Fairfax County likely will lose one of its two seats on Metro’s board of directors in January, the last domino to fall in making way for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s new appointee, according to several key players.
The move would mean a final victory for McDonnell, who spent more than a year fighting to gain one of the four spots set aside for Virginia representatives on Metro’s 16-seat board. It also represents the latest shift in a board that has nearly turned over completely since the deadly June 2009 Red Line crash, leaving only three veterans remaining.
Fairfax County holds one voting seat and one alternate seat on the board, while Arlington holds the other voting seat and Alexandria has an alternate seat. The District, Maryland and the federal government have four seats each.
Under a scenario expected to be approved by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission in its Dec. 1 meeting, Arlington County Representative Mary Hynes would give up her voting seat to state appointee Jim Dyke, then become an alternate, pushing out current alternate Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay.
“It’s likely that the Fairfax County alternate seat is going to be lost because it’s the only jurisdiction that has two seats,” McKay confirmed.
Hynes called it “the likely scenario.”
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, who holds the other alternate seat, said he is not expected to lose his seat in the shuffle. “If that were the fact, I’d be fighting it,” he said.
Still unresolved, though, is the politically sensitive issue of the alternates’ relationship to the state appointee. “When the voting person is out, then who steps in to vote? And does the alternate need to vote on behalf of the governor?” Euille asked.
The move likely would cause committee chairmanships to change, as Hynes heads a committee on governing Metro but alternates cannot lead committees under the current rules, she said.
McKay says the moves don’t bode well for Northern Virginia.
“There’s no scenario here where the riders of Northern Virginia will win,” McKay said. “The voice of the rider will get lost when the governor makes a direct appointment.”
Elected officials are more accessible and accountable to members of the public, he said. They also have a direct voice on their local boards to appropriate more money if needed, he said, whereas a governor’s appointee does not have direct power over the General Assembly. “Looking back, people will realize this was a huge mistake,” he said.
