‘Short List’ for Transit Chief Narrows to 3 Outsiders

Transit officials selected three finalists Friday from outside Los Angeles to head the new Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Beginning Feb. 1, the MTA will be formed from two feuding transit agencies: the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

During the week, transit officials interviewed six candidates. After the final interview Friday, officials selected three candidates: Long Beach City Manager James C. Hankla, Brian Clymer of the Federal Transit Authority and New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Franklin White.

Neil Peterson, executive director of the Transportation Commission, and Alan Pegg, RTD general manager, were eliminated from the list of finalists to be turned over to the MTA at its first meeting Thursday. Judith Pierce, an attorney who was recently appointed assistant general manager for Philadelphia’s subway system, was also eliminated.

The MTA will oversee the region’s transportation system, which includes administration of $184 billion allocated over 30 years for a 400-mile rail and transportation network.

In a heated meeting Friday, transit officials appointed to devise the “short list” of candidates to head the MTA debated whether to expand the list to include Peterson, a controversial figure who has been executive director of the Transportation Commission since 1989. During his term, the 22-mile Blue Line between Long Beach and Los Angeles began operation, as did the Red Line subway, which opens today between downtown and MacArthur Park.

But there also were embarrassing disclosures during Peterson’s reign about the agency’s excessive spending and lax financial control, which included staff retreats at Palm Springs, a lavish Christmas party and fancy catered lunches. The incidents disclosed last spring caused Peterson to lose favor with Mayor Tom Bradley and other key officials, sources say.

Peterson is expected to lobby members of the newly formed agency to postpone naming the head of the new agency until a new mayor is in office.