Metro CEO Roger Snoble Announces Plans to Retire

[nickmatonak]

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) CEO Roger Snoble today announced he would retire once his successor is on board. Snoble, 63, has headed Metro for seven years and, under his leadership, the agency garnered top national awards for excellence. He also played a key role in securing last fall’s passage of Measure R, a new half cent sales tax that will fund a comprehensive package of new rail and bus and street and highway improvements in the county over the next 30 years.

“After 43 years of public service in the transit industry, I think this is an opportune time to move on and pass the baton to another executive who will insure the implementation of Measure R,” Snoble said. “I did a lot of soul-searching and decided it’s in the best interest of the agency to have an executive on board soon who can commit the next four to five years in guiding the development of dozens of critical transit and highway projects that will be funded by the new sales tax, which will be collected starting next July.”

Snoble was praised by local elected officials including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who both serve on the Metro Board of Directors.

"Roger Snoble is a dedicated public servant who has provided solid leadership and a steady hand in restoring the credibility of the MTA while improving public transportation for millions of Los Angeles County residents and commuters," said Mayor Villaraigosa.

Supervisor Yaroslavsky added, "Roger Snoble has led Metro to new heights in the delivery of expanded, quality public transportation to the citizens of Los Angeles County. What was a troubled and moribund agency more than 10 years ago is now recognized as one of the highest performing bus systems in the nation. On his watch the Orange Line, Eastside Gold Line and Exposition light rail line have been or are being built. With the passage of Measure R last month, Metro is poised to build the integrated public transit network that this region so desperately needs."

Metro will recruit for a new CEO to head one of the nation’s largest public transportation agencies that is responsible not only for bus and rail operations that transport more than 1.5 million boarding passengers on an average weekday but also construction of new transportation projects such as the six-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line to East Los Angeles that is nearing completion. Metro also is Los Angeles County’s lead transportation planning agency and programs local, state and federal funds for transportation for the 88 cities, county, Caltrans and transit operators.

Snoble plans to attend next summer’s opening of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, a project that is ahead of schedule, within budget and has maintained the best construction safety record of any public works project in modern history – nearly 4 million construction work hours without a lost time injury.

This project’s record is just one of the reasons that Metro earned the 2006 Outstanding Public Transportation System award for large transit properties given annually by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Snoble guided the Eastside light rail project from inception. He also oversaw development of the highly successful Metro Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley and expansion of the Metro Rapid system that now has 28 lines crisscrossing the county. Since Snoble joined Metro Oct. 1, 2001, the agency also has taken a lead role in expanding its green power initiatives. Today Metro operates more than 2,500 buses powered by compressed natural gas. Its El Monte transit facility earned a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating for sustainability, and installation of solar panels on the roofs of Metro bus divisions annually saves Metro hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs.

Moreover, extensive surveys show customer satisfaction for Metro continues to improve. One sign of that is the fact that Metro ridership remains high despite plunging gas prices.
Snoble’s career in public transportation spans four decades. Besides heading Metro, he also was the chief executive at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) for seven years (1994-2001), and he served as president and general manager of the San Diego Transit Corporation where he worked for 20 years before DART. Snoble started his career in 1965 as a planner for the TriCounty Regional Planning Commission in Akron, Ohio. He also worked for Akron Metro Transit.

Snoble has earned numerous awards for his leadership. APTA named him Transit Manager of the Year in 1998. Under Snoble’s leadership, DART was cited by APTA as the Transit Agency of the Year in 1997.

[metrocenter]

He's done a fine job, from what I've seen.

[wad]

Looks like Snoble headed two separate agencies that won APTA's America's Best awards.

[kenalpern]

Mr. Snoble will be truly missed, and he led us through some terrible, terrible times. Now the state and county and feds are much more likely to fund transportation (not just transit), the consent decree is gone, and operations are better than ever.

Our work isn't done, but we couldn't have gotten anywhere without Mr. Snoble to help us with the credibility needed to get the public more on board with transportation building for the next century.

[Adrian Auer-Hudson]

Roger Snoble is knowledgable and has shown great leadership. I am sure he has made mistakes, he would not be human otherwise. However, when he attended Friends 4 Expo public meetings I found him engaging and personable. He certainly seemed to be "on our side". He expressed gratitude for our support.

Will we find another Metro CEO like him?

