EDITOR: I have supported the idea of a Sonoma-Marin rail line for some time. That makes it all the more important that I express my outrage at the financial package for the new SMART manager ("SMART picks Marin official as new manager," Tuesday).
As I add up the figures, it shows a salary and benefit package of $312,788, plus 35 days of vacation and sick leave. In these difficult financial and economic times I must ask of the SMART directors, what were you thinking?
It would seem that their plan was to hire Farhad Mansourian from the get-go, giving him the upper hand in salary negotiations. This is an obscene amount of taxpayer money in difficult times. The board and Mansourian should be embarrassed.
While I do not dispute Mansourian's qualifications, and he might be the perfect fit, his financial package is so far out of line with other taxpayer-paid positions that it's unbelievable. We were not hiring a rock star or a celebrity for this position.
It makes me wonder who is watching the taxpayer's cash register. Certainly not the SMART board of directors.
JOE SEWELL
Santa Rosa
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