RTA Governance

[mkohut]

For a bigger mess, the Sun Times has that the 2 top RTA staff (including Madigan's son in law) supposedly are under investigation for sexual and racial harassment, but since it was sent to the EIG, again, nobody can release anything about the charges. So, again, another legal excuse for shoving it under the carpet.

The biggest laugh is:

Matyas dismisses the investigation, saying it’s based on “false accusations” ...

“These accusations are part of a smear campaign orchestrated by those who would rather that the RTA not be empowered by law to provide the real, effective oversight that is so desperately needed to ensure that northeastern Illinois has an efficient and world-class mass transit system.”

Maybe that's why they need the P.R. consultants to come up with these absolute falsehoods.

While its being put under the carpet.

I don't think its a matter that makes Madigan happy.A son-in-law having the accusations.He might be wondering if he is faithful.

[Busjack]

...

I don't think its a matter that makes Madigan happy.A son-in-law having the accusations.He might be wondering if he is faithful.

I think he only screws the public. You can take that as you want.

Also note that harassment usually means talk, not action. As the article notes, the allegations are "involving comments made at meetings."

I'm also surprised that no one has called in the EEOC or Illinois Human Rights Commission (at least that wasn't reported).

[Busjack]

Oh I got off of that. Don't worry.

Back east here, SEPTA will do similar pretty soon, not just with all of its train and bus transit, and regional rail as well.

Since the point I was going to make is more relevant here:

SEPTA differs from the Chicago mess in that it runs regional rail directly.

The latest word from the acting Metra Executive Director is that Metra will recognize Ventra transit value to buy tickets, but has to come up with something else for conductor auditing of fares. Has any similar concern come up with regard to SEPTA rail?

[mkohut]

I wouldn't hold my breath over anything getting done while the battle of getting pay continues.

http://www.suntimes.com/22932547-418/gov-quinn-appeals-ruling-that-tossed-out-veto-on-legislators-pay.html

[Busjack]

I wouldn't hold my breath over anything getting done while the battle of getting pay continues.

http://www.suntimes.com/22932547-418/gov-quinn-appeals-ruling-that-tossed-out-veto-on-legislators-pay.html

Given that the trial and Appellate Court didn't grant a stay* (and the legislators have already received their Aug., Sept. and Oct. funds transfers) unless the Ill. Supreme Court stays the ruling for Nov., your premise is incorrect.

The Appellate Court will have to hear the case on the merits eventually, but the legislators are going to get their pay.

______

*Injunction preventing enforcing the judgment.

[Busjack]

Looking over both the CTA and Pace agendas, nothing mentions preliminary review of the budget or sending it out for public hearings, which would normally occur at the October meeting. I guess nobody is doing anything about the 2014 budget.

[mkohut]

Given that the trial and Appellate Court didn't grant a stay* (and the legislators have already received their Aug., Sept. and Oct. funds transfers) unless the Ill. Supreme Court stays the ruling for Nov., your premise is incorrect.

The Appellate Court will have to hear the case on the merits eventually, but the legislators are going to get their pay.

______

*Injunction preventing enforcing the judgment.

I wouldn't say entirely.

Quinn won't give Archer Daniels a tax break.til there is pension reform.

Meanwhile,the pension debt is growing.

[Busjack]

I wouldn't say entirely.

Quinn won't give Archer Daniels a tax break.til there is pension reform.

Meanwhile,the pension debt is growing.

Only the last thing counts.

Quinn isn't in any position to give or not give anyone anything; it would take legislation first, and then Quinn would have the opportunity to veto it. Except in the legislative pay case, the veto didn't stick.

At this point, it is just politicking, not governance.

In the meantime, the transit question is whether there will be a budget shutdown, or the statutory timetables are meaningless.

[mkohut]

Only the last thing counts.

Quinn isn't in any position to give or not give anyone anything; it would take legislation first, and then Quinn would have the opportunity to veto it. Except in the legislative pay case, the veto didn't stick.

