CTA chairman resigns, citing demands on time

[jacksone44]

I suppose we need to start a thread for this one. A small bit of me figured this would happen.

[Guest]

Perfect example of the lack of loyalty, bails out when the agency needs help. She never cared about the CTA.

Godd Riddens Carole!

[Busjack]

Perfect example of the lack of loyalty, bails out when the agency needs help. She never cared about the CTA.

Godd Riddens Carole!

I agree with the latter statement, but not for the reason cited by 5750.

What I especially take issue with is highlighted by the following from the Sun-Times:

Brown... used the municipal finance expertise she gained at Harvard and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management to puttogether the bond deal that helped the CTA solve its pension crisis.

...

In 2005, while dealing with a $55 million budget gap, she started her own blog to debunk what she called myths and misinformation about the agency.

Starting first with the blog, it was essentially a "either you are for 'funding' or misinformed," while in fact she was misinformed when making assertions about the operations of Pace and Metra (such as that the fare from Kenilworth was less than CTA fare, when it wasn't, or that Pace hadn't contracted out paratransit). At least the state legislature properly got her off the RTA board. She also maintained that it would be "too bad" if Evanston lost bus service under every doomsday plan, but maybe they should join her quest for "funding." You knew she tripped up when she told someone from the Carpentersville area to essentially support raising his taxes or the CTA will send air pollution his way.

With regard to the bond deal, in retrospect, since it was based on the real estate transfer tax, and the real estate market has gone into the toilet, it wasn't a long term solution. I had read elsewhere that it never was a good idea, but I will rest on the retrospective view.

Now my real complaint about Brown, and probably any one else da Mare selects to replace her: She and the board were never in charge of the CTA, but were just spokespersons for Kruesi. Then, when Frank was forced out, she was "delighted" that da Mare suggested Huberman, and went along with da Mare suggesting Rodriguez. Recently, there was the announcement that agencies under da Mare's control, including the CTA, now have to economize. I don't argue with economizing, but the CTA is legally an independent municipal corporation, not an arm of City Hall.

The real loss may be Leonis, who, with Zagota, actually asked questions about such things as the bus lease when Doomsday was still being threatened. Neither is around now.

[BusHunter]

I'm kind of surprising she resigned, but I can see her reasons why. The timing of the resignation, leads me to suspect she has foreshadowed the future as far as the budget. And she sees this whole song and dance coming of whether we have service cuts or fare increases due to the deficit in the budget and she is mentally exhausted. You have to admit she and the pres have had to iron out many deficits over the years traveling to Springfield to lobby for more transit funding. It's almost like a yearly occurance. This year she doesn't have the experience of Huberman or Kruezi alongside her. This will make the job harder to do and she's just exhausted. As a critic, I would say there has been alot of spending on infrastructure over the years. Some has been wasteful, like buying NABI buses, the specific model being new and unproven. On the rail side just in the last 15 years the Brown, Pink and Green lines have been just about completly rebuilt and the Orange line was also constructed. The Dan Ryan line has been rehabbed and State street subway stations have been upgraded as well. Howard street has got a new yard and station and the yellow line has been upgraded as well. About the only lines not having major attention paid to them have been the purple and blue lines and the blue in the last year has gotten all new running rail and ties on the Kennedy section as well as the Dearborn Subway portions. Then you have to include the signaling project that puts CTA on line with the AC powered #5000's. Alot of money if you put all the projects price tags together. Was this all necessary? Well the blue line derailment in the subway a few years ago shows some things needed repair and were missed. The ties in that section I believe were the original ties from 1951. As the system gets older it needs more repair. I think attention should be paid to older stations like the WWI era Red line stations between Lawrence and Jarvis. Repairing lines from 1969 to me is questionable, we have railcars that are older than stations being rehabbed. One parting thought, if we have repaired all this in the last 20 years what was done as far as infrastructure before that because we seem to be playing catch-up to all the old projects simultaneously?