[Gokhan]

Mr. Snoble was indeed a great CEO and the replacement is going to have a hard time filling his shoes.

What I do worry about is that this might be a forced retirement by Mayor Antonio Villaragoisa. In the Measure R victory rally when Snoble said the subway extension would take decades, Villaragoisa quickly picked up the microphone and corrected him. So, now I'm worried that Antonio may appoint someone so that the subway is built in front of important projects such as the Downtown Connector and many other. This would be really bad for Los Angeles transit, delaying all projects in favor of extending the subway "to the sea."

[bluelineshawn]

I wonder if Catoe is interested in coming back? That would be fantastic news. Maybe he is finding WMATA too political for his liking.

[Bart Reed]

I wonder if Catoe is interested in coming back? That would be fantastic news. Maybe he is finding WMATA too political for his liking.

John Catoe is having way too much fun in DC. Take a look at the Executive staff on the WMATA website. Most of the staff followed John from Metro. So, he has his team and they have their challenges. But John has been doing what he does best. Running the place with excellence.

With all the positives, why would John even consider coming back to the insanity of Los Angeles. He has been able to get fare increases, put the DC TAP card in place and get rail expansion.

And he doesn't have to deal with some of the Los Angeles knuckleheads and the dumber than dirt electeds. I think John will make 10 years or better at WMATA. He is in the Washington Post almost daily with good things in an agency that needed a guy like John, oh so badly.

[masonite]

Dec 20, 2008 17:02:11 GMT -8 Gokhan said:

Mr. Snoble was indeed a great CEO and the replacement is going to have a hard time filling his shoes.

What I do worry about is that this might be a forced retirement by Mayor Antonio Villaragoisa. In the Measure R victory rally when Snoble said the subway extension would take decades, Villaragoisa quickly picked up the microphone and corrected him. So, now I'm worried that Antonio may appoint someone so that the subway is built in front of important projects such as the Downtown Connector and many other. This would be really bad for Los Angeles transit, delaying all projects in favor of extending the subway "to the sea."

I don't think it was a "forced" retirement. AV was right to take the mike after Snoble said the subway would take decades. The success of Measure R ultimately depends on getting sufficient federal funds. Snoble pissed off a lot of people when he said the subway only might get to Westwood in 20 years. It is doubtful the Measure would have passed if that was the goal.

We have come a long way from 4 years ago with the subway I remember when Snoble was saying it would be decades if ever the subway would be a reality (this was years ago). After Expo and the Foothill Gold Line, the Subway and Downtown Connector are next. That was how Measure R was presented. What other projects do you think are more important than the Subway at this point?

[bluelineshawn]

Just wishful thinking I guess. Despite a much smaller rail portion our bus service is considerably larger. I would think that overall LA would be the more prestigious position in the long run. I know that he's from DC, but he has some roots here as well. And we do have knuckleheads for sure, but Metro is a multi-county/ multi-state/ federal agency with a more politicized climate than we have here. I just remember lots of good things about him in the news. For example I remember that he was a regular transit rider.

[Gokhan]

Dec 20, 2008 19:56:15 GMT -8 masonite said:

What other projects do you think are more important than the Subway at this point?

I think Expo Phase 2, Foothill, and Downtown Connector can all be built by 2015 by local (including Measure R) and state funds only. The subway is very important and should be the next priority but it should be built in phases. They should obtain as much federal funds as possible for the subway. If it can reach Fairfax by 2017 and Century City by 2020, that would be great. But, since it would cost so much money, if someone puts it in front of all the other projects for political reasons, it would substantially and needlessly delay the Downtown Connector, Crenshaw Line, and Green Line extension to the airport and possibly even the Expo and Foothill lines.

[wad]

Dec 20, 2008 19:58:13 GMT -8 bluelineshawn said:

Just wishful thinking I guess. Despite a much smaller rail portion our bus service is considerably larger. I would think that overall LA would be the more prestigious position in the long run. I know that he's from DC, but he has some roots here as well. And we do have knuckleheads for sure, but Metro is a multi-county/ multi-state/ federal agency with a more politicized climate than we have here. I just remember lots of good things about him in the news. For example I remember that he was a regular transit rider.

Catoe may have committed to working several years as the head of WMATA, plus he is a DC native, so he might want to stay at home.

One guy to keep an eye on: OCTA's head, Art Leahy. He started as an RTD bus driver, was an RTD manager, and ran Twin Cities Metro before coming to OCTA.

