* Fran Spielman’s story on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s resistance to firing Dorval Carter at the CTA contained this state-related segment…
[Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago] is one of the prime movers behind a proposal to consolidate the four Chicago-area mass transit agencies — the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace — into one super-agency with beefed-up powers.
“There either needs to be a leadership change or a change in leadership philosophy at CTA,” Buckner said Tuesday.
“The CTA doesn’t have a whole lot more time to get things right. … When you hear the state legislature say what you’re doing isn’t working and you hear the CTA respond by saying, ‘Just give us more money,’ that’s problematic. When you hear the City Council say, ‘What you’re doing is not working’ and you hear CTA respond by saying, ‘It is working. You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ there’s no accountability. The folks who are suffering are the people of Chicago.”
With federal stimulus funds drying up and a combined $730 million fiscal cliff looming, Buckner said: “There will be no new revenue without reform.”
…Adding… Soft landing?…
- JS Mill - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 9:30 am:
Did Buckner say CTA or CTU or COS? They all seem to sing the song all the time and get similar results.
- ChicagoBars - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 10:10 am:
Appreciate Rep Buckner being loud and logical about this. But still don’t feel enough people at CTA (or ILGA probably) realize the CTA is coming off three years of unprecedented Federal money and operations still went to heck. What’s the value proposition for throwing more (and now State approved) money at it and hoping they get better at running their system?
I also note before anyone brings up “Running the CTA is hard we shouldn’t rush” that if none of the very well paid deputy CTA leaders are able to take over as a interim President for 6-9 months while a national search is made that tells you all you know about the CTA c-suite culture 2021 - 2024.
- levivotedforjudy - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 10:43 am:
Anyone remember when Carter was challenged on security on the CTA and mentioned how there was no funding for it and not long after that when Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in town and stated that it was an eligible cost from the fed largesse? I do. Goodbye Carter.
- Juvenal - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 11:07 am:
Has Forest Claypool run the CTA yet? I can’t keep track.
- ChicagoBars - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 11:13 am:
==Has Forest Claypool run the CTA yet? I can’t keep track. ==
Claypool did but he was no Ron Huberman (banned exclamation point) - but seriously Huberman really seemed to love that job when he took the job for Daley back in 2007.
- Jerry - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 11:41 am:
I think there needs to be a clear expectation of what “reform” means.
I agree with ChicagoBars point about Ron Huberman.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 12:33 pm:
===Has Forest Claypool run the CTA yet?===
MBJ appointing Forest Claypool to run CTA again would be wild.
- Original Rambler - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 1:21 pm:
A nationwide search for Carter’s replacement would be fine but KB is one who has a history of paying attention of what’s going on at the CTA which is why he would be more than acceptable to me as a replacement. Put some technocrats under him for the complicated funding and engineering issues.
- Just wondering - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
Why not include all of the other transit agencies in the state into these conversations and discussions ?
Why is it for NE Illinois only ?
- DMC - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 3:10 pm:
I thought Buckner was getting the job 6 months ago.
- Just a guy - Wednesday, May 15, 24 @ 4:54 pm:
It’s always great when a “career administrator” is involved in fixing things. Especially fixing things that he hasn’t been able to fix since he’s been tasked with that action by leadership (and indirectly, the voters who put those leaders there).