Coalition for Smarter Growth Endorses Metro Riders Advisory Council Recommendations on WMATA Governance and Concurs in Response to Board of Trade
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
December 2, 2010
Contact:
Stewart Schwartz, 703-599-6437
Cheryl Cort, 202-244-4408 ext 112
Coalition for Smarter Growth Endorses Metro Riders Advisory Council Recommendations on WMATA Governance and Concurs in Response to Board of Trade
Statement by Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth
ENDORSMENT OF RAC REPORT
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) strongly endorses the WMATA Riders Advisory Council (RAC) recommendations for WMATA governance reform, released today by the RAC. CSG also endorses RAC’s letter to the Governors, Mayor-elect, and other elected officials outlining key recommendations and areas of agreement and disagreement with the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s (BOT) recommendations on WMATA governance.
The Coalition expresses its strong commitment to Metro and its riders, and to continued improvement in the management and enhancement of our region’s premier transit system. Our system’s primary challenge is finding the funding to make up for years of underfunding of preventative maintenance and an aging infrastructure. The WMATA Board and Governors can and should work together to secure adequate funding and institute the management, operations and safety reforms required to re-establish confidence in Metro. However, the BOT’s proposed shift of power to the Governors – most prominent in the case of Virginia -- at the expense of the long-term commitment and accountability shown by our local elected officials, would undermine Metro governance and creates an unnecessary, unproductive and distracting power struggle.
The letter by RAC responds to a report recently released by the BOT as part of a BOT/ Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) task force. This letter, approved last night at the RAC’s public meeting, clearly sets forth where RAC and BOT agree, and where they disagree. Like the RAC, CSG concurs with the BOT report where it mirrors RAC’s recommendations. In particular, we support the recommendations that the General Manager position be converted to a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and that the responsibilities of the WMATA board and CEO be more clearly delineated.
OPPOSITION TO POWER SHIFT
CSG strongly opposes the BOT’s proposed significant shift of power to the Governors and away from local elected officials. If the goal is to improve governance and accountably at Metro, we do not see how adding another layer of bureaucracy through a Governors-led “WMATA Governance Commission” would serve this purpose. Moreover, specifically in the case of Virginia, the state has never shown adequate financial support for the Metro system, providing less than 30 percent of the Virginia share of operating funds for the system, and currently only providing about 38 percent of Virginia’s share of Metro’s capital needs. In contrast, the local governments in Northern Virginia are providing the lion’s share of Virginia’s contributions to Metro. In addition, the Governor and his staff are far removed geographically from our region and lack day to day familiarity with the system. The Governor is also limited to one four year term, leading to high turnover and lack of continuity.
Local elected officials from Northern Virginia and DC have established a strong track record supporting transit. As the local land use officials, they understand how to implement transit-oriented development to maximize the effectiveness of system, they ride the system, and they are in direct contact with the riders who are their constituents. These local officials have also worked for many years with their neighboring jurisdictions and have a track record of thinking regionally. During the recent Metro budget crisis, it was the local elected officials from Northern Virginia who were most responsive to their riders and constituents, and acted quickly to provide additional financial support for the system.
CONCLUSION AND LINKS
We commend to you the thoughtful report by RAC and the many important recommendations where the RAC and BOT agree – recommendations that will create more accountable and effective oversight of our leading transit agency.
View RAC report: http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/riders_advisory_council/documents/ApprvdGovRptFinal01Dec10.pdf
View RAC Response to Council of Governments and Board of Trade Report on WMATA Governance:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/riders_advisory_council/documents/COGBOTResponse01Dec10.pdf
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