Sound Transit picks Reardon

Published 12:01 am Monday, December 14, 2009

SEATTLE — Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon has been elected chairman of the Sound Transit board of directors.

Reardon was elected unanimously Thursday by his peers on the board, made up mostly of elected officials from Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.

Reardon, who has served as vice chairman of the board and head of its finance committee since last year, will succeed Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as chairman. Nickels lost his bid for re-election as mayor and is leaving office in January.

Reardon was elected to a two-year term as chairman, spanning 2010 and 2011. The Sound Transit board is governed by 18 members. Seventeen are elected officials and the 18th is state Department of Transportation secretary Paula Hammond.

Two vacant positions on the board have yet to be filled and two other members were absent for Thursday’s vote, Sound Transit spokeswoman Linda Robson said.

Snohomish County has three representatives, including Reardon, Everett City Councilman Paul Roberts and Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine. All three were present for Thursday’s vote. Board appointments are made by the county executive and confirmed by the County Council.

The chairman sets the agenda for meetings and calls for votes.

Last year, voters in the Sound Transit service area approved an $18 billion plan to expand the system, including 36 miles of new light rail to Northgate, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline and Lynnwood. The plan also expands light rail east to Mercer Island, Bellevue, Redmond-Overlake and Highline, and south to the Star Lake-Redondo area north of Federal Way. The work is scheduled to be complete by 2023.

“Creating a culture of cost controls during challenging times is paramount to keeping the trust of voters,” Reardon said in a statement after the vote. “Sound Transit is and will continue to be the key to regional traffic relief and infrastructure improvement.”

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.