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Metro Panel Set to Begin National Search for Chief
Connolly also said several of Tangherlini's first hires have come from the District government.
The board's decision is also complicated by Maryland's gubernatorial election Nov. 7. If Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) loses to Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D), the state's two voting board members would become lame ducks.
  Dan Tangherlini, who has been Metro's interim manager since February, says he will apply to hold the job permanently. (Lois Raimondo - Lois Raimondo -- The Washington Post) |
The board is likely to choose one of three businesses on retainer with Metro to conduct the search. Mack, who is also an official with a human services agency, said she did not know how much it would cost.
"We are going to pick a solid professional who is acceptable to the region and who will make a commitment to serve the entire region without partisanship," Mack said after the board voted in a closed session.
Tangherlini said he will apply to hold the job permanently.
As the D.C. transportation chief, he worked closely with regional transportation partners after the Sept. 11 attacks to coordinate information-sharing. He also gained regional experience from leading a northeastern state transportation group.
"I can't entirely be judged by people who support my candidacy," Tangherlini said. "I have to be judged on my own actions, and I have been working tirelessly on the Dulles issue to do whatever we can to have [Metro] support it. I do understand the importance to Northern Virginia of that project."
On personnel, he said his interim status has, in some cases, limited his ability to make hires outside of "people I knew who could fill the role." But among his hires, he said, have been a former Arlington County transit official and Fairfax paratransit expert. Executive searches are underway for key positions in procurement and engineering, he said.
In his first five months at Metro, rank-and-file workers say, Tangherlini has boosted morale with visits to rail yards, bus depots and other work sites, something the previous general manager never did.
Board members said Tangherlini, who has made customer service his top priority, has brought them fresh ideas and initiatives, often suggested by customers and employees. These include Metro's recent decisions to allow passengers to use credit cards to pay when exiting parking lots and to improve lighting in the dim underground stations.
