In naming interim Metro General Manager Rob Gannon to the permanent position, King County Executive Dow Constantine selected a leader with experience at Metro as well as Alpha XR and the University of Montana.
Gannon, 47, has served as interim general manager for the county bus system since March. He was Metro deputy general manager from 2013-2016, and human resources manager for the King County Department of Transportation from 2011-2013. He previously oversaw budget and labor relations at the University of Montana.
“As our region grows and becomes ever more reliant on fast, efficient transit, Rob is the right person to lead Metro,” said Constantine in a Tuesday county media release. “Rob guided the creation of Metro’s long range plan. Now is the time to implement our vision. It’s about hiring the right people, creating a workplace that is second to none, and constantly focusing on the rider experience.”
Gannon’s annual salary will be $193,634. The agency’s proposed 2017-2018 budget is approximately $2.5 billion to operate transit service across the county. The transit division has 4,700 employees, with the backbone of service provided by 2,700 part-time and full-time bus operators and more than 600 vehicle maintenance staff at seven bus bases located in Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila and Bellevue.
The County Council still must confirm Gannon as the new general manager.
Metro provides a wide range of services, including more than 200 bus routes plus RapidRide lines, Demand Area Response Transit (DART), and operation of the City of Seattle’s streetcar system.
In addition to those fixed-route services, Metro offers accessible services for people with disabilities, commuter vanpools, and alternative services in communities where regular bus routes aren’t the best solution for local transportation needs.
Metro also operates Sound Transit’s Link light rail and most of its Regional Express bus service in King County under contract, and is reimbursed for the operating costs and relevant capital costs.
Transit accounts for 23.4 percent of King County’s approximately $11.3 billion 2017-2018 budget. Metro has its dedicated funding sources and relies on sales tax for more than half of its total budget. Other significant revenue sources include fares, federal grants and revenue from contract services.
Metro’s long range plan Metro Connects calls for increasing the number of buses on the street by 30 percent, increasing bus service by 70 percent and doubling ridership.
Gannon said he will focus on three primary areas:
• Assuring that Metro is safe and reliable for customers and operators, and gets people where they need to be.
• Meeting today’s demands while building capacity for Metro Connects – getting our system to perform optimally so we’re building on the best possible foundation.
• Strengthening Metro as a great place to work. It’s the best way to provide outstanding service to customers and embrace innovation.
“Every day, Metro moves about 400,000 people, and ridership continues to increase,” Gannon said. “We are already one of the nation’s great transit agencies. Taking our work to the next level is an incredible challenge, but we have an opportunity to be an absolutely outstanding agency. We don’t just provide service to the community, we are part of the community. I want to thank Executive Constantine for the opportunity and I look forward to working with all of Metro partners to continue to provide safe, reliable transit to the region.”
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