The doors have been opened: A joint task force run by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Greater Washington Board of Trade to improve Metro’s governance is inviting the public to attend its meeting on Thursday morning and share thoughts about how to improve Metro.
The open meeting had been sought by transit advocates after they faced closed doors two weeks ago during an initial meeting. At the time, COG officials had said the meeting was “an organizational meeting with no current elected officials present” so it did not need to be open to the public.
But transit advocates already were upset that the board did not include any rider representatives or advocacy groups – beyond those representing business interests on the board of trade.
The reason why this matters? A similar task force convened in 2004 came up with what became Metro’s so-called “dedicated funding” arrangement that is slated to provide $3 billion in aid to Metro. And Virginia officials have been seeking new representation on the board, so the transit agency’s governance is a hot topic.
Now the task force is encouraging people to speak out. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments offices, 777 North Capitol Street, NE.
Those who wish to speak should sign up by calling 202-962-3220. Speakers are asked to bring 25 copies of their comments. For those who cannot attend, written comments can be submitted electronically.