[Guest]

I'm kind of surprising she resigned, but I can see her reasons why. The timing of the resignation, leads me to suspect she has foreshadowed the future as far as the budget. And she sees this whole song and dance coming of whether we have service cuts or fare increases due to the deficit in the budget and she is mentally exhausted. You have to admit she and the pres have had to iron out many deficits over the years traveling to Springfield to lobby for more transit funding. It's almost like a yearly occurance. This year she doesn't have the experience of Huberman or Kruezi alongside her. This will make the job harder to do and she's just exhausted. As a critic, I would say there has been alot of spending on infrastructure over the years. Some has been wasteful, like buying NABI buses, the specific model being new and unproven. On the rail side just in the last 15 years the Brown, Pink and Green lines have been just about completly rebuilt and the Orange line was also constructed. The Dan Ryan line has been rehabbed and State street subway stations have been upgraded as well. Howard street has got a new yard and station and the yellow line has been upgraded as well. About the only lines not having major attention paid to them have been the purple and blue lines and the blue in the last year has gotten all new running rail and ties on the Kennedy section as well as the Dearborn Subway portions. Then you have to include the signaling project that puts CTA on line with the AC powered #5000's. Alot of money if you put all the projects price tags together. Was this all necessary? Well the blue line derailment in the subway a few years ago shows some things needed repair and were missed. The ties in that section I believe were the original ties from 1951. As the system gets older it needs more repair. I think attention should be paid to older stations like the WWI era Red line stations between Lawrence and Jarvis. Repairing lines from 1969 to me is questionable, we have railcars that are older than stations being rehabbed. One parting thought, if we have repaired all this in the last 20 years what was done as far as infrastructure before that because we seem to be playing catch-up to all the old projects simultaneously?

Maybe if there were some real transit professionals out there, CEOs, Chairmans or Vice-Chairmans who acutally performed in some capacity at various transit systems for many years and have the experience and possess the knowledge of a transit system instead of the Mayors Chess set, these are people who never drove a bus, operated a train, have never collected a fare or ever worked inside the guts of a major transit system. I think the CTA situation would still be dire but at least we would have someone who isnt afraid of challenges and knows transit. In my opinion, Brown jumped ship leaving the CTA to fend for themselves. Poor G.K.! he is turning over in his grave!

[Busjack]

I'm kind of surprising she resigned, but I can see her reasons why. The timing of the resignation, leads me to suspect she has foreshadowed the future as far as the budget.

I sort of liked the conspiratorial theories with regard to both Brown and Leonis resigning at the same time, posted in the Sun-Times. I don't subscribe to them, but according to the Channel 7.1 report last night, both seemed to enjoy their dinner together and concurred that it was time for Daley to find leadership with a new perspective.

This year she doesn't have the experience of Huberman or Kruezi alongside her.

You'll note from the various reports, she says she will miss working with Daley and Huberman. No mention of Kruesi and Rodriguez (although Kruesi was clearly a detriment).

As a critic, I would say there has been alot of spending on infrastructure over the years. Some has been wasteful, like buying NABI buses, the specific model being new and unproven.

Not to mention the quarter billion dollars of someone's money sunk into Block 37. At first Carole said she was not in favor of "direct service" until there was a plan for "express service," then reluctantly went along with spending more money to mothball the shell of a tunnel, saying "I want to also reiterate my skepticism of using an eventual CTA station below Block 37 for some kind of express service to Midway and O'Hare with CTA's current system. Both when this aspect of the project was first floated four years ago and again now, it just doesn't make sense to me to propose such a capital-intensive and ambitious project that will require a major reconfiguration of CTA service and infrastructure." Thus, she was real good in spending money and saying what she would not do.

Well the blue line derailment in the subway a few years ago shows some things needed repair and were missed. The ties in that section I believe were the original ties from 1951. As the system gets older it needs more repair. ... One parting thought, if we have repaired all this in the last 20 years what was done as far as infrastructure before that because we seem to be playing catch-up to all the old projects simultaneously?

Of course, it took the NTSB report to shame them about track inspection in the tunnel.

