Caltrain, SamTrans chief stepping down

Executive power at SamTrans and Caltrain will temporarily be divided into two jobs following the announcement that Jim Hartnett, general manager of the San Mateo County Transit District, is leaving in April.

Starting in April, Carter Mau, deputy general manager of SamTrans, will become acting general manager for SamTrans, while Caltrain Chief Operating Officer Michelle Bouchard will serve as acting Caltrain executive director. Hartnett is responsible for the executive management of both Caltrain and SamTrans as general manager. Hartnett will still maintain all roles and responsibilities until he leaves his position in 2021.

Caltrain Chair Dave Pine, also a San Mateo County supervisor, said while the restructuring of responsibilities with Caltrain and SamTrans is interim, there is no current plan to seek a replacement for Hartnett. Hiring a new person during a time of uncertainty would be difficult and wouldn’t be the right thing to do now, Pine said.

While the restructuring was not permanent, it would likely remain in place for the foreseeable future while Caltrain figures out its recommendation on governance, which it plans to address by the end of 2021. Pine said it was too soon to tell if the switch from one person running both transportation organizations would be something he wants to pursue. However, he is interested to see how it works. He believes the interim structure would be instructive for how Caltrain organizes in the future, he said.

“We will learn a lot under this new approach,” Pine said.

Pine believes Bouchard is the right person to run operations for Caltrain temporarily.

“She is really the linchpin of Caltrain. I am very confident she will do a great job,” Pine said.

Pine said when Hartnett leaves his role in April, he will pursue his lifelong interests in topics of national security and military, and he will begin to write and publish on those topics. Pine thanked Hartnett for his leadership in ensuring revenue measures for both organizations, ensuring good financing and working on the Caltrain electrification project.

“Jim was a transformative leader for both and SamTrans and Caltrain when you look back at what he’s accomplished,” Pine said.

SamTrans Chair Charles Stone, also the Belmont mayor, said Hartnett had built an outstanding executive team who will handle the divided roles and responsibilities of each organization as stewards when they take over in April.

“I have complete confidence in both of them to do an amazing job,” Stone said.

Hartnett informed the SamTrans board at its meeting on Tuesday. His decision did not require any action from the board. Stone said that while the news was unexpected, he was glad that Hartnett had given them four months’ notice. Stone said the shift would not change SamTrans or Caltrain organizational goals or projects moving forward.

“Jim has set us up for success even after he is gone,” Stone said.

Hartnett first started as general manager in 2015 and committed to five years, although he completed six. He also manages the administration for the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, which funds transit and transportation programs through dedicated sales tax measures. Stone said Mau would also be handling San Mateo County Transportation Authority responsibilities.

SamTrans said in a statement that Hartnett’s top goals when he started were obtaining a dedicated source of funds for Caltrain and solving the SamTrans structural deficit. Measure RR achieved that goal for Caltrain, generating an estimated $100 million per year for the Caltrain rail service through a sales tax increase in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Hartnett was also thanked for his leadership in getting Measure W approved by San Mateo County voters in 2018 to fund county transportation improvement projects. Hartnett was also acknowledged for his efforts to save the Caltrain electrification project from elimination by the federal government and the reorganization of executive functions of the transportation organizations.

In April of this year, Hartnett opted to defer a $50,000 bonus and 3% raise that would have bumped his salary up to $552,476.

Hartnett is a Redwood City resident who served on both the San Mateo County Transit District and the Caltrain boards of directors and has served both boards as chair. He is a member of the Blue Ribbon Recovery Task Force established by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He also served 15 years on the Redwood City Council, including terms as mayor and vice mayor. He is a Navy veteran and has also been an attorney.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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