[Transit Coalition]

Target of unrelenting criticism, top Metro executive quits
By Lena H. Sun, Joe Stephens and Lyndsey Layton
Staff Writers
Washington Post: Friday, January 15, 2010; A01

Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. announced his resignation Thursday, following the deadliest year in the transit agency's history. His departure leaves Metro searching for a new leader as it confronts huge budget shortfalls and its biggest safety crisis in more than three decades.

Catoe, who has run Metro for three years, said he wanted to give the troubled agency a chance for a new start. His last day will be April 2.

"The events of the past six months and related incessant publicity have created an unhealthy distraction for the organization," he said, reading from a letter he wrote to the agency's board of directors. "I have decided that it is time for me to . . . provide this organization an opportunity to move beyond the current distractions."

Catoe's announcement follows months of revelations about lapses in safety and oversight at the nation's second-busiest subway system.

Records revealed that Metro's crash-avoidance system had failed more than once before June's Red Line crash, which killed nine people and injured dozens.

Documents also showed that Metro had barred safety inspectors from live tracks and allowed safety deficiencies to fester for years. Those reports shook public confidence, prompted federal criticism and led to an Obama administration proposal to overhaul transit safety regulation nationwide. As a result, Metro announced last month that four top managers would be leaving or be reassigned, including Catoe's top deputy and safety officer.

Jackie Jeter, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents most Metro workers, said the "total turnover of top Metro management" was troubling. "Who is left to decide and oversee those decisions that must be made to help ensure a safe, productive mass-transit system?"

In an interview Jan. 8, Catoe acknowledged that Metro's once-stellar reputation was suffering.

Despite Metro's past success in mobilizing for special events, such as last year's presidential inauguration, the agency is "now discussed at certain meetings as 'Here's what happened at [Metro] and what not to do,' " Catoe said. He said that Metro had become a "poster boy for safety issues that other agencies should avoid."

Although many riders had called for his resignation, Catoe said as recently as Jan. 8 that he would stay.

"I believe I offer a leadership that can fix this," he said, referring to the multiple safety lapses. "I know we will do it going forward."

Metro board Chairman Jim Graham, of the District, said: "I think he decided very, very recently that enough was enough and he's gone. It's been a very rough year."

Graham and some other members tried to persuade Catoe to remain longer as general manager. He refused.

Catoe decided to retire and said the decision was entirely his own. He will not receive any severance pay.

High hopes
The son of a D.C. cabdriver, Catoe came to Metro after establishing his transportation credentials on the West Coast. Running Metro, "America's Subway," was the apex of his 30-year career.

His announcement concludes a Metro tenure that began with high hopes that he would restore stability. When he took over in January 2007, he was the fourth general manager in two years. At the time, Metro had been battered by a series of train and bus fatalities. Catoe vowed to make safety his top priority and change the culture at Metro.

Last year, the American Public Transportation Association named Catoe its manager of the year, and the Metro board rewarded him in the fall with a new three-year contract.

But under his leadership, Catoe restructured the safety department so it had less autonomy. The chief safety officer job has been a revolving door, and Metro is looking to hire its fifth safety chief in three years.

Last year also brought unprecedented troubles to the transit system. Eleven passengers and employees died, and the number of track suicides rose.

Metro's financial problems worsened. Ridership fell, and Metro officials blamed the drop on the recession.

Last month, a Metro subway train nearly hit a team of independent safety inspectors checking safety conditions for Metro track workers. The Dec. 10 incident happened just days after Metro had lifted a six-month ban on monitors accessing live subway tracks.

After each incident, Catoe vowed to get tough on safety and hold workers accountable. In December, he ordered the sweeping reorganization.

Safety concerns rise
After June's crash, Catoe publicly described the failure of Metro's automatic crash-avoidance system as "a freak occurrence." But in the following weeks and months, The Washington Post reported systemwide problems in train control technology and safety oversight.

Internal records showed that the supposedly fail-safe crash-avoidance system had failed three months before June's crash, allowing two trains to come "dangerously close" to colliding. Records showed that the system also had failed in 2005, when three trains narrowly averted "disastrous collisions."

Other records revealed that Metro's decision, made after the crash, to sandwich older subway cars between newer, sturdier ones had not been supported by its own engineering studies and appeared to be a public relations move.

