New transit chief on job in Jefferson County

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100518/NEWS/305189988/new-transit-chief-on-job-in-jefferson-county
PORT TOWNSEND -- Peggy Hanson's first day as Jefferson Transit's new general manager came with a lot of meeting, greeting, listening and questioning.

Hanson, who comes to the $85,000-a-year post after 24 years with TriMet, the bus and rail system in Portland, Ore., worked her way up from a bus operator to transportation operations director.

Seeing no chances for upward mobility in Portland and wanting to run her own transportation agency, Hanson took a $25,000 pay cut to come to Port Townsend.

She is still making more than former General Manager Dave Turissini was making: $74,500 when he left.

Attending an Eno Transportation Foundation leadership conference was the inspiration that led her to Port Townsend, she said.

"Then I got the spark and wanted to work for a board and be a part of a general manager role that really had a direct link to a community," she said Monday at the office in which Turissini sat for about nine years before leaving for Sound Transit in December.

During her time in Portland, she worked as a bus operator for six years beginning in 1985, then served as road operations supervisor for four years.

She was promoted to customer amenities manager for capital projects in 1996 and then was again promoted to system security manager for the transit police division.

Field operations manager

In 2001, she was promoted to field operations manager for six years and in November 2007 became transportation operations director.

After the Jefferson Transit opportunity was brought to her attention, she applied.

"It was exactly the type of transit leadership role that I desired," she said of the position that oversees a staff of 42.

That is down dramatically from what she is used to in Portland, where she supervised 1,500 as lead manager for TriMet's fixed bus and rail transportation operations.

She said she was attracted to the Jefferson Transit job because she saw evidence the Transit Board and community were "very, very invested in improving our transit system."

"It is very clear the community is receptive," she adds, which was similar to Portland.

'90-day' plan

Calling it her "90-day" plan, Hanson said her first 30 days will be dedicated to listening to Jefferson County riders, staff and the Transit Board.

She will be introduced at the board's regular meeting today at 1:30 p.m. at Mountain View Commons, Blaine at Walker streets.

After the first 30 days, she plans to work toward "building a very strong and robust transit system."

Among the big issue she hopes to tackle: A new transit center on 10 acres of land near Jefferson County International Airport, at state Highway 20 and Four Corners Road.

That land has sat vacant for five years after a decline in federal funding put construction on the back burner.

On her short list, she said, will be determining funding issues facing transit.

The existing aging transit facility on six acres at Upper Sims Way was said to be too small and outdated years ago. Transit has been there since 1990, and it was originally a car dealership in the 1970s.

"The facility is a concern to me," she said.

Riding the system

Among the first things on her to-do list are riding the entire system to see where it can be adjusted.

"I'll learn more from the maintenance operator out in the [bus] bay or the operator in that bus," she said.

She said she observed busy bus service on Rhododendron Festival weekend, and will be using the transit system to get to work every day from her home uptown.

"We need to make sure the vehicles are clean and accessible," she said.