California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed an inspector general to oversee the finances of BART, hold the agency’s managers accountable for safety and cleanliness, and ensure the trains are running on time.

Harriet Richardson, a former city auditor for Palo Alto, will be the first person to take the position. She will set up the office in August.

She was the top pick among three people nominated by BART’s board of directors, in a letter the panel submitted to Newsom.

The move pleased state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, a longtime critic of BART who wrote the legislative amendment to create the inspector general position in 2017. Glazer made it a condition of the Measure 3 bridge toll increases, which voters approved last year.

“We created the Inspector General to give the BART board and the public an independent set of eyes and ears to hold the system’s managers accountable for on-time performance, safety and cleanliness and for the efficient spending of the public’s money,” Glazer wrote in a statement.

He added: “Harriet Richardson has the background and experience to meet the high standards of independence and integrity the public expects in this important position.”

Board President Bevan Dufty said the state senator has raised legitimate concerns over the years, chastising BART for spending too much on employee overtime and for the social media techniques it used to pitch Measure RR to voters.

“I hope this inspector general can address some of those issues and give him greater confidence in what we’re doing,” Dufty said.

Director Debora Allen, a fiscally conservative board member, also hailed the appointment as a major improvement for the transit agency. She was heavily involved in the search for candidates.

“While some colleagues and staff began the selection process with some trepidation — uncertain that the IG position was necessary and concerned it had been forced upon BART — the process of developing the job description and listening to highly qualified inspector general candidates from across the country helped them understand the potential operational improvements an inspector general could bring to the agency,” Allen said. “The selection process brought us together to focus on what always should be front and center: the continuous improvement of the transit services we provide.”

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan