Former Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan is interested in taking John Catoe’s place as general manager of Metro, the Gazette reports http://www.gazette.net/stories/02122010/polinew170611_32554.php
Congressman Chris Van Hollen, D-8, and Maryland House Majority Leader Kumar Barve (D-Gaithersburg) both told the newspaper that Duncan has the political skills needed to replace Catoe, who announced he will retire from the troubled transit agency April 2 – after the deadliest year in Metro’s 33-year history.
No doubt, but why would he want it?
Catoe’s successor will inherit a daunting – and depressing – list of intractable problems, including a $40 million budget gap, billions in deferred maintenance that has left the system in chronic disrepair, and a union that resists any efforts to rein-in labor costs. The new general manager will be under enormous stress to fix everything at once – with new federal overseers on the Metro Board looking over his shoulder and watching his every move.
In 2006, Duncan suddenly exited from the gubernatorial primary race with then Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley because of depression, which he later admitted was exacerbated by the stress of the campaign. Why Duncan would want to risk another bout of, as he put it, “moving to hell for a couple of years” is a question only he can answer.
But that pretty much sums up the Metro job as well.
