The head of St. Louis’s transit agency, Larry Salci, says he doesn’t care what transit riders or taxpayers think about him. All he cares is what his board of directors thinks. Oh, yes, and he cares about what his headhunter thinks in case he has to get a new job.
![](http://ti.org/StLouisLRT5.jpg)
Although using light-rail vehicles, St. Louis’s rail cars run on an exclusive right of way, and so they are at least safer, if not any more cost-effective, than most other light-rail systems.
Flickr photo by lordsutch.
Of course, considering that he has been earning $225,000 a year, plus at least $25,000 a year in bonuses, plus a $4,800 a year “vehicle allowance” so he never actually has to set foot on a transit vehicle except for a photo op (and only reluctantly then), he probably has enough to retire now. (Something to think about this Labor Day: Why are transit agency heads often paid more than mayors and even governors?)