At this point, it is just politicking, not governance.

In the meantime, the transit question is whether there will be a budget shutdown, or the statutory timetables are meaningless.

I don't see any budget agreement coming anytime.With the battle going on for funds from the RTA.

Even if the RTA wins its lawsuits right now there would be a battle for that money.

[mkohut]

Emanuel ego strikes again

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illiana-crucial-vote-20131009,0,1069438,full.story

[Busjack]

Emanuel ego strikes again

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illiana-crucial-vote-20131009,0,1790238.story?page=2

Not transit, and besides that, news reports are that just about all government representatives north of I-80 are against it, except that DuPage is undecided.

My point in citing this was that this was the first instance of planning showed around here, and in response to something you said about CMAP, CMAP is only a veto agency, and can't initiate anything.

[mkohut]

Not transit, and besides that, news reports are that just about all government representatives north of I-80 are against it, except that DuPage is undecided.

My point in citing this was that this was the first instance of planning showed around here, and in response to something you said about CMAP, CMAP is only a veto agency, and can't initiate anything.

While CMAP only votes.This certainly isn't the first battle between Emanuel and Quinn.

[Busjack]

Daily Herald has an article that DuPage is challenging the bill to merge RTA and CMAP.

Of course, I said that the bill wouldn't accomplish anything, and, besides, DuPage claims that Chicago would be overrepresented, based on population.

[mkohut]

Daily Herald has an article that DuPage is challenging the bill to merge RTA and CMAP.

Of course, I said that the bill wouldn't accomplish anything, and, besides, DuPage claims that Chicago would be overrepresented, based on population.

I think Dupage is more concern about losing its power to appoint anybody.

[Busjack]

I think Dupage is more concern about losing its power to appoint anybody.

In the RTA, they get one appointment now. They sort of indicate that they should be entitled to 1.5 appointments, but unless there is a shared appointment, it doesn't work that way.

But with the RTA bottlenecked by 5 Emanuel appointments, knocking it down to 3 would take care of that problem.

It was claimed that the 2008 legislation took care of the problem of apportionment by population by giving Kane and McHenry separate appointments instead of a shared seat, and to balance that, giving the Cook County President a suburban appointment, but apparently not to DuPage's current satisfaction.

Anyway it gets down to the point to which jajuan and I finally reached, which is that everyone is maneuvering for political advantage in a vacuum.

[mkohut]

I want to share this statement from Active Transportation Alliance

We were extremely disappointed ALL FOUR of Chicagoland’s transit
agencies—Metra, CTA, RTA and Pace—voted against their own riders’
interests by not opposing an expressway project in the deep suburbs.

If approved, the Illiana will directly compete against transit for
a billion dollars of transportation funding—while moving fewer people
than the buses on Ashland Avenue in Chicago.

Correct me if I'm wrong But,isn't Illiana suppose to be a private partnership.Plus,they are bias on Ashland BRT.

[Busjack]

I want to share this statement from Active Transportation Alliance

We were extremely disappointed ALL FOUR of Chicagoland’s transit

agencies—Metra, CTA, RTA and Pace—voted against their own riders’

interests by not opposing an expressway project in the deep suburbs.

If approved, the Illiana will directly compete against transit for

a billion dollars of transportation funding—while moving fewer people

than the buses on Ashland Avenue in Chicago.

Correct me if I'm wrong But,isn't Illiana suppose to be a private partnership.Plus,they are bias on Ashland BRT.

The deal was it it was supposed to be a PPP. However, since there wasn't a contract in place with some private company (like the one that runs the Skyway and Indiana Toll Road), the opposition was based on that the taxpayers would eventually be stuck.

In the sense that if tax money goes to it instead of some transit project, ATA is right. However, looking at Google News, I don't see any report about a final vote in this labyrinthine process.

