A group of aldermen are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to replace embattled Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter.
Nineteen aldermen, including several progressive Johnson allies and other more conservative aldermen, have so far signed onto the resolution that also calls for Carter to resign, according to lead co-sponsor Ald. Matt Martin, 47th. Though nonbinding, it’s the sharpest City Hall rebuke of Carter yet as the leader’s CTA continues to struggle with hiring, service cuts, lagging ridership and a looming financial cliff.
Martin said Monday CTA frustrations have long been top of mind for his constituents. He shares their complaints with the agency often, he said.
“We are using patience. At the end of the day, we need outcomes to change, we need outcomes to improve,” Martin said. “That’s just not happening.”
The resolution, written by outspoken CTA critic Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, blasts Carter for failing to add enough rail and bus operators amid high attrition and not keeping up with post-pandemic service recoveries seen in other big cities like Washington D.C. and New York City. It criticizes the agency president for not being forthcoming about the challenges the CTA faces and waiting too long to make much-needed fixes.
The CTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning. The resolution is likely no surprise, however: Vasquez could be seen discussing it with a CTA staffer at City Hall last Wednesday.
Vasquez and Martin plan to push for more backers before introducing the bill at the May 22 full City Council meeting. Current supporters include Ald. Jessie Fuentes, 26th, Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, and Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, according to Vasquez. He did not respond Monday morning when asked to share a full list.
For months, many aldermen have quietly grumbled about Carter’s performance, but declined to make their disapproval public. As Carter appeared before the council’s Transportation Committee in February, twelve aldermen said the CTA needed a new leader, while just two said it did not.
At the time, Martin said he was a “wait and see” after speaking with Carter about his plans to improve CTA service this spring. But he changed his tune when the CTA added little rail service upon releasing new schedules in April, tweeting, “Current leadership is failing Chicago riders.”
In recent weeks, Carter has only faced more pushback. Last month, Pritzker said the CTA needs an “evolution of the leadership.” Pritzker has no authority to fire the head of the CTA.
Johnson has avoided taking a stance on Carter’s future, repeating that he will not discuss “personnel issues,” a stance he has also stuck to when asked about other leaders in the hot seat.
Last Monday, Johnson again declined to respond when asked if Carter should be fired in an interview with the Tribune.
“What I’m committed to doing right now is making sure that our ridership continues to go up, which it has,” he said.
Control of Carter’s future ultimately belongs to Johnson, who appoints the majority of the CTA board members who oversee the CTA president. The City Council resolution cannot compel the mayor to order a change in CTA leadership, but could add more pressure, particularly if his progressive allies strongly support the effort.
But the resolution could nonetheless face a difficult path forward in the City Council, where it could easily be stalled with parliamentary maneuvers or voted down. Many aldermen have praised the Red Line expansion set to bring rail access to much of the far South Side, an expensive project to be paid for in part with federal money Carter secured.
The CTA has faced years of complaints about the transit agency’s ability to provide frequent, reliable and safe service. In February, Carter told aldermen he would restore train service to pre-pandemic levels this year, and would begin adding back bus and rail service in the spring. CTA’s spring bus schedules added service on 29 of the agency’s 127 routes, but rail service made smaller gains.
Last week, South and West Side aldermen approved in committee a Johnson nominee for the Region Transportation Authority board, the body that handles financial oversight for CTA, Pace and Metra. The nominee, politically-connected pastor Rev. Ira Acree, struggled to answer basic questions about the agency.
Acree said during the hearing that he was not aware of the $730 million financial cliff the RTA faces as federal COVID-19 money dries up, but the aldermen nonetheless passed him through, citing his ability to learn and unique perspective. Only Vasquez and Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, voted against him, while Fuentes and Conway voted to approve.
Aldermen also recently approved two new CTA board members. One comes from a background in transit-oriented development, and the other is a pastor who was previously on the police oversight board.
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
