Art Leahy, New Metro CEO, Takes Leadership of L.A. Transit Authority, Measure R Process
New leadership, new funding, and new projects mark a new era for transit in Los Angeles County.
Newly
hired Metro CEO Art Leahy should be ready to hit the ground running in
Los Angeles County—he worked as a bus driver for the precursor agency
to Metro and is the former CEO of the neighboring Orange County
Transportation Agency. But changes such as Measure R and a newfound
interest in public transit and pricing solutions to Los Angeles
County’s congestion challenges have marked a dramatic shift in the
transportation planning paradigm for the region. The following TPR/MIR
interview details the new CEO’s experiences and aspirations as he takes
the helm at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Published Friday May 29, 2009
Excerpt:
TPR/MIR\'s
April issue included an interview with Metro’s former CEO, Roger
Snoble, and we’re delighted this month to have the opportunity to do a
“Welcome to Metro” interview with you. What, to begin, are the priority
challenges on your plate? What advice did Roger give you on how best
address the difficult challenges ahead?
The challenges are immense, but the challenges were the reason I
accepted the position. I was very happy in Orange County. We
accomplished a strong alignment with the business community, with
various electives, and with other institutions. Throughout my career I
have followed the motto that I should go where the action is. There is
a lot of action here.
Roger’s advice to me was that some days will be an absolute high and other days will be really tough.
Many of the issues are very parallel to what I used to see when
I was with the predecessor to Metro years ago—and the same with
Minnesota and Orange County. They are bigger here, but they are the
same issues. What we need to do is to work with the board to align what
the board wants to accomplish and what the staff is focused on. Then we
go outside to the cities and other groups to bring all of that into
alignment. We want to involve the business community; they have an
important contribution to make.
L.A. County’s passage of Measure R, which could
raise $30 billion-plus over the next three decades for transportation
infrastructure, offers hope to those caught in traffic congestion.
Address the promise and challenges of investing Measure R’s resources
wisely?
Taxpayers have trusted Metro with a large investment. The first
obligation is to show the taxpayers benefit and acts of good faith on
the projects listed in Measure R. Obviously there is a great deal of
work to be done finishing up the Exposition Line. There is the Gold
Line to the east, Crenshaw, the subway, and a variety of other projects
around Los Angeles County.
We have the opportunity to take that money and use it to
leverage federal and state money where it is appropriate. The objective
will be to put together a comprehensive package of projects with the
support of the board that gives the taxpayers the benefits they voted
for.
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