SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s board will vote on the appointment of Dow Constantine as its new CEO at its meeting on Thursday, March 27.
The agency announced Monday (March 24) that Constantine, currently King County Executive and part of its 18-member board, was its preferred candidate. The board had selected that top candidate at meeting two weeks ago, but did not identify the individual as has been it custom while it engages in negotiations [see “Sound Transit chooses …,” Trains News Wire, March 14, 2025].
“We are confident he has the knowledge, experience, and commitment to achieve Sound Transit’s goals and complete the ST3 [regional transit system] package,” board chair Dave Somers and vice chairs Ryan Mello and Claudia Balducci said in a statement. “Being CEO of Sound Transit is a tough job with many constituencies to serve, and Dow has proven over his career in public service that he can deliver large capital projects, successfully oversee a major transit agency, and foster partnerships across our region that are essential to make Sound Transit function at the highest possible level.”
Constantine emerged from a field of 60 applicants for the job that was gradually cut to 15, then 5, then three, before he was selected. “It was a thorough process,” the statement said, “with significant public input, vigorous discussions, and multiple panels that included transit riders, disability advocates, other regional transit agencies, and labor and economic development organizations.”
If approved by a supermajority of the board, Constantine will succeed interim CEO Goran Sparmann, who has held that position since January 2024, when he replaced Julie Timm, who resigned in December 2023 after just 16 months on the job.
He sounds great for dealing with all of the external issues and labor, but not much about operations. I hope he can find a good ops director who knows safety protocols and maintenance schedules.
In all the press releases it never comes up, but it is the most glaring issue at the agency.