The real problem they have is that no matter how much is added to the capital budget, there usually are about $5 billion in unfunded needs listed in every budget. I mentioned before that maybe the problem is that in this state, taxes are raised only to cover the next bond issue, instead of a revenue stream being found to fund needs as they arise (and, of course, all we know is that Quinn has held up the current bond issue). However, you have to wonder if CTA prioritizes properly. Carole said that they could do both New Starts and renewals at the same time, but something needs to be done about the North Side main before the concrete bridges start collapsing.

[Busjack]

Maybe if there were some real transit professionals out there, CEOs, Chairmans or Vice-Chairmans who acutally performed in some capacity at various transit systems for many years and have the experience and posess the knowledge of the transit system instead of the Mayors Chess set, people who never drove a bus, operated a train or worked inside the guts of a major transit system. I think the CTA situation would still be dire but at least we would have someone who isnt afraid of challenges and knows transit. In my opinion, Brown jumped ship leaving the CTA to fend for themselves. Poor G.K.! he is turning over in his grave!

Amen.

[Kevin]

Maybe if there were some real transit professionals out there, CEOs, Chairmans or Vice-Chairmans who acutally performed in some capacity at various transit systems for many years and have the experience and posess the knowledge of the transit system instead of the Mayors Chess set, people who never drove a bus, operated a train or worked inside the guts of a major transit system.

Technically, Ron Huberman once drove a school bus. :D

[Guest]

Technically, Ron Huberman once drove a school bus.

Kevin, Im ROFL! I cant stop laughing!!!

[Busjack]

I saw that when saying farewell, Carole of Ask Carole deleted the comments. I guess I harvested them just in time.

[BusHunter]

Not to mention the quarter billion dollars of someone's money sunk into Block 37. At first Carole said she was not in favor of "direct service" until there was a plan for "express service," then reluctantly went along with spending more money to mothball the shell of a tunnel, saying "I want to also reiterate my skepticism of using an eventual CTA station below Block 37 for some kind of express service to Midway and O'Hare with CTA's current system. Both when this aspect of the project was first floated four years ago and again now, it just doesn't make sense to me to propose such a capital-intensive and ambitious project that will require a major reconfiguration of CTA service and infrastructure." Thus, she was real good in spending money and saying what she would not do.Of course, it took the NTSB report to shame them about track inspection in the tunnel.

The real problem they have is that no matter how much is added to the capital budget, there usually are about $5 billion in unfunded needs listed in every budget. I mentioned before that maybe the problem is that in this state, taxes are raised only to cover the next bond issue, instead of a revenue stream being found to fund needs as they arise (and, of course, all we know is that Quinn has held up the current bond issue). However, you have to wonder if CTA prioritizes properly. Carole said that they could do both New Starts and renewals at the same time, but something needs to be done about the North Side main before the concrete bridges start collapsing.

The block 37 project is obviously the pipe dream of Kruezi. I think it wasn't a bad idea at the time, but more research should have been made on the excavation of the site and the costs involved. Mothballing the station I think is just a PR nightmare, they should have just announced a delay, and built the station eventually to operate on a local level. Instead you have a half built station that is viewed as a waste that does no good. Even in the track area in the blue line subway, if you notice signaling has been put for a crossover at the Washington station cutout with the signal number starting with "x" which is only put at crossovers. It's like they want to put a crossover, but will they? The whole thing's in limbo. One thing I've never understood. Back in the days of Garfield Park Express trains and Locals and the CA&E all being on a two track line in spots with passing tracks made around Central Pk or Kedzie with trains passing on opposing tracks I wonder why it's so hard to achieve this today? Maybe they need to resurrect the transit pro's of the 40's and ask them how they did it!! On the Brown exit, another thing that has changed this year is Quinn is running state government, not Blago yet they still are paying for his rides for seniors plan. Quinn to me would seem less transit friendly. Maybe I'm mistaken, but hasn't he already held up transit funding earlier this year? We could be in for an interesting Winter. :huh:

[Busjack]

Back in the days of Garfield Park Express trains and Locals and the CA&E all being on a two track line in spots with passing tracks made around Central Pk or Kedzie with trains passing on opposing tracks I wonder why it's so hard to achieve this today? Maybe they need to resurrect the transit pro's of the 40's and ask them how they did it!!

