The Washington State Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson selected Lynne Griffith, CEO of Pierce Transit, to be the next assistant secretary for the ferries division.
Recent problems at WSF include the breakdown of the ferry Tacoma in the middle of the run, a ferry mistakenly overloaded with too many passengers before a Seahawks preseason game, and 99 sailings canceled last year for lack of crew.
"I do know there are a few things that need to be looked at and that will be one of the things that I dive right into, but I don't want anyone to forget the fact that there's a lot working as well," Griffith said.
Griffith met briefly with some employees at WSF headquarters in Seattle and found them committed to working with her.
The appointment came the same day Peterson sent a memo to Gov. Jay Inslee about short and long-term plans to increase reliability.
Peterson's memo said the "system, despite headlines, operates at a high level of reliability."
It outlined several steps to improve staffing, and plans to delay planned retirements of the vessels Evergreen State and Klahowya.
The memo said ferry managers will work with unions on unplanned vacation requests and ask the Coast Guard to allow sailings without a full crew if areas of a ferry are closed to passengers.
Griffith spent eight years as CEO of Pierce Transit, and previously as director of C-TRAN in Clark County.
She also worked as a manager for MARTA in Atlanta.
Griffith's starting pay will be $144,768, less than the $169,097 she makes at Pierce Transit.
Griffith had previously announced plans to retire from Pierce Transit at the end of the year, and told KIRO 7 she will not collect retirement from Pierce County while working for the state.
The WSF chief's position pays less than comparable jobs in the maritime industry.
KIRO 7's Graham Johnson asked Secretary Peterson if the job paid enough.
"What we're really focused on is that we have an amazing opportunity that Lynne agreed to come work for the ferries," Peterson replied.
Griffith begins work at WSF next month.
KIRO
