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REGION: Transit district hires Patchett as interim director
Longtime Carlsbad city manager praised
By GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer | ∞
VISTA ---- Ray Patchett, who served as Carlsbad's city manager for 20 years before stepping down last year, was hired Thursday to temporarily take the reins of the beleaguered North County Transit District.
The bus and rail agency has been buffeted by money problems, layoffs of managers and staff, and the recent decision by longtime Executive Director Karen King to leave later this month for a job in Bakersfield. Transit officials say the district is plagued by problems it has no control over, state funding cuts, rising gasoline costs, and slumping sales tax revenue.
Transit district board members who hired Patchett in a special closed-session meeting Thursday said afterward that they chose the longtime Carlsbad leader from a list of "half a dozen" candidates to replace King when she leaves.
They said his $3,000-a-week job would be to "keep the operation going," and to help the board find a permanent executive director over the next six months.
"I think he's an excellent find," said transit board Chairman Ed Gallo. "Everyone I've talked to in the region has the highest respect and regard for Ray. I think the biggest plus for us is that there's going to be hardly any learning curve at all. The guy is sharp."
Patchett said King will continue to lead the district until she steps aside June 20, and she is making "hard decisions" about how the agency will proceed.
"She (King) is doing stuff on the way out that a lot of people would just leave under the door," Patchett said. "She's taking on the real issues, and I'm very impressed."
Just one day before King is scheduled to leave, transit board members will consider adopting a $91.78 million 2008-09 spending plan filled with fare increases and unpopular bus-route cuts.
Board members on the agency's planning committee actually slightly revised the spending plan Thursday ---- just before hiring Patchett ---- by adding back two bus routes at King's recommendation.
The routes would add "lifeline" daily service to and from Ramona ---- which would have been completely cut off from bus service ---- and take the poor and elderly to Social Security and medical offices in San Marcos.
Patchett will have to deal with the fallout from the budget's pared-down services, as well as possible morale problems, when he takes over.
In addition to fare increases and bus route cuts, the district has laid off half of its top management and roughly 10 percent of its supervisors and administrative employees. The agency still plans to lay off up to 10 percent of its 299 bus drivers, starting in August.
Patchett, who has academic degrees from San Diego State University and Pepperdine University, teaches at SDSU and works as an "organizational management" consultant advising agencies and businesses on how they can work "more effectively," downplayed morale questions.
Asked what he would do first, Patchett said, "I'm going to find out what's going on."
During his time in Carlsbad, Patchett was known as a tough-talking, hands-on leader in private, and a "tight-fisted fiscal conservative" who helped build Carlsbad's reserves to $50 million by the time he left.
"I stand for fiscal discipline," he said. "That's what I'm about. When you look at the city of Carlsbad ... we managed to create some fiscal stability."
Patchett was also well-known for being little-known, shunning the spotlight and preferring to let subordinates deal with the media.
He said that would not change with the transit district.
"It's very hard to find me once I'm in," he said.
Board members, however, said they knew they'd be able to find, and count on, Patchett.
"He's told us he's available 24-7 to help the board with any issues," said board Vice Chairman Dave Roberts. "We're expecting a seamless transition between Karen and him."
Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 901-4067 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.
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Senior Rider wrote on Jun 5, 2008 9:45 PM:Nothing changes....a SPECIAL CLOSED SESSION....when was this posted. So now we have an old CEO still on payroll and a $3,000 a week old Carlsbad City Manager (now a CONSULTANT OF COURSE)feeding out of the NCTD trough at the same time. Thank you old Senator Steve Peace.
Make all bus passes wrote on Jun 6, 2008 6:34 AM:$150.00 per month and increase the fares for all to $8.00 a trip, and start charging for parking for those who take the sprinter $20.00 per day, we will be out of the hole in no time.
OH NO wrote on Jun 6, 2008 7:44 AM:Poor Mr. Patchett! $3,000 a week to try to resurrect the good name of NCTD! It's too late! King and her crew already made a mess of the place. With all the law suits and FEMA on their back for Flood Plain damage and wrangling with the City of Oceanside over who is to blame, he's got his work cut out for him! Did Robertson's Concrete contribute to any of your hiring consideration? The Sprinter Line 7 mile stretch in Oceanside will keep him busy for a looong time!
Resident wrote on Jun 6, 2008 8:59 AM:Ray will promote building boxes along all the rail lines to make North county look just like Carlsbox while the developers line their pockets
Leadership wrote on Jun 6, 2008 9:10 AM:I noticed not once in this article is there any mention of "leadership." While Patchett was, in fact, an effective administrator of city operations, he never provided the leadership necessary for organizational growth and development.
John E wrote on Jun 6, 2008 10:52 AM:We need NCTD leadership which understands that NCTD is a public utility, not a private business, and acts accordingly.
Art wrote on Jun 6, 2008 11:00 AM:I wish I could get a caretaker job that pays $3,000 a week.
Ralphs wrote on Jun 6, 2008 11:08 AM:I'm sure it will be a seamless transition, Ms. King didn't know anything, and neither does Mr. Patchett. Not that Mr. Patchett does not know how to operate within the political system, it appears that he has been acting as a lobbyist since leaving Carlsbad. He probably is a very nice man, but we need someone that understands transit. Was there no one with transit experience available? Why was it done behind closed doors? Just another one of those "good old boys" given a cushy job for awhile. Once you get inside the ropes, you have a job forever. Politicians looking out for politicians, to h--- with the taxpayer.
disgustedbreezerider wrote on Jun 6, 2008 12:15 PM:$3,000 a week when NCTD is eliminating routes and raising fares???? I don't get it. And Packard is downplaying poor morale?? This is just one more example of how out of touch NCTD is with the public they are supposed to be serving. Have any of these people actually ridden the bus? If they had, they would experience the poor morale of the bus drivers. And has anyone seen the new "Go Green" posters at the transit centers? What a joke...encourage people to use mass transit while mass transit is being cut.
JobOne wrote on Jun 6, 2008 1:45 PM:JobOne will be to continue treating the working people at NCTD with an occasional once or twice a year barbeque, where half the drivers can't make it because of their schedule, but all of management can.
An insider wrote on Jun 6, 2008 2:33 PM:Didn't anyone think of hiring from within? Tom Lichterman has more on the ball than all the rest put together, and deserves to be District Director! He's a hands-on type person with the knowledge to back-up his decisions. I really don't think NCTD would have gotten in this situation under his guidance.
To Ralphs wrote on Jun 6, 2008 2:43 PM:You hit the nail on the head. Both King and Patchett sorely lack leadership qualities. King allowed the Sprinter line to change the flow of Loma Alta Creek that has endangered life, limb and economic opportunity. How it Patchett supposed to fix that? He can't.
To Ralphs II wrote on Jun 6, 2008 4:47 PM:Good observations! This another example of the "good ol' boy" network in action, and another indication of how the NCTD got into their predicament in the first; i.e., an INCOMPETENT Board!
Dude wrote on Jun 6, 2008 5:46 PM:Why are they bringing in a public sector guy who has never had a real job? Lets get someone from the private sector who knows how to make an enterprise profitable.
Senior Rider wrote on Jun 6, 2008 6:57 PM:Maybe the NCT reporter could explain the NCTD Sub Committees where the members usually end up with a quorum as their combined Board memebers overlap into each others meeting..so they know what they are doing before their actual Board meetings. They were taught "how to do this" by a Consultant at one of their retreats. For the public to participate they had to be available to attend their meetings which were held either early in the morning/late pm on the same day.
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