Passenger Trains > SEPTA CEO gets four-year contract, $75,000/year raise

SEPTA’s chief executive got a $75,000 raise

Philadelphia Inquirer
by Thomas Fitzgerald
May 25, 2023

SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards got a 21% raise and a new four-year contract on Thursday, providing a measure of stability to a transit agency battered by the pandemic and confronting a looming fiscal crisis.

Board members unanimously reappointed Richards and raised her annual salary to $425,000, up from $350,000 a year in the three-year contract that the new agreement replaces. A panel of three board members reviewed publicly available salaries for the leaders of other large transit systems to help determine Richards’ salary, SEPTA said in a statement announcing the reappointment.

“We’ve been through a tough three years and I really think we’re just hitting our stride here and seeing a lot of big positive change,” Richards said as she thanked the board members and said she looked forward to solving the challenges ahead.

More:

https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/septa-leslie-richards-reappointed-pay-increase-20230525.html

May be paywalled.  If so, use:

https://archive.ph/AEefE

Sounds  reasonable  if  he  gets  the  job  done!!

cutboy1958 Wrote:
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> Sounds  reasonable  if  he  gets  the  job
>  done!!

Leslie Richards is a she.

Looking at her bio in Wikipedia it seems she has a strong background in
those things needed to be a transit CEO.

A 21% ($75,000) pay raise is an insult to all SEPTA riders who struggle
to pay the exorbitantly expensive fares. Of course, there's a minority who
refuse to pay and ride for "free" but that's another story.
Richards recently presided over the "King Of Prussia collapse" in which
INEPTA wasted $51 Million on an extension that will never be built.
She's a political appointee of former PA Gov Wolf(D) and was PennDOT Secretary.
Also, Board Chairman Deon needs to resign  - this was never meant to be
a lifetime position.
Well, maybe Leslie can use her pay raise to buy a few more pant suits
to add to her collection. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/23 10:42 by CPMorris.

The Inquirer has done several articles about the salaries and benefits of Septa senior managers and (part time) directors. It's an exceptionally lucrative gig for contractors like Mr Deon ((R) who also headed the Turnpike.

Septa has has several former managers on payroll as consultants.

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