RTA Governance

[Busjack]

...

As for Pace, I could see Pace split in two, with the "line service" being combined with CTA and the train feeders becoming a branch operation of Metra. The two operations really have little in common. But the main reason it can never happen is that Pace drivers are paid substantially less than CTA, and each garage has its own union local (with only a couple of exceptions), so they can't even have "system picks", much less unification of any sort.

If you aren't going to argue for a unified governance model for the region, yeah, it makes a "whole lot of sense" to abolish the only governing board that seems to do a competent job of running its operation.

Does one really want to see a CTA Press Release starting with MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL announces bus service changes for Oak Park? Or Elgin? Or Metra trying to run Dial A Ride or BOS?

It is one thing to say that "regional planners" should stop the current method of encroach and then retreat. It is something else to recommend that boards that are incompetent to supervise their own operations be given more responsibility.

BTW, speaking of encroach and retreat, there is a reason why there are topics here. Use the MultiQuote button if you have to.

[garmon757]

So RTA is pressuring Carter to come up with a budget along with a fare hike or be doomed!

The letter is in the second link. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-cta-fares-rta-20171114-story.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/wisniewski/ct-rta-cta-letter-20171114-htmlstory.html

[Busjack]

On 11/21/2013 at 10:34 PM, mkohut said:

There is a update on the RTA Lawsuit

 

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/23912980-418/illinois-supreme-court-rules-to-close-sales-tax-loopholes.html

RTA (and the rest of the sales tax collecting entities, such as Toni Preckwinkle) just got another windfall/what they thought was due. The Supreme Court just overruled the cases that said that Internet merchants were not required to collect use taxes if they don't have a physical presence in the state (Forbes).

Like the Hartney Fuel Oil case, I bet this stops a lot of bellyaching by the budgeting government units for at least the next two minutes.

Of course, the Quill case didn't mean much to us with respect to Quill, which has a physical presence on Pace 626.

[Busjack]

Tribune says Illinois already has laws in place, and start paying Oct. 1.

[jajuan]

On 6/21/2018 at 1:56 PM, Busjack said:

Tribune says Illinois already has laws in place, and start paying Oct. 1.

I was just going to say, I thought it was already Illinois law that sales tax be charged on purchases made by Illinois residents. For the past few years, I've been paying sales taxes on every online purchase I've made. 

[Busjack]

9 minutes ago, jajuan said:

I was just going to say, I thought it was already Illinois law that sales tax be charged on purchases made by Illinois residents. For the past few years, I've been paying sales taxes on every online purchase I've made. 

The U.S. Supreme Court law was that if they had a physical presence in the state, you had  to pay. Obviously, Amazon's warehouses  on Pace routes 360 and 361 are physical presences in Illinois. As I noted above, the Quill case did no good in Illinois.

What this affects is stuff like independent  merchants on the Amazon marketplace (such as when I  got a battery ordered on amazon.com in an  Ebay envelope). It also affects all the merchandise sold  on TV subchannels that said NJ and Calif. add sales tax.

However, since most major online sellers have local fulfillment facilities, some analysts say this won't generate as much money as thought. 

[jajuan]

6 minutes ago, Busjack said:

The U.S. Supreme Court law was that if they had a physical presence in the state, you had  to pay. Obviously, Amazon's warehouses  on Pace routes 360 and 361 are physical presences in Illinois. As I noted above, the Quill case did no good in Illinois.

What this affects is stuff like independent  merchants on the Amazon marketplace (such as when I  got a battery ordered on amazon.com in an  Ebay envelope). It also affects all the merchandise sold  on TV subchannels that said NJ and Calif. add sales tax.

However, since most major online sellers have local fulfillment facilities, some analysts say this won't generate as much money as thought. 

Pretty much my point as well. Not much changes really, so it doesn't seem like they will get much more money from this decision.

 

[Busjack]

Looks like Jesus rides the Blue Line, but Rev. Acree doesn't. ABC7 story that Mayor Johnson nominated another of his pastor  supporters, but at a Transportation Subcommittee hearing, he basically admitted he didn't know anything about the issues faced by public transit, and feeling betrayed by Alds. Waguespack and Vasquez, withdrew.

Telling was the statement: "Supporters said those serving on the RTA board don't require expertise." Looking at 70 ILCS 3615/3.01, that's correct, which is another reason for the MMA Act.

