Ben Franklin Transit narrows list of GM candidates

Ben Franklin Transit will present finalists for its general manager post to the community and to its board of directors this month.

The five or so finalists, including interim general manager Gloria Boyce, will meet the public March 22 at forums at the Three Rivers Convention Center and again that evening at the Ben Franklin Transit headquarters.

The district’s board will conduct interviews March 23 and could identify a finalist within days.

“March will be the month we find ourselves a permanent general manager,” said Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins, who chairs the agency’s board of directors.

The transit agency hired the Prothman Co., an Issaquah-based executive search firm, to conduct the search process. Prothman advertised the Ben Franklin post with a pay range of $84,221 to $144,591. The effort yielded about 27 applications.

That’s a sharp drop from the 86 people who applied for the job when the agency conducted its own search in 2014 to succeed longtime manager Tim Frederickson, who resigned.

The board hired Dennis Solensky, former transit director in Erie, Pa., at an annual salary of $140,000. The relationship proved short-lived. Solensky departed in May 2015 when the board declined to renew his contract at the end of his probationary period.

Watkins said there may have been fewer applications this time, but he’s satisfied the finalists are suited to the job.

“We do have a list of very qualified candidates. I’m very comfortable with that,” Watkins said Thursday when the transit board was updated on the status of the search.

Watkins confirmed that Boyce, the former finance director who has been serving as interim general manager, is a finalist. He declined to identify the others, noting that some must still advise their employers that they’re in the running for a new job.

Ben Franklin Transit employs about 265 people and operates 21 fixed routes serving Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, West Richland, Benton City and Prosser. It operates the 279-vehicle Vanpool program and provides additional services to Walla Walla, Hermiston, Pendleton and Yakima.

Its 2014 budget of $36 million was funded by $28 million in sales tax receipts. $4.5 million in state and federal grants and $4.2 million in fares. It reported 2.8 million riders during the year.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Ben Franklin Transit narrows list of GM candidates."