WA: Sound Transit board just voted on Dow Constantine’s CEO nomination. Here’s what happened

King County executive Dow Constantine on Thursday was appointed CEO of Sound Transit after its board unanimously approved his nomination to lead the regional public transit agency.

By a 15-0 vote, Sound Transit’s Board of Directors signed off on an agreement for Constantine to take the helm of the agency beginning April 1. His contract will pay him $450,000 per year to start and runs through Dec. 31, 2026. It includes two one-year renewal options at the board’s discretion, according to the board’s Thursday meeting agenda.

Constantine, who has been a member of the board since 2006, didn’t vote on his nomination and also recused himself from the agency’s confidential, four-month search for its new leader, which began with 60 applicants before narrowing over time to three finalists.

“As I begin this new chapter with the board and with the talented staff of the agency, I look forward to spending time to understand and elevate your priorities and the priorities of each sub-area, while keeping regionalism as our north star,” Constantine told the board following the vote.

Constantine rose to become the preferred candidate amid a recruitment and selection process that began in the fall.

The agency maintains a $4 billion-plus budget and constructs and operates transit service throughout Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. Under Constantine, the $4 billion-plus Tacoma Dome Link Extension will be a key project in Pierce County to be advanced.

The project — extending light-rail trains between Tacoma and Federal Way to connect Tacoma to Seattle — is expected to finish in 2035 after its timeline was delayed by three years in 2023. It was a central concern Thursday for Tacoma City Council member Kristina Walker, who sits on the Sound Transit board and said she saw Constantine as an advocate for the agency’s aim to extend the light-rail “spine,” which ultimately is planned to connect Tacoma to Everett.

“We are very focused on getting the Tacoma Dome Link extension completed and getting more service — particularly light-rail service — into Pierce County, and Dow has continually reiterated his commitment to these critical projects and the spine,” Walker said during her board comments.

Walker cited Constantine’s “many” leadership qualities, ability to manage a huge agency and knowledge of the region and its politics, while offering her support for him to replace retiring interim CEO Goran Sparrman.

“Ultimately, as I focus in on what the needs are for our Pierce County residents, I feel confident that his commitment is to delivering on the spine,” Walker said.

The search that led to Constantine, and his inclusion as a candidate, raised red flags for some transit advocates.

In February, The Urbanist reported that the Transit Riders Union wrote in a letter to the board that Constantine was directly or indirectly responsible for appointing 10 of the 17 other board members and would be tasked as CEO with evaluating a King County government complex project put forward under his leadership as county executive.

Seattle Subway urged Sound Transit to release the full list of finalists and invite public dialogue before making any final decision on the agency’s next leader. In a statement Thursday, the group called Constantine’s appointment “a missed opportunity.”

“Riders were eager for the Board to make every effort to rebuild public trust, starting with a fair and transparent CEO Selection process, but what they got was the appearance of an insider appointment of a sitting board member,” Seattle Subway spokesperson David Scott said.

Some board members addressed these concerns Thursday, standing by what they considered to be a thorough and inclusive search.

“I can assure you that every member of this board, I feel, is of the highest ethical standards,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus said. “No one is indebted to Dow Constantine, especially for being appointed to this board.”

Gregg Moser is a partner at Krauthamer & Associates, the executive search firm retained by Sound Transit to assist with the CEO recruitment. He said it was standard industry practice to give applicants anonymity or it otherwise would risk undermining applicants’ credibility with their employers and community.

“I find when you have a confidential process where candidates can trust the process, that you have the opportunity to get the best candidates out there,” Moser said during the board meeting.

The two others of the three job finalists “without a doubt” would not have applied if their names weren’t kept confidential, he added.

After the Sound Transit board’s executive committee whittled the slate of candidates to five, Constantine’s name was thrust into the spotlight when board Chairman Dave Somers confirmed last month to The Seattle Times that Constantine was among those finalists. It offered the lone public insight into candidates, which Sound Transit said belonged to transit and non-transit industries.

Seattle City Council member Dan Strauss, who sits on the Sound Transit board, pointed to Constantine’s lengthy history with the agency while acknowledging concerns that Constantine didn’t have direct transit agency experience: neither have some past Sound Transit CEOs who turned out to be very successful, according to Strauss.

“I do see that Dow has the potential here to live up to that,” he said.

Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, who along with Walker represented local Sound Transit board members on the executive committee, said there had been “many different panels of stakeholders” involved in advising the committee on finalists. The groups included transit riders, disability advocates, agency employees and labor and business leaders, according to Mello.

While Mello said the search was treated “incredibly seriously” and not rushed — the committee took four days longer than expected to arrive at a nomination — he also noted that time was of the essence.

“We don’t have time to get this wrong, we don’t have time to waste. We have such important work to deliver and so many promises to keep for the voting public,” he said during Thursday’s board meeting. “I think we found a leader who’s going to help move Sound Transit forward for this next really important phase.”

Constantine will receive a starting salary at the floor of the CEO job’s publicly advertised $450,000 to $650,000 range. It will still represent a significant increase over the nearly $260,000 he made in 2022, according to the Association of Washington Cities. There are also indications that his pay will grow.

His base salary for 2026 will be at least as much as he’ll make through this year. It will be based on the average of market-comparable salaries following a study to be completed by the end of 2025, according to a board document. The same process will determine his future annual salary.

Constantine also stands to earn 3% to 6% increases contingent on performance each year, a potential $30,000 annual performance award if he achieves mutually agreed-upon goals, and an annual taxable expense allowance of $24,000 for routine business expenses, the document shows. He will also receive a one-time $10,000 stipend for home office equipment.

Fircrest Council member Hunter George said he anticipated that Constantine will be able to act more quickly than if the board had chosen someone from out of state.

“He doesn’t get a honeymoon,” George said. “He’s been part of this organization for a long time and so he will hit the ground running and the expectations will be high.”

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