Spokane Transit Authority confirms Karl Otterstrom is sole finalist for CEO

Karl Otterstrom, co-interim CEO and chief of planning and development for the Spokane Transit Authority, has been advanced as the sole finalist for permanent CEO, the agency announced Friday morning after three weeks of secrecy.

Otterstrom had been rumored as the sole finalist for the position since June 4, after three members of a four-person selection committee recommended advancing a single candidate. Members of the selection committee, however, would not disclose this information publicly – even to other members of the transit agency’s board of directors. After the full board voted to accept the selection committee’s recommendation Thursday, board members told The Spokesman-Review they still did not believe they could disclose who it was.

The advancement of a single candidate has raised eyebrows, even among members of the public who support Otterstrom.

“I’m a big fan of Karl personally,” said Erik Lowe, creator of transit advocacy group Spokane Reimagined, in a June 4 interview. “I think he’s done an excellent job, but I’m really concerned, and Spokane Reimagined is concerned, about the process.”

The agency will host a forum in July for the public and STA employees to meet with Otterstrom and provide feedback to KL2 Connects, a North Carolina-based public transit executive recruiting firm, according to a news release. No date for the meeting has been announced.