Why not just hire a mayor or councillor as next TransLink CEO?
The TransLink board is seeking a new CEO who will be paid $319,244 per year with a $14,400 annual transportation allowance and other perks, including a relocation allowance if necessary.
In addition, the job posting says the lucky applicant will also be eligible for a 30 percent performance bonus.
That's going to add up to at least $500,000 in the first year if the person is brought in from somewhere else.
What does the job entail?
"As CEO, you will be the chief spokesperson, relationship developer and strategist for the organization," the ad states. "Working closely with partners in the three levels of government, the public/private sector and the general public, you will articulate and promote the vision of a transportation future where people and goods move in a way that promotes a healthy economy, environment and quality of life for generations to come."
The interim CEO, Doug Allan, failed to persuade a majority of the public to support transportation investments during the last plebiscite.
The next CEO has to work closely with three levels of government. According to the job posting, he or she will "articulate and promote the vision of a transportation future where people and goods move in a way that promotes a healthy economy, environment and quality of life for generations to come".
"Internally, the new CEO will provide engaged leadership to the teams in operations, finance, project management, procurement, planning, public affairs, real estate development and environmental stewardship," the posting continues. "The CEO will ensure TransLink has the human resource and IT capabilities to excel both now and in the long term. Externally, the CEO must be an ambassador of a progressive model of urban mobility, community dialogue and corporate citizenship."
Most of those tasks are already being performed by local mayors across the region at a fraction of the price of the next CEO.
Why not scrap the vehicle allowance, cut the next CEO's pay to $250,000 per year, eliminate the moving expenses, and see who applies?
My bet is there's no shortage of current and former mayors and local councillors (Darrell Mussatto? Greg Moore? Heather Deal? Judy Villeneuve? Jonathan Cote?) who would do a better job than previous CEOs at a far lower cost. (Of course, they would have to quit their political positions because being CEO of TransLink is a full-time job.)
However, they won't get the chance. That's because TransLink's posting says a bachelor's degree in business or engineering is preferred.
This has tilted the deck toward hiring someone like Jerry Dobrovolny, who's Vancouver's director of transportation. He has a degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in business administration. He's also a former New Wesminster city councillor, which helped hone his political skills.
But the next CEO of TransLink needs to be far more than an engineering or business grad.
He or she also has to be able to inspire the public to embrace the importance of transit in our everyday lives. Students of history, for example, might be better equipped to do that than another suit from one of the country's MBA factories.
And why not emphasize expertise in planning? After all, TransLink is supposed to be all about integrating land-use planning with transportation planning. And the organization has already dumped two senior transportation planners, so it could certainly use more strength in this area.
In the end, this posting for a new CEO is probably more about finding the right person to finance and oversee the development of a Broadway subway and light rail in Surrey than anything else. If that's the case, the board (with input from the premier's office and some mayors) may already have a candidate in mind. Hence the emphasis on a business or engineering degree.
Comments
13 Comments
Dan Garson
Jul 25, 2015 at 12:48pm
Hmm, I cannot see a sitting Mayor, or even a Counciller having the time to both jobs, too much travel is the problem, even if the actual work done by most Mayors, nevermind Councillers, is minimal beyond golfing with Developers.
ROFL to this though:
"Students of history, for example, might be better equipped to do that than another suit from one of the country's MBA factories."......That idea cannot be shared enough.
But really, the organization is being run into the ground fr some sort of privitization. I have a standing bet Mr Pattison is in deep, why else would an Octogenerian salesmen be involved?
The best thing for Translink to do isn't to get better leadership, its to expel cities that make no logistical sense to be included. Nothing East of the Pitt River belongs for certain; if they want to keep the West Coast Express, great, coordinate it with the Translink and the rail authorities but it makes little sense for it to be a TransLink project. The Evergreen line is a waste of money and it is looking more and more problematic every time a Sink hole opens in Port Moody, can it even be finished? Why is it even being built? Beyond some social/drug dealer and retiree housing in Port Moody and empty foreign investor condos in Coquitlam, its all single family homes.
