The San Joaquin Regional Transit District named Eric Williams as acting chief executive officer Wednesday, another sudden leadership change at a bus agency already under scrutiny from riders, former officials and Stockton city leaders.
Williams, who became RTD’s chief operating officer in May, replaces Bearnard O. Veasley, who resigned as interim CEO after just three months to attend to personal family matters, according to a district press release sent Wednesday.
The change came one day after RTD officials were expected to appear before the Stockton City Council for an update on the bus system but did not make the presentation due to “severe staff constraints.” The Tuesday council agenda listed a “San Joaquin Regional Transit District Update” as an informational item, with no action planned.
It also came two days after Vice Mayor Jason Lee asked the California State Controller’s Office to review allegations raised in a “Vote of No Confidence” petition signed by RTD riders, former bus drivers, former board members and former transit leaders. The petition accuses RTD’s current leadership and board of mismanagement, including claims about the agency’s finances, executive qualifications and treatment of employees.
The no-confidence petition Lee sent to the state controller was signed by 53 people, including former board member Gary Giovanetti, Les Fong, former CEO Alex Clifford and Vince Contino, a former president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 276.
“We have NO CONFIDENCE in the new governance and leadership and believe that it’s reasonable to demand an immediate external audit, review, and investigation of the recent activities, the management capacity of the existing leadership, and the future financial capacity of RTD if things do not change,” the petition states.
The petition also alleges RTD’s reserves dropped from $62 million to $26 million in three months. Stocktonia has not independently verified that claim.
The State Controller’s Office confirmed to Stocktonia this week that Lee’s request had been received and was under review. RTD has not publicly responded point by point to the allegations.
In Wednesday’s announcement, RTD Board Chairman Derek Graves said Williams has “the institutional knowledge, the operational expertise, and the trust of this organization to lead RTD through this transition.”
“He has already proven himself as our Chief Operating Officer, and the Board is confident in his ability to step into this role and keep this agency moving forward,” Graves said.
Williams previously worked for RTD for three years as manager of grant programs, according to the district press release. Before returning to the agency, he served as grant and capital compliance adviser for Wayne County, Michigan’s American Rescue Plan Act program, where RTD said he oversaw about $339.8 million in federal funding for operational, construction, demolition, workforce development and community projects.
RTD said Williams has experience in grants management, sponsored research administration, procurement, contracts and compliance. He earned a degree in accounting from Morehouse College.
The RTD Board of Directors is expected to consider formal ratification of Williams’ appointment at its next regular meeting.
Williams is now stepping into an agency that has spent much of the year in upheaval.
In February, RTD’s board placed then-CEO Clifford on administrative leave after some bus operators stopped driving to attend a special board meeting about his employment. The disruption affected riders across the system, including people who rely on buses for school, work, appointments and errands.
Four days later, the board voted 4-1 to fire Clifford “for convenience,” meaning without cause, according to RTD. Around the same time, Chief Operating Officer Ciro Aguirre resigned, leaving the district without a permanent CEO, chief operating officer or chief financial officer.
The board later appointed Kimberly Turner as interim CEO, but she resigned by early April. Two longtime board members, Giovanetti and Fong, also resigned. Giovanetti said back in February that a newly seated board majority had left him unable to influence decisions.
RTD appointed Veasley as interim CEO on April 17 and hired Williams as chief operating officer the following month.
But the changes did not stop there. In June, RTD’s leadership page showed additional vacancies and departures, including the human resources director position and chief financial officer position. A board packet also listed Thomas Dempsey, RTD’s director of procurement, as acting chief financial officer.
In announcing the latest leadership change, RTD credited Veasley with stabilizing the agency during what Graves described as “one of the most difficult periods in this District’s recent history.”
“Mr. Veasley stepped into this role during one of the most difficult periods in this District’s recent history, and he delivered,” Graves said. “He rebuilt trust with our neighboring and partnering agencies and cities throughout the county, brought calm and stability to our relationship with the bargaining union, made sure RTD’s leadership reflects the diverse community we serve, and put this agency on solid ground.”
The district also said Veasley identified the root causes of the February service disruption and traced the failure to decisions made under prior leadership. RTD said he implemented new policies and safeguards meant to prevent a similar disruption from happening again, but the agency did not detail those policies in Wednesday’s announcement.
Although Veasley is stepping down as interim CEO, RTD said he will remain involved as a consultant to support Williams and the district’s eventual permanent CEO during ongoing audits.