TransLink announced Wednesday (February 10).
King County Metro is headquartered in Seattle and serves about 400,000 riders on an average weekday, according to data released last year by the transit authority.
King County Metro does not have a rapid transit system as expansive as TransLink’s SkyTrain.
But the transit authority operates a light rail system running between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport, a small monorail line running between two stops in downtown Seattle, as well as a streetcar service.
Prior to his move to Washington state in 1996, Desmond served as chief of operations planning for New York City Transit.
At TransLink, Desmond will take home an annual salary of $365,000 — or $1,000 a day — and will get a monthly housing allowance of $1,500.
TransLink’s board of directors ousted former CEO Ian Jarvis in February 2015 about a month before voting began for the region’s controversial transportation plebiscite.
The board of directors said Jarvis was cut loose to restore public confidence.
This came in the wake of two lengthy SkyTrain breakdowns the previous summer as well as problems with the rollout of its Compass card program.
During the past year, the interim CEO job was held first by Doug Allen and then by Cathy McLay.
As King County Metro’s general manager, Desmond oversaw three Yes votes on transit funding and presided over the rollout of the ORCA card, similar to the Compass card.
-With a file from Jen St. Denis
@reporton