South of the Fraser doesn't belong either, The SkyTrain to Surrey is just an easy way for the undesirables to cross the River, and has always been that way rather than a system used by commuters but its too late to not build it and all that can be done is have only a fraction of the current trains go there.
The Canada line was even dumber to build than the Surrey train, but it is even more developed so Richmond wil have to stay in, it has more links with the Vancouver area but no one else.
Charlie Smith
Jul 25, 2015 at 1:22pm
I was actually suggesting that one of these politicians quit their job to become CEO of TransLink.
James Blatchford
Jul 25, 2015 at 1:52pm
Dan Garson - maybe it's a moat you're looking for?
BTW - sinkholes are common with projects like this...the Chunnel had leaks too. Oh, sorry, you're not too interested in facts.
still disgusted
Jul 26, 2015 at 12:01am
Sadly, I think you're spitting into the wind. You could come up with 400 ways to run buses and trains efficiently, and the Translink board of directors will not ever, ever, ever change the way they do things. Regardless of who the next CEO is, it's going to be the same old same old.
Still disgusted and forgot to say
Jul 26, 2015 at 12:22am
I don't need to be inspired to embrace the importance of transit in my everyday life. What I need is a transit system that understands it's priority is moving people.
Completely besides the point, but since Translink began there's been a terribly bad attitude toward the population in general. I think it's just a deeply ingrained culture of that company. At one time the only advertisers they pursued were debt counselors and criminal pardon brokers. Then they decided that instead of customer service employees they needed a police department of their very own, because -of course- only impoverished criminals ride the bus. Then they wanted guns. And all the time the spending problems were piling up. They were wasting money and giving us attitude while they insulated themselves more and more from the dirty hordes on the buses and trains. They have no business even driving cars, never mind recieving a huge car allowance. ugh.
We could toss a walmart greeter into the CEO's job and probably get a better return.
@Charlie
Jul 26, 2015 at 12:24am
TransLink can’t continue to pay $150 million per year in overhead to idiots doing nothing all day if the ridership falls to 150,000 or fewer transit users as it appears to be heading in 10 years. Smart cars are beginning to make public transit obsolete and hub to hub transit is going the way of the dinosaur.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/self-driving-cars-confront-urban-traff...
In Vancouver along Broadway, the dummies that be want to spend $400 million/km for the proposed subway to UBC. Yet, we have trolleybus infrastructure making the cost of the tram line as low as $10 million/km to run on grass much of the way or in traffic with cars like the buses do.
Transit in big city Canada is looking more and more like a racket of criminal activity to me. It is being used to funnel money from taxpayers to the firms making money from subway lines and to pay for deadbeat and overpaid money sucking TransLink employees in Vancouver. That’s the ugly and mostly censored truth, but it won’t last much longer.
LEO ROONEY
Jul 26, 2015 at 6:43am
DO WE NEED A BS MAJOR TO RUN THE SHIP OF FOOLS
KISS PRINCIPLE MUST APPLY
KEEP IT SIMPLE,CHEAP,EFFICENT
FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
SPIEL SHOWS JUST HOW FAR TO SEE DAYLIGHT OF REALITY
THE SMART CARD MORE FOR SPYING THAN TRANSPORTATION
EMPIRE BUILDING MUST STOP.
Brian90210
Jul 26, 2015 at 7:45am
"you will articulate and promote the vision of a transportation future where people and goods move in a way that promotes a healthy economy" ..... as long you do as Robertson tells you too you keep your job ...stray from it or upset him you will be fired. only buses and bike lane ideas aloud he will tell you, find ways to add congestion by removing more roads for car ,add tolls everywhere stall the local economy as no one will have money to spend ! how ever translink can spend like a drunken sailer and never be punished
Lawrence Ho
Jul 26, 2015 at 8:18am
I won't hire anyone that requires a 30% bonus to do his/her job. This won't happen to the front line workers. Why CEO? A myth created by the consultants.
James Blatchford
Jul 26, 2015 at 9:24am
@Charlie - whoa, we have our new transit CEO right here!
Quick Martha, cancel our Compass Cards! I think I hear a smart car pulling up the driveway!