RTD Board Approves $350,000 Contract For Interim GM & CEO Paul Ballard

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DENVER (CBS4) - The Regional Transportation District Board of Directors met Tuesday night to approve a contract for Paul Ballard to be the agency's interim general manager and CEO. Ballard was selected for the role in late January to replace outgoing GM and CEO Dave Genova.

Paul Ballard (credit: RTD)

Ballard will begin his role no later than Feb. 26, according to RTD. The agency's Board of Directors approved an annualized salary of $350,000 and customary RTD benefits including relocation expenses.

"We look forward to Mr. Ballard bringing his years of experience to RTD as we navigate through this important transitional year for the agency," RTD Board Chair Angie Rivera-Malpiede said. "The process for finding the permanent general manager and CEO begins now and we are committed to finding the right person who can lead RTD into the future."

RTD has proposed service cuts to address an ongoing operator shortage. (credit: CBS)

Ballard retired in April 2019 from Trinity Metro, which serves the Fort Worth, Texas, and its surrounding areas. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Nashville MTA and Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee. For more than four decades, Ballard has served as a general manager, CEO or president of public- and private-sector transit systems.

The RTD Board approved up to $200,000 for an executive search firm to oversee the national search for a permanent general manager and CEO. RTD officials said the funds could be used for an executive search firm, communications outreach and external legal counsel to conduct negotiations.

RTD Board of Directors meeting on Nov. 2019. (credit: CBS)

"Any funds not spent at the close of the search will be returned to the reserve account from which they came," said RTD Spokesperson Lisa Trujillo.

In January, RTD announced five finalists for the interim position, which were narrowed from a pool of more than 40 applicants.