A task force created by the top executives of Maryland, Virginia and the District is recommending that Metro board members face term limits and report how often they attend board meetings to guard against chronic absenteeism.
The group, created by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray in January, issued the first phase of its recommendations in a draft report on Thursday. It’s the latest push to overhaul how the board governs the transit agency after two years of turmoil since the June 2009 Fort Totten crash. The changes likely will require matching legislation in each of the jurisdictions — and Congress — to take effect.
Specifically, the group calls for requiring qualifications for who can serve on the 16-seat board. They said a ridership requirement should be enacted, with each jurisdiction making sure their appointees “use the Metro system on a regular basis in order to familiarize themselves with customer service and operational issues.” In the past, some board members did not regularly take the system.
Board members also sould be required to have experience in at least one of the following areas: “transit, transportation or land use planning; transit, transportation or other public sector management; engineering; finance; public safety; homeland security; human resources or law.” That could mean that elected officials may have a harder time serving.
The group called for term limits on board members, limiting them to no more than two consecutive four-year terms. But it recommended extending the tenure of the board chair to two years from the current one to preserve continuity.
The group says that the independent safety group, the Tri-State Oversight Committee, should be given some teeth to help its oversight of the agency, though it did not specify what powers that should include.
It also recommends that the board limit the use of executive sessions that are closed to the public. (Coincidentally, the group’s report was issued while the board was holding an executive session.)
