Metro board members aren’t the only public officials who eat hot meals during their meetings. Meals are provided at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, for example.
But D.C. Council members take turns paying out of their pockets for their council breakfasts.
For some Metro board members, the meals have been the only compensation they get besides a ride-for-life Metro card. Board members currently receive varying pay from the communities they represent to serve at Metro, ranging from nothing in the District and the federal government to up to $75,000 from Prince George’s County.
Metro’s board of directors meets at least twice a month for several hours at a time, with meetings starting at 9 a.m. and often running until 2 p.m. They typically hold an executive session during that time and eat lunch together behind closed doors. The board currently has 14 people filling 16 seats.
D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, who served on the board for years before leaving in January, said the meals eaten during those work sessions are a small issue.
“The board is dealing with a lot of major issues and that’s what we should be concentrating on,” he said. – Kytja Weir
