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June 20, 2001 |
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LOS
ANGELES--The MTA Board of Directors today hired Roger Snoble of Dallas,
one of the top public transit officials in the nation, to become the
MTA’s new CEO effective in September. The Board’s action was
unanimous. Snoble,
56, has been president/executive director of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
District (DART) since 1994. He will replace Julian Burke, who announced
last January his plans to retire once a successor was selected. Burke has
been the MTA CEO since August 1997. Snoble’s
career in public transportation spans 36 years. Prior to joining DART he
served as president and general manager of the San Diego Transit
Corporation, where he worked for 20 years, rising in the ranks from
planning and scheduling manager to the top executive post. Snoble began
his transportation career in 1965 as a planner for the TriCounty Regional
Planning Commission in Akron. He also worked as a planner for Akron Metro
Transit District from 1971-1973. The
new MTA CEO has won numerous awards. The American Public Transit
Association (APTA) named Snoble 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. Snoble
was one of five finalists for the top transit post in Los Angeles County
recruited in a nationwide search. “Roger
Snoble is widely regarded as one of the top transit executives in the
nation,” said MTA Board
Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. “It was
a real coup to recruit him. He was the only candidate who manages a
transportation agency similar to MTA that
operates a multimodal transit system, builds infrastructure and
also is responsible for regional transportation planning and
programming.” Gordon
Linton, former head of the Federal Transit Administration, agrees. “Roger
has been instrumental in the growth of the Dallas Metroplex,” Linton
said. “His skills and the respect he enjoys in the industry bodes well
for the continued improvement and growth of the MTA in Los Angeles. I
think Roger will be able to build on the foundation that has been
established by Julian Burke.” MTA
CEO Julian Burke said he was proud that Snoble would succeed him. “The
MTA is a lot more stable than it was when I arrived four years ago, but
now it’s time to turn to a transportation expert to move Los Angeles
forward. No one has a better reputation than Roger Snoble,” Burke said. Roger
Yagura, president and general manager of San Diego Transit where Snoble
worked for 20 years, echoed those sentiments. Yagura said Snoble was a
highly respected manager who worked well with staff, elected officials and
the community and was able to bring consensus on key projects. MTA
is the third largest public transportation agency in the United States. It
has a $2.7 billion annual budget and more than 9,000 employees. It
operates 200 bus routes serving a 1,433 square mile service area as well
as a subway and two light rail lines that crisscross Los Angeles County.
In addition, MTA is responsible for constructing new busways and light
rail lines as well as funding transportation improvement projects ranging
from street widening and bikeways to freeway carpool lanes. MTA also is
responsible for countywide transportation planning. “MTA
is the biggest agency of its kind in the country with a truly multimodal
approach to moving people,” Snoble said. “It represents a rare
challenge in the American transit industry.” Snoble
was given a four-year contract to manage the MTA. As
the head of DART, Snoble’s current annual base salary is $218,200 a
year, however, the cost-of-living in Los Angeles is nearly 60 percent
higher than in Dallas according to research firms that compare the
cost-of-living in major U.S. cities. In recognition of higher real estate,
state income taxes, and other expenses in Los Angeles, the MTA Board
agreed to pay Snoble an annual base salary of
$295,000 to become the MTA’s chief executive officer. Snoble
earned a bachelor of science degree in geography and a master of arts
degree in economic geography from the University of Akron, Ohio. He is
married with two grown sons. MTA-091 |
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