This goes back to the consultant's report, which I indicated in the previous post, Carole seemed to disavow.

That report mentioned 2 stages: "Direct Service" stuck behind the Blue Line trains, and then "Express Service" that wouldn't be.

Some scenarios involved constructing bypass tracks, primarily around Damen and California stations. However, the consultant seemed to favor constructing an L over the UP NW line.

What I thought most bizarre was the pretty consistent recommendation that they needed 4 tracks past Jefferson Park, even though there are only 3 intermediate stations past there. The consultants basically said "they'll have to reconstruct the expressway, anyway," so why not.

On the Brown exit, another thing that has changed this year is Quinn is running state government, not Blago yet they still are paying for his rides for seniors plan. Quinn to me would seem less transit friendly. Maybe I'm mistaken, but hasn't he already held up transit funding earlier this year?

That was the story behind the 140 bus order deferred story, although the plain word never came out.

[BusHunter]

This goes back to the consultant's report, which I indicated in the previous post, Carole seemed to disavow.

That report mentioned 2 stages: "Direct Service" stuck behind the Blue Line trains, and then "Express Service" that wouldn't be.

Some scenarios involved constructing bypass tracks, primarily around Damen and California stations. However, the consultant seemed to favor constructing an L over the UP NW line.

What I thought most bizarre was the pretty consistent recommendation that they needed 4 tracks past Jefferson Park, even though there are only 3 intermediate stations past there. The consultants basically said "they'll have to reconstruct the expressway, anyway," so why not.

That was the story behind the 140 bus order deferred story, although the plain word never came out.

No wonder they seek a sponsorship for the line, if they really would have to build and purchase all that. I am a bit curious why the signaling project on the blue is bi-directional. The official response would be in case of a construction bypass. But I'm thinking couldn't a train bypass another NB using the southbound tracks if you just hold the local in place for a minute or so with switches placed at each end of the station. Wouldn't the signaling hold the SB train at the previous stop, with signaling placed after each stop monitoring what's happening ahead. That would be just like the Garfield park example I mentioned, minus the advanced signaling they didn't have back then.

[Busjack]

I am a bit curious why the signaling project on the blue is bi-directional. The official response would be in case of a construction bypass. But I'm thinking couldn't a train bypass another NB using the southbound tracks if you just hold the local in place for a minute or so with switches placed at each end of the station....

I think it is more of a question that the signals have to be updated (the theory going back to the days of the chopper control experiment, where the electronics interfered with the existing cab signal system) and all modern systems, starting with the O'Hare extension, are bi-directional.

Of course, any time CTA introduces a human discretion element to the signal system, you get a crash.

[Busjack]

​...

BTW, I heard Busjack's favorite person from the Kruesi era is back in town. Carole Brown is now Rahm's chief of finance. I had to check and see if it was the same person, but it is. Taking care of that south side!!

​Carole wasn't out of town. She said that she had to put in time on her real job. Only mystery is how at that time she was working for Mesirow, and now is working for Barclays. Also, I don't think she was from the south side (Streeterville, IIRC).

Unlike her successors, I didn't say she was incompetent, but did disagree with some of her political stances, although she did slightly stand up to Daley on the Airport Express debacle.

Maybe having a real job in financial engineering, she can get the city out of the immediate credit downgrade mess. The other question brought up was that Daley quit about the time he had run through all the same staffers, and now Rahm is relegated to using Daley's staffers. I wonder if the city is paying her enough to quit Barclays.

...

Of course, any time CTA introduces a human discretion element to the signal system, you get a crash.

​I see, rereading this topic, I predicted Brittney Haywood by about 4-1/2 years

Edited May 27, 2015 by Busjack