NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will pay its new executive director $275,000 a year, which is about $82,000 more than his predecessor earned, state officials confirmed yesterday.
According to the Newark Star-Ledger, George Warrington, hailed by Democrats and Republicans as a mass transit expert hired for his qualifications rather than any political connections, had served as president of Amtrak since 1998.
“You’ve got to pay for the best and obviously, George Warrington is the best,” said state Transportation Commissioner James Fox. “While it’s a nice salary, it’s comparable to what he was making when he was running Amtrak, and it’s in line with what the heads of other major transit agencies make.”
Warrington comes to an agency that has struggled in recent years with overcrowding on its buses and trains, problems exacerbated by financial constraints. Even though an average 10 percent fare increase went into effect this week, NJ Transit faces a $3 billion shortfall over the next five years just to pay for projects already in the works.
Some watchdog groups suggested NJ Transit ought to wait before paying Warrington so much more than the previous executive director.
“I think it’s too high,” said Ralph Braskett, New Jersey coordinator for the Committee for Better Transit. “I’d be willing to pay it to him in three years, after he does the job. I’d rather pay for results.”
“I think compensation should be tied to performance, and there’s a lot of room for improvement at NJ Transit,” said Janine Bauer, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “It just seems appropriate to ask for improvements in service before there’s any increase in the manager’s compensation.”
Warrington, who starts May 6, could not be reached for comment yesterday. He was named as NJ Transit’s new executive director last month. Officials said they did not announce his salary at that time because they were still hammering out details of the deal.
In his tenure as head of Amtrak, Warrington came under fire from Congress for not being able to make the nation’s passenger railroad run in the black, a mission many experts say is impossible.
Warrington had been among the top executives at NJ Transit in the 1980s and served as acting executive director in 1990 for five months.
“He’s a hands-on expert, and I think you’re going to see a smaller front office with fewer administrative folk,” said Fox. “I think at the end of the day, this is going to be a cost savings for NJ Transit.”
Fox has cut 12 administrative jobs at NJ Transit, saving $1.5 million in salaries and benefits. Officials said Warrington would oversee a “second round” of cuts to streamline the agency’s brass.
Warrington’s predecessor, Jeffrey Warsh, who had been a Republican assemblyman and a lobbyist before taking the helm at NJ Transit in 1999, was making $192,400 when the agency’s directors voted last month to terminate his contract. Under that deal, Warsh will continue on the agency’s payroll until September and has been reassigned to New Jersey Institute of Technology.
The $275,000 salary will give Warrington one of the biggest paychecks among public employees in New Jersey. He will be making far more than the heads of the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Sports and Exposition Authority. Among the few on the public payroll who will make more than Warrington are the head football and basketball coaches at Rutgers University and the president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
NJ Transit is among the largest mass transit agencies in the nation, with about 380,000 daily riders on 240 bus routes, 12 commuter train lines, a light rail service and a subway system in Newark.
The maximum salary at the largest mass transit agencies in the nation is about $320,000, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The chief executive of the Los Angeles system makes $295,000. The top transit administrator in Washington, D.C., gets a $235,000 in salary, plus a $30,000 living allowance.
NJ Transit is not going to give Warrington any bonuses or living allowances, officials said.
Leading state Republicans praised Warrington, Democratic Gov. James E. McGreevey’s choice to head the agency.
“He’s going to be operating without as many aides, so it could be a net gain for the state,” said Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R- Morris), a member of the Transportation Committee.
“He’s a world-class transit professional, by all accounts, so he could deserve that kind of money,” said state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos of Monmouth County, chairman of the Republican State Committee. “But for that kind of money, a lot of people are going to expect the trains to run on time.”