CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority’s embattled president will have to face City Council more often thanks to a new ordinance.
Alderpeople approved an ordinance Wednesday that will require CTA President Dorval Carter and other top transit officials to attend quarterly City Council hearings about “service levels, operations, security, and planning.”
The measure, introduced by Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), a vocal critic of CTA service, came on the same day a Block Club investigation showed Carter has seen his salary soar 60 percent in just eight years with little oversight as unsafe, unsanitary and unreliable CTA service continued. In response, Vasquez doubled down on calls to fire Carter.
Vasquez introduced the proposal a year ago as riders and officials were troubled when Carter skipped invitations to speak at City Council as CTA service floundered.
The new CTA hearings would save seats at City Hall for the CTA president, or other top transit officials, when they are asked to testify by the city’s transportation committee, according to the ordinance. The hearings would be held up to once a season: by March 31, June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31, according to the ordinance.
Block Club’s Manny Ramos details Carter’s tenure with the CTA:
When the hearing requirement ordinance was considered last year, aldermen had debated freezing funding for Carter’s signature Red Line expansion project until he improved the transit system’s reliability. In last year’s failed ordinance, Vasquez tried to tie CTA funding to the president fulfilling City Council appearances — an ultimatum not included this time around.
That first ordinance died out after Carter finally heeded the call to appear for a hearing in November.
In a statement, a CTA spokesperson said Wednesday Carter would “welcome further dialogue with the [City] Council and agreed to appear before the Council whenever he was invited.”
“CTA President Carter values and respects the relationship with the City Council, and welcomes the opportunity to answer questions and discuss the extensive efforts the agency has undertaken to improve service and the overall rider experience,” the agency spokesperson said in the statement.
RELATED: While The CTA Flounders, Its Leader Keeps Getting Pay Hikes
Speaking to Block Club Wednesday, Vasquez said former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her allies in City Hall dropped his first ordinance as a way to “run defense for Dorval Carter.” But direct and routine public scrutiny of leaders should be the “baseline of any organization” to “track improvement over time,” Vasquez said.
Carter has largely dodged speaking publicly outside of monthly CTA board meetings in which he’s rarely been questioned.
A months-long Block Club investigation published Wednesday found Carter’s salary has swelled 60 percent and counting, to more than $376,000, while he continues to operate under limited accountability measures — which don’t include any performance reviews nor a formal contract.
Block Club previously reported that Carter and other transit leaders rarely swiped into the transit system as it lumbered through the pandemic.
Vasquez said the ordinance is a “first step” toward greater transparency for CTA leadership. But Vasquez would still like to see Carter replaced, he said.
“So even though the buses may be running late, and even though this [ordinance] is running late, and it took so much time to get here, it’s now time to hold [Carter] accountable,” Vasquez told City Council Wednesday.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
