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Metro Messy

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Pressed for specifics, he replies, "They know when they do it. And the criticism of me is that I call them on it. I don't hide that. I'm proud of it."

Salci's directness has surprised some who work closely with him.

"He has a fearlessness, in that he seems unconcerned about the political impact of the decisions he makes," confirms one official who asked not to be named in this story. "He's in charge, and the board (appointed by the governor on the recommendation of local politicians) is there to dictate high-level policy, but they're not going to tell him what to do on a day-to-day basis. I think he's demonstrated that by taking on some board members -- essentially trying to kick them off the board."

The source is referring to Rice, Thomas F. Hennessy III and Betty Van Uum, all of whom Salci last year alleged had conflicts of interests.

Rice resigned in April 2004 before the board finished an investigation of his alleged shakedown of Metro contractors for donations to his church. Hennessy quit the same month in protest over a charge that his law practice's representation of MetroLink companies compromised him. The board, meanwhile, decided that Van Uum, a ten-year commissioner, did not violate ethics policies or seek favors for her employer, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, as Salci alleged. She finished her term last November.

It was known in political circles and to anyone who attended Metro board meetings that Rice and Van Uum, in particular, frequently questioned Salci's decisions. And, as many agree, Salci has little patience with those who challenge him.

"When somebody asks him something, he always thinks there's an ulterior motive," says an advocate who works with Metro. So when the media last spring obtained some of Salci's memos detailing his allegations, it looked to many like the CEO had tried to rid his board of fault-finders.

"Larry was kind of like a shark swimming after B.T. [Rice] the minnow, trying to swallow him up and then move right along with other business," concludes a former board member.

Some officials guess that Salci leaked his correspondence to advance his agenda.

"Commissioner Van Uum went and had an interview done with Mike Owens on KSDK [Channel 5], and he held up for verification the memo that I had written," says an infuriated Salci when told of the accusation. "Stamped at the top of that memo was: 'Received by the Mayor of the City of St. Louis.' Go back and see the video. It's there. I didn't leak the memo. I would never do that."

Mayor Francis Slay's office declined to comment on the issue.

If one local official is willing to overlook Salci's ruffling of political feathers, it's Les Sterman, executive director of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

"At a time when Metro really needed somebody to get control of the organization and the budget, Larry's kind of what the doctor ordered," Sterman says. He points to a newfound professionalism that Salci brought to the agency, through hires in the information technology department and marketing tactics such as changing Metro's name.

Salci professes particular pride in that move. "We're a railroad. We're a transportation bus company," he says. "The culture of this agency when I got here was, 'Oh my God, we're just Bi-State, poor old Bi-State.'"

Salci adds with a sneer: "No. We're Metro. And we're damn proud of it. That's the culture we want to instill here."

Salci's contract expired in February of last year, and for several months afterward, his critics savored the rumor that Metro's board was close to ousting him. But their wishes went unfulfilled.

In November, the board finally granted Salci a $225,000 contract. He also gets a $400-a-month vehicle allowance and a raft of bonuses. (In the last two years, he collected $50,000 and stands to earn $110,000 more.) The agreement expires in June 2007.

"Politics and personalities, not performance" held up the renewal, says board member Harvey Harris, adding that some commissioners objected to Salci's salary demands.

Some local lawmakers also consider Salci's pay problematic given that Metro recently justified a 16 percent fare increase by citing a $2 million budget gap.

"There are circumstances when public agencies have been in a tough time where the executive and top-level people forgo raises," says a lawmaker who asked not to be named in this story. "Frankly, that would be the way I'd think he could best lead the agency."

Salci scoffs at the suggestion: "What I probably should have said [in negotiating my contract] was, 'You know what? I'll work for free. Just pay me five percent of the savings that your independent public certified accountant can document! How about that?' I make no apologies for what I make. I've brought, in my mind, tremendous value to this agency. If [the commissioners] want to go back to where they were and hire somebody for 150,000 or 160,000 bucks, fine. They can do that tomorrow."

Last week the Riverfront Times received an anonymous letter stating: "The rumors are flying around Metro that [Salci] has corporate job offers in New York and Chicago and is planning to leave by September. Several other senior staff are planning to leave if he does and are beginning interviews with Salci's blessing. Metro will soon be in a management meltdown."

Salci says there's absolutely no truth to the rumor. He says he's eager to stay onboard and oversee Metro's lawsuit against the Cross County Collaborative. Trial is set to begin next March in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

"I'm never confident anytime I'm involved in litigation," he admits. But, he adds, "I'm very confident of our chances of winning, or we wouldn't have filed the lawsuit. We will win. The only question is how much."

CCC company presidents did not return calls for comment on this article. And Salci refuses to discuss specifics of the 39-page suit.

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