 

[strictures]

35 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Looks like Jesus rides the Blue Line, but Rev. Acree doesn't. ABC7 story that Mayor Johnson nominated another of his pastor  supporters, but at a Transportation Subcommittee hearing, he basically admitted he didn't know anything about the issues faced by public transit, and feeling betrayed by Alds. Waguespack and Vasquez, withdrew.

Telling was the statement: "Supporters said those serving on the RTA board don't require expertise." Looking at 70 ILCS 3615/3.01, that's correct, which is another reason for the MMA Act.

 

I'm glad he won't be on the board, so which of his supporters that has no transit experience will Johnson attempt to inflict on the RTA next?

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, strictures said:

I'm glad he won't be on the board, so which of his supporters that has no transit experience will Johnson attempt to inflict on the RTA next?

It gets worse. The Sun-Times had:

Quote

“It’s just so unfortunate that opponents of African American empowerment have struck again,” Acree told the Chicago Sun-Times. “If we’re going to start saying people have to be experts in a particular field to be on the board, we’re going to have to go through all of these boards one by one...."

Acree said he’s withdrawing because he is taking a “principled position,” adding, “I’m not going to be the lightning rod for people who are trying to derail Mayor Brandon’s administration.”

Acree also criticized the “appalling” questions put to him.

The article also editorialized:

Quote

Appointments to mass transit boards routinely have been political in nature. Former Mayor Richard J. Daley once appointed Cubs’ Hall of Famer Ernie Banks to the CTA board.

While the first is definitely true, the slam against Ernie Banks wasn't warranted, as he was Black, and owned a car dealership, and thus was a person with business experience, wich is the qualification for the CT Board. Of course, he Board of the current RTA is the most useless government body conceivable.

[artthouwill]

5 hours ago, Busjack said:

Looks like Jesus rides the Blue Line, but Rev. Acree doesn't. ABC7 story that Mayor Johnson nominated another of his pastor  supporters, but at a Transportation Subcommittee hearing, he basically admitted he didn't know anything about the issues faced by public transit, and feeling betrayed by Alds. Waguespack and Vasquez, withdrew.

Telling was the statement: "Supporters said those serving on the RTA board don't require expertise." Looking at 70 ILCS 3615/3.01, that's correct, which is another reason for the MMA Act.

 

Apparently that also applies to the position of Mayor of Chicago. 

[Busjack]

10 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Apparently that also applies to the position of Mayor of Chicago. 

Only qualifications for that are to be domiciled in the city (cf. Emanuel)  and win 50% +1 or a run-off. So long as CTU runs the political apparatus, Chicago voters know what they are going to get. As the S-T article also indicates, the dynamic is now Blacks vs. Hispanics, instead of bowing down to da Mare.

[artthouwill]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Only qualifications for that are to be domiciled in the city (cf. Emanuel)  and win 50% +1 or a run-off. So long as CTU runs the political apparatus, Chicago voters know what they are going to get. As the S-T article also indicates, the dynamic is now Blacks vs. Hispanics, instead of bowing down to da Mare.

I just find Brandon Johnson disingenuous.   On the one hand,  he wants to get rid of a well respected,  highly decorated,  experienced CTA President ( Dorval Carter) and at the same time appoint people who know nothing about transit or operating budgets, business, or government to the RTA Board.  Not once, but TWICE.   

Black people may have put him in office and Black people will surely remove him come 2027.  His illegal immigrants policy has ruined him with Black people and failed to sway Hispanics to his side.  Mayor Mumbles wasn't this bad.

[NewFlyerMCI]

1 hour ago, artthouwill said:

I just find Brandon Johnson disingenuous.   On the one hand,  he wants to get rid of a well respected,  highly decorated,  experienced CTA President ( Dorval Carter) and at the same time appoint people who know nothing about transit or operating budgets, business, or government to the RTA Board.  Not once, but TWICE. 

Do you think BranJo is secretly maneuvering to get Dorval gone or something of that nature? B/c nothing about his current actions or statements support what you're saying (in an ironic contrast to what you could infer from some of his campaign statements).

That vote of no confidence didn't just stumble into purgatory (aka rules) and he's probably the only public official that hasn't been openly hostile to Carter.

Also, I believe Eaddy was nominated for CTA's board, not RTA's, and interestingly enough, arrived on the heels of Roberto Requejo's appointment & confirmation

[Busjack]

Thinking about the RTA point (especially as how the Pace board is lobbying it), the Board members' sole function, in a practical sense, is to lobby for the $1.5 billion in state money while fighting against consolidation, and thus saving their jobs. Acree is gone simply for admittedly not understanding that.