John B. Cato Jr. finally realized he’s not the right person to serve as general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. He announced last week he intends to step down in April. He said he is a distraction.
Actually, he’s a first-rate wrecking ball.
In the last year alone, Catoe ignored or didn’t act expeditiously on warnings about the declining safety of the system. He dismantled the senior-level management structure, arguing he would lead operations while others handled administrative details. He pushed the corporation into greater financial instability, even as forces rallied to provide additional funding. And, he incited a decline in the public’s confidence, leading to a drop in ridership. (Let’s not blame everything on the recession. Who wants to ride a subway when there is a real possibility of it hitting another train, running over a worker, or arriving at its destination hours late.)
When Catoe was hired, the system faced enormous challenges. There had been train wrecks and worker accidents. Elevators and escalators rarely operated. Customers frequently complained about trains and buses failing to arrive as scheduled. There never was enough money for anything. In other words, the place was a mess.
During his tenure, things went from bad to worse. Further, local governments and riders paid out more money for the Catoe debacle than they did for his predecessor. Richard White earned $200,000 annually. Catoe pulled in $300,000 plus benefits, including a yearly housing allowance of $60,000.
Truth be told, Catoe was only part of the problem. The WMATA board was equally culpable. They faced indisputable evidence the system was in crisis, but continued to declare confidence in Catoe. They asserted everything was fine until the June crash in which nine people were killed.
Oh, save it.
That tragedy was culminating proof of mismanagement. Inspectors with the National Transportation Safety Board and investigative reporters revealed a host of factors that led to the crash had been present and problematic for years.
Lately, federal investigators have shown an interest in WMATA and its operations. That’s a good thing. But if they want to effect improvements, they can’t be timid.
If Metro were a District government agency, a class-action lawsuit already would have been filed. Some judge in D.C. Superior Court would have appointed a receiver to run the subway and bus service.
Litigation shouldn’t be necessary to instigate reforms. But federal officials shouldn’t just settle for putting a few extra seats on the existing board. Congress could declare an emergency, establishing for the next three to five years a management czar or control board. It’s time to reconstitute WMATA, eliminating the regional structure, which has invited tension and misdirected its development. The transit agency needs more rigorous oversight and reporting requirements.
The failure to take extraordinary action means business as usual, guaranteeing more money will be wasted and, worse, more lives may be lost.
Jonetta Rose Barras, host of WPFW’s “D.C. Politics with Jonetta,” can be reached at [email protected].