The biggest jolt came after an article reported that Metro had quietly barred safety monitors from walking along its live tracks to assess Metro's compliance with its own safety rules. During the ban, two workers were hit on the tracks and fatally injured.

The inspectors were given renewed access to live tracks in December. Within days, a team of safety monitors was nearly hit by a Metro train that appeared to be traveling at full speed and making no attempt to slow, as required by agency rules.

Also last month, The Post reported that the newspaper's analysis of safety data showed that more than 100 safety flaws identified after audits, accidents and other incidents languished unfixed, some for five years.

The accidents and news stories attracted unprecedented attention and criticism. Metro's safety became a focus of at least three hearings on Capitol Hill. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) called on U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to investigate the transit agency, at one point declaring, "I'm really hot about this." The Government Accountability Office and the Federal Transit Administration began looking into Metro operations.

In December, the Obama administration referred to Metro in calling for what it termed a historic step: taking federal control of safety regulation of subways and light rail systems nationwide.

[masonite]

Now Leahy is out. I was surprised that that it was reported by the LA Times that the majority of the Board did not support renewing his contract or at least that was the rumor. I thought he was held in pretty high regard and things seem to be going pretty smoothly at Metro given all the projects going on. I wonder if my perception was just wrong and what the real backstory is

[Transit Coalition]

Jan 6, 2015 20:51:12 GMT -8 masonite said:

Now Leahy is out. I was surprised that that it was reported by the LA Times that the majority of the Board did not support renewing his contract or at least that was the rumor. I thought he was held in pretty high regard and things seem to be going pretty smoothly at Metro given all the projects going on. I wonder if my perception was just wrong and what the real backstory is

Actually, Art is at Metro until April 5, 2015. After six years, everything at a transit agency isn't always perfect as you acquire baggage along the way. With the changes in the Metro Board, Art wasn't working with the majority that originally selected him as Zev Yaroslavsky, Gloria Molina, Pam O'Connor, Antonio Villaraigosa, Jose Huizar, Richard Katz, Rita Robinson and Yvonne Burke have left the Board since 2009. With 8 out of 13 members gone, alliances change and perhaps the eight new directors didn't agree with Art's program. Also, with Art hitting age 65 and with his wife retired, perhaps it was/is time for a new direction.

[masonite]

Jan 7, 2015 14:08:52 GMT -8 Transit Coalition said:

Jan 6, 2015 20:51:12 GMT -8 masonite said:

Now Leahy is out. I was surprised that that it was reported by the LA Times that the majority of the Board did not support renewing his contract or at least that was the rumor. I thought he was held in pretty high regard and things seem to be going pretty smoothly at Metro given all the projects going on. I wonder if my perception was just wrong and what the real backstory is

Actually, Art is at Metro until April 5, 2015. After six years, everything at a transit agency isn't always perfect as you acquire baggage along the way. With the changes in the Metro Board, Art wasn't working with the majority that originally selected him as Zev Yaroslavsky, Gloria Molina, Pam O'Connor, Antonio Villaraigosa, Jose Huizar, Richard Katz, Rita Robinson and Yvonne Burke have left the Board since 2009. With 8 out of 13 members gone, alliances change and perhaps the eight new directors didn't agree with Art's program. Also, with Art hitting age 65 and with his wife retired, perhaps it was/is time for a new direction.

If there was a problem, which is what the LA Times has all but stated, I imagine Garcetti did not like something about Art as he controls 4 seats. I just don't see performance as an issue so it may have been vision or perhaps Garcetti really has someone else in mind for the role. I might speculate it had something to do with coming up with the 2016 Measure R2 projects, but that is pure speculation on my part.

It is a tough job no doubt and I have my doubts we'll get someone up to Art's abilities for the position. Snoble was certainly no visionary, and White and Drew really seemed to struggle in the position. Julian Burke seemed to turn things around from a financial and systems standpoint, but at that point Metro really wasn't building much of anything.

[Gokhan]

I think he was a good CEO. This is probably because of MRT.

[masonite]

Jan 9, 2015 16:56:21 GMT -8 Gokhan said:

I think he was a good CEO. This is probably because of MRT.

MRT controls only one vote. Seemed the majority was against him. Apparently a lot of the Board are upset about fare increases and bus service cutbacks. However, with pension and healthcare costs rising something has to give.