[mkohut]

The deal was it it was supposed to be a PPP. However, since there wasn't a contract in place with some private company (like the one that runs the Skyway and Indiana Toll Road), the opposition was based on that the taxpayers would eventually be stuck.

In the sense that if tax money goes to it instead of some transit project, ATA is right. However, looking at Google News, I don't see any report about a final vote in this labyrinthine process.

Tomorrow is the voting day for it.

This is another part of the email i got.

The good news is the transit agencies get a second chance to do the

right thing tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. And Chicago Mayor Rahm

Emanuel has said the CTA will oppose the Illiana in that vote.

If you go by this statement. Why would Emanuel allow the CTA to vote yes the first time.

I got the infor in a email.

[Busjack]

Tomorrow is the voting day for it.

This is another part of the email i got.

The good news is the transit agencies get a second chance to do the

right thing tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. And Chicago Mayor Rahm

Emanuel has said the CTA will oppose the Illiana in that vote.

If you go by this statement. Why would Emanuel allow the CTA to vote yes the first time.

I got the infor in a email.

Since tomorrow is the voting day, either the ATA was sending out misinformation or you misconstrued what they said.

The Daily Herald and I suppose others tried to guess the vote before it happened, but that's sort of similar to someone calling the Presidential election at about noon on election day.

And as far as I can tell from the news articles (again the labyrinthine process makes no sense), the only vote that the transit agencies get (at least that counts) is tomorrow.

[mkohut]

Since tomorrow is the voting day, either the ATA was sending out misinformation or you misconstrued what they said.

The Daily Herald and I suppose others tried to guess the vote before it happened, but that's sort of similar to someone calling the Presidential election at about noon on election day.

And as far as I can tell from the news articles (again the labyrinthine process makes no sense), the only vote that the transit agencies get (at least that counts) is tomorrow.

I'm pasting the infor the way i got it.

[Busjack]

Tribune has a story that some consultant hired by the RTA said that a NY MTA or SEPTA structure was necessary, and provided the report to the Fitzgerald task force.

In turn, by the first deadline the task force said little than the obvious that there was corruption and duplication, uncoordinated service, and lack of accountability, which Wronski said was consistent with the consultant's report.

According to that article, the two month stalemate over setting funding marks is over, and it pointed out that it was over a small amount of the total.

[mkohut]

Tribune has a story that some consultant hired by the RTA said that a NY MTA or SEPTA structure was necessary, and provided the report to the Fitzgerald task force.

In turn, by the first deadline the task force said little than the obvious that there was corruption and duplication, uncoordinated service, and lack of accountability, which Wronski said was consistent with the consultant's report.

According to that article, the two month stalemate over setting funding marks is over, and it pointed out that it was over a small amount of the total.

Saw it.But,again as something we all know what politician is going to give up wanting to appoint someone.

[Busjack]

Saw it.But,again as something we all know what politician is going to give up wanting to appoint someone.

Yeah, I think it is all going according to the form we predicted. The only thing surprising was that the RTA commissioned a report that went beyond the minimal steps Gates was suggesting.

However, there wasn't any real recommendation by the task force, and I'm sure that there are plenty of legislators carrying Emanuel's water that there is nothing wrong at CTA that couldn't be cured by the RTA being abolished, the Pace board's position that it is indispensable, Metra being neutered, and the odds of getting anything through the legislature when the whole thing was precipitated by Madigan "not doing anything wrong [sic]."

[Busjack]

I see from the homepage, that the Sun-Times has Claypool up to his old line again:

“I would never work for such a crazy governance structure,’’ Claypool said of one of the key recommendations of a $380,000 study by Delcan, a transit consulting group.

At least that would be a good result.

[mkohut]

I see from the homepage, that the Sun-Times has Claypool up to his old line again:

“I would never work for such a crazy governance structure,’’ Claypool said of one of the key recommendations of a $380,000 study by Delcan, a transit consulting group.

At least that would be a good result.

I think Claypool is underestimating the part of the voters.I can list other things voters can be mad at Emanuel about.