Though Virginia lawmakers are opposed to permanently handing Metro management to Dan Tangherlini without an expansive and expensive national search because of his strong ties to the District, the interim general manager doesn’t have to look far to get input on how suburbanites feel about transit service.
Just 12 of Metro’s 200 highest-ranking managers live in D.C., according to payroll records obtained by The Examiner. And just three of Tangherlini’s top 20 executives reside in D.C., with the rest divided between Maryland (nine) and Virginia (seven). One director in the top 20 lives in Pennsylvania.
Of the top 203 managers — compiled by all employees who make more than $100,000 in annual salary — 118 live in Maryland, 66 live in Virginia, 13 (including Tangherlini) live in D.C., two live in New Jersey, one in Pennsylvania and one in Delaware, according to payroll records.
The District has more stations, 40, than either Maryland, which has 26, or Virginia, which has 20. And the District also subsidizes 38 percent of the system’s $1.1 billion operating budget compared to 24 by five Virginia jurisdictions and equal to Maryland’s 38 percent share.
“We just want our fare share,” said Metro Board member Jim Graham, who is also a D.C. Council member. He called the numbers “incredible” and a “great concern.”
Last week, regional tensions came to a head when Graham led an effort in a behind-closed-doors meeting to skip the national search and permanently appoint Tangherlini as head the transit agency. The effort was defeated 3 to 2, with one member absent, and the board moved forward with a $90,000 contract to hire a search firm.
Tangherlini has strong support from Maryland and D.C., although Metro board chairwoman Gladys Mack voted against hiring him permanently. But Virginia board members have said it will be tough for Tangherlini to be impartial considering his background. Tangherlini formerly was chief financial officer for the D.C. police and head of the D.C. Department of Transportation.
