(The Center Square) – Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine has received a $30,000 performance bonus and a new three-year contract extension with additional salary increases despite a large budget deficit.
The transit system’s board approved the new package for Constantine by a 16-0 vote Thursday afternoon after meeting in closed session to discuss it.
The approval raises his base compensation from $474,276 to $490,086 effective January 1, bringing his pay in line with peer agency executives according to a staff report.
The $30,000 bonus, which Constantine previously deferred until light rail operations spanned Lake Washington, comes as an addition to the updated salary package.
Board Chair Dave Somers highlighted the necessity of maintaining leadership continuity as the agency moves to rein in expanding budget costs, noting that “CEO Constantine has brought much-needed stability to Sound Transit. This is not the time to lose momentum.”
Constantine, a political insider and former King County Executive, stepped down in March 2025 to take the reins of the troubled transit agency the following month. During his tenure, the transit system completed a line to Redmond and a connection over Lake Washington to the Eastside, but it has scaled back plans for a comprehensive region-wide light rail system since he took office, citing an almost $35 billion budget deficit.
But he has left intact a plan to build a light rail line to Everett, the county seat of Snohomish County, where Somers serves as County Executive. Meanwhile, other parts of the system, such as a link to Seattle’s Ballard section, have been put on indefinite hold or pushed back from their original timetable.
Constantine was previously Sound Transit board chairman before becoming CEO. His selection drew public criticism over the confidential hiring process. Ultimately, Constantine’s former board colleagues voted to approve him as agency leader.
Constantine’s contract includes a 4% cost-of-living adjustment set for April, pushing his pay to $509,689, with potential subsequent increases ranging from 3% to 6% in 2028 and 2029 tied to performance reviews.
The terms also include options to extend the deal through 2031. Constantine would receive 18 months of severance pay and benefits in the event of a termination without cause-more than the 12-month packages offered to former agency heads.
While Sound Transit reached several key operational goals under his tenure, challenges have also emerged, including stalled trains that have halted service on different days over the last several months.
Constantine reaffirmed his dedication to guiding the regional authority after the vote.
“I’m passionately dedicated to this work, and as I’ve said a year or so ago, and will say again, I’d do it for free,” Constantine remarked, emphasizing his commitment to “deliver the system that the voters approved, and to really raise up the level of service, the quality of service that people are receiving, to make this the finest transit system.”