Rock Region Metro board hires Florida transit exec to run agency

A Palm Beach County, Fla., transit executive has accepted an offer to become the next executive director of Rock Region Metro.

Charles Frazier, 48, assistant director and support services director for Palm Tran Inc., the county-operated transit system in Palm Beach County, will replace Jarod Varner, who left in August after four years heading the 205-employee agency.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to come to Little Rock and help the transit cause," Frazier said in a telephone interview. "It's critical to the community."

He spent some time before his interview riding three bus routes and came away impressed.

"We've got a great system," Frazier said. "The buses were clean, they ran on time and, most importantly, we were providing a safe environment."

Frazier also has roots in Arkansas. His father was born in Malvern.

"I'm looking forward to reconnecting," he said.

The Rock Region Metro board voted unanimously at a special meeting Monday afternoon to extend an offer to Frazier, one of three finalists the board interviewed last month. The board also met for about an hour last week privately to discuss the finalists but didn't reach a decision.

"He seemed to have the qualities we were looking for," said board chairman Allie Freeman of Little Rock. "He is very well versed in transportation issues, particularly as it relates to a public transportation agency. He has a great mix of experience and he comes into this job very connected to the national transit network."

Most recently, Frazier was selected as one of 25 members of the American Public Transportation Association's 2018 leadership class, which the association said is a yearlong program "designed to help participants develop their skills and prepare them for senior and executive leadership roles."

Bruce Moore, the Little Rock city manager and member of the Rock Region Metro board, said Frazier came across as "very engaging" in his interview with board members last month.

"He came in about three days before his interview and participated in the transit system, rode the buses, rode the trolley," Moore said. "When he was here, he said, 'I was on No. 14,' and he saw some things and said, 'You know, I wonder why they hadn't thought about this.'

"Very impressive, very energetic. He's going to bring some great ideas to the public transit system."

Frazier also met with some of the transit agency's staff.

"We had the opportunity to meet him, and he is very talented, very knowledgeable, a great public speaker, great with the employees when he was here," said Wanda Crawford, the agency's chief financial officer who served as interim executive director and didn't apply for the permanent post. "He is impressive. The staff is thrilled. We were very lucky to get him."

Frazier was one of four candidates the board voted to interview last month out of nine semi-finalists selected by the search firm Springsted/Waters Executive Recruitment of Dallas, working under a $27,000 contract with Rock Region Metro.

One of the four candidates, D. Eddy Cumins of Syracuse, Utah, regional general manager of the Utah Transit Authority, withdrew his name from consideration and wasn't interviewed.

The other two candidates interviewed were Sheila Haney of Lima, Ohio, executive director of the Allen County Regional Transit Authority, and Abul Hassan of Eagle River, Alaska, director of the Anchorage Department of Transportation.

Frazier replaces Varner, who left to take a job as regional vice president at First Transit. He was drawing a $140,000 annual salary.

Frazier, who is scheduled to begin work June 25, will draw a $160,000 annual salary, according to his employment agreement.

He has been in his current post since 2011.

Palm Tran, which serves a population of 1.3 million, employs 621 people and has an annual operating budget of $100 million.

Frazier will take over an agency that has an $18 million annual operating budget. Of that, $13.3 million comes from the cities of Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and Maumelle, and from Pulaski County. Little Rock contributes the largest amount, about $9.2 million.

Rock Region Metro carried 2,368,449 passengers on its regular buses in 2017, a 5.37 percent decline from the 2,502,787 passengers it carried in 2016.

Metro on 